The Dordogne is a river in southwest France, and also the wide countryside around that river. On a French map it is a département — a kind of county — but English speakers, especially in Britain, usually say “the Dordogne” the way they say “the Lake District”: they mean the whole pretty area, not one town and not only the water. It is famous for old stone villages, caves, castles, and green river valleys. For many years it has been a favourite summer place for middle-class British families. They camp, or they stay in a gîte, which is a rented country house. French people live there all year, of course; the “British holiday” picture is simply how the name often arrives in English newspapers and conversation. You write it with a capital D because it is a place name. You say “in the Dordogne” for the area. Though actually, the same word is also the river itself — so “the Dordogne” can mean water or land, and listeners decide from the rest of the sentence. It is a travel and geography word, not everyday chat unless someone is talking about holidays in France.

多爾多涅（法國西南部的河與地區；英國人常把這裡當避暑鄉下）