| The mountains dominate life in the French Pyrénées, a region in many ways closer to Spain than France, over centuries its remote terrain and tenacious people have given heretics a hiding place and refugees an escape route. Today, it is the last remaining wilderness in southern Europe and a habitat for rare animal species. |
| The deeper the Pyrénées are penetrated, the steeper the valley sides and the more gigantic the snow-clad peaks become. In summer the region offers over 1,600 km (1,000 miles) of walking trails, as well as camping, fishing and climbing. In winter there is both cross-country and alpine skiing at the busy resorts along the border, much livelier than their Spanish counterparts. |
| Historically, the Pyrénées are known as the birthplace of Henri IV, who put an end to the wars of Religion in 1593 and united France. The region's oldest inhabitants, the Basque people, have maintained their own language and culture, and their resorts of Bayonne, Biarritz and St-Jean de Luz reflect this, looking to the sea and to summer visitors for their livelihood. Inland, Pau, Tarbes and Foix rely on tourism and medium-scale industry, while Lourdes receives four million pilgrims every year. |
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