Published following a four-year photographic campaign throughout the French territory, this second map of the Atlas des Régions Naturelles is lithological.

The 450 natural regions have adapted to the outcropping rocks of their terrain, their dimensions conforming to those of the basins, massifs and mountain ranges. This superficial geology makes it possible to deduce the qualities of a landscape, its relief, contours and colours, as well as the ways in which it has been cultivated and developed.

On the ground, understanding what characterises a natural region begins with an appreciation of its vernacular architecture, whose forms are the shortest route between local materials and human necessity. We thus thought it appropriate to devote this new edition to what constitutes the basis of all edification, the soil.