Millau

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Millau, town, Aveyron département, Midi-Pyrénées région, southern France. It lies in the Grands-Causses plateau region (and regional park), at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers, southeast of Rodez on the northwestern edge of the Causses du Larzac. In pre-Roman times it was Condatomag, a Celtic community. The Romans renamed it Aemilianum and developed it as a pottery centre. Chartered in 1183, it was ruled by the Aragonese and the English in the Middle Ages. During the Reformation, it became a Huguenot stronghold and rebelled against Louis XIII in 1620. Millau, once noted for its glove industry, acts as a service and tourist centre, particularly for visitors to the Tarn gorges. It is located amid a region renowned for its Roquefort cheese. In 2004 the Millau Viaduct opened as the world’s highest road bridge, spanning some 343 metres (1,125 feet) above the Tarn. Pop. (1999) 21,339; (2012 est.) 22,013.