Aveyron (French: [avɛʁɔ̃] ⓘ; Occitan: Avairon [aβajˈɾu]) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France.

[3] The inhabitants of Aveyron's prefecture, Rodez, are called Ruthénois, based upon the first settlers in the area, the Ruteni.

The sordid circumstances of his death, following which his body was found floating in the river Aveyron, led to the matter becoming publicised as a cause célèbre.

Recent studies have indicated that he met his end at the initiative of a right-wing royalist organisation known as the Chevaliers de la Foi (Knights of Faith).

Aveyron department consists of an ancient high rocky plateau of great geological diversity.

The inhabitants are also very good craftsmen, and Aveyron is full of various craft objects, handmade, that can be found locally.

Examples include the couteau de Laguiole, the world famous Roquefort cheese, from the village of the same name and other local produce.

Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance is the commune where the feral child Victor of Aveyron was found in the late 18th century.

Ten towns in Aveyron fall within the classification of a 1901 association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France: