Documents for "French Political Geography":

• Épernay town (1990 pop. 27,738), Marne dept., NE France, on the Marne River. It is, next to Reims, the largest manufacturing center for champagne wine and the headquarters of some of the oldest firms, notably Moët. The wine is stored in caves (open to tourists) which form a labyrinth some 30 mi (48 km) long in the surrounding hills. Heavy...

• Épinal town (1990 pop. 39,480), capital of Vosges dept., E France, in Lorraine, on the Moselle. Although considerably damaged during World War II, the city today is an active industrial center, with...

• Évian-les-Bains or Évian, town (1993 est. pop. 7,027), Haute-Savoie dept., E France, on Lake Geneva. It is a fashionable spa at the foot of the Alps. Évian-les-Bains's mineral water is bottled and exported to all parts of...

• Évreux town (1990 pop. 51,452), capital of Eure dept., N France, in Normandy. It is an industrial town where metals, textiles, rubber, radio and television parts, and pharmaceuticals are manufactured...

• Évry town (1991 pop. 45,854), capital of Essonne dept., N central France. The major industry is the manufacture of aeronautic equipment. A suburb of Paris, it is one of several developments built since...

• Île de la Cité France: see Paris.

• Île-de-France region and former province, N central France, in the center of the Paris basin, a fertile depression where the Marne and Ouse rivers join the Seine. Containing parts of the Beauce and Brie...

• Abbeville town (1990 pop. 24,588), Somme dept., N France, in Picardy , on the Somme River. Sugar refining, brewing, iron working, and carpet manufacturing are the chief industries. Abbeville received its commercial charter in 1184 and enjoyed prosperity until the...

• Agen town (1990 pop. 32,223), capital of Lot-et-Garonne dept., SW France, on the Garonne River, in Guienne. It is an agricultural marketplace in the center of a fruit-growing region and an industrial center where food products, clothing, agricultural machinery, bicycles, tiles, drugs, furniture, and...

• Agincourt modern Fr. Azincourt, village, Pas-de-Calais dept., N France. There, on Oct. 25, 1415, Henry V of England defeated a much larger French army in the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). His success, which was due mainly to the superiority of the masses of English longbow men over the heavily armored French knights, demonstrated the obsolescence of the methods of...

• Ain department (1990 pop. 477,400), E central France, in Burgundy , bordering on Switzerland. Bourg-en-Bresse is the capital.

• Aisne department (1990 pop. 537,600), NE France, in Île-de-France , Picardy , and Champagne , touching the Belgian border. Laon is the capital.

• Aix-en-Provence city (1990 pop. 126,854), Bouches-du-Rhône dept., in Provence, SE France. It is a commercial center in an area producing olives, grapes, and almonds. Its manufactures include food products,...

• Aix-les-Bains town (1990 pop. 24,826), Savoie dept., SE France, situated on Lake Bourget at the foot of the Alps. It is a popular resort and spa. The town's alum and sulfur springs have been frequented since...

• Ajaccio town (1990 pop. 59,952), capital of Corse-du-Sud dept., France, on the Isle of Corsica. A year-round tourist attraction, Ajaccio also has manufacturing, fishing, timbering, shipping, and...

• Alès formerly Alais , city (1990 pop. 42,296), Gard dept., S France, in Languedoc, at the foot of the Cévennes Mts., on the Gardon River. Once noted for cloth and silk, its industries now focus on making machinery,...

• Alais see Alès.

• Albertville town (1990 est. pop. 18,121), Savoie dept., E France in the Rhone-Alps region, close to the French-Italian border. Located in the Alps on the Arly River just above its influx into the Isère,...

• Albi town (1990 pop. 48,707), capital of Tarn dept., S France, in Languedoc, on the Tarn River. A commercial center, its has glassworks and food-processing, textile-manufacturing, and tourist...

• Alençon town (1990 pop. 31,139), capital of Orne dept., N France, in Normandy, on the Sarthe and Briante rivers. A commercial center in a fertile farm area, it is particularly noted for its fine lace...

• Allier department (1990 pop. 356,900), central France, in Bourbonnais. Moulins is the capital.

• Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department (1990 pop. 132,400), SE France; formerly Basses-Alpes dept. Digne is the capital.

• Alpes-Maritimes department (1990 pop. 983,600), SE France, bounded by Italy on the east and the Mediterranean Sea on the south and surrounding the independent principality of Monaco. Nice is the capital.

• Alsace Ger. Elsass, region and former province, E France. It is separated from Germany by a part of the Rhine River. It comprises the departments of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and the Territory of Belfort (a department...

• Amboise town (1991 pop. 10,972), Indre-et-Loire dept., N central France, in Touraine, on the Loire. It is a wine and wool market, and its manufactures include sporting goods, pharmaceuticals, and film and...

• Amiens city (1991 pop. 136,234), capital of Somme dept., N France, in Picardy , on the Somme River. It is a rail hub and a large market for the truck farming carried on in the surrounding Somme marshlands. Also an important textile center (since the 16th cent.), it has been...

• Andelys, Les town (1993 est. pop. 8,580), in Eure dept., N France, Normandy, on the Seine. The twin communities of Grand-Andely and Petit-Andely form a commercial center, with a distillery, metalworks,...

• Angers city (1990 pop. 146,163), capital of Maine-et-Loire dept., W France, in Anjou, on the Maine River. A business and trade center, it is known for its wine and the famous Cointreau liqueur. It also...

• Angoulême city (1990 pop. 42,194), capital of Charente dept., W France, on the Charente River. A former river port, it is now a major road and rail center. Its paper industry dates from the 15th cent., and...

• Angoumois region and former province, W France, now coextensive with most of Charente dept. Angoulême is the historic capital and chief city. In the region is the Charente valley, with its excellent vineyards; the brandy made from their grapes is named for Cognac, the chief distillery center. In...

• Anjou region and former province, W France, coextensive roughly with Maine-et-Loire and parts of Indre-et-Loire, Mayenne, and Sarthe depts. Angers , the historic capital, and Saumur are the chief towns. A fertile lowland, Anjou is traversed by the Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe, Loir, and Maine rivers. It is chiefly an agricultural area with excellent vineyards that produce the...

• Annecy town (1990 pop. 51,143), capital of Haute-Savoie dept., SE France, in Savoy in the N Alps, on beautiful Lake Annecy. A popular tourist resort, it also has printing plants and factories making jewelry, precision instruments, and wood, leather, and textile products. The...

• Antibes resort town (1990 pop. 70,688), in Alpes-Maritimes dept., SE France, on the Riviera. It is a seaport and the center of a great flower-growing region; a school of horticulture is there. Nearby is the fashionable resort Cap d'Antibes. The town was founded as a Greek colony in the...

• Ardèche department (1990 pop. 278,800) in Vivarais , S France. Privas is the capital.

• Ardennes department (1990 pop. 295,700), NE France, in Champagne. The capital is Charleville-Mézières. Ardennes is also the name of a section of the eastern branch of an ancient mountain chain resulting from Hercynium folding between 345 million and 225 million years ago. The western edge of the...

• Argenteuil city (1990 pop. 94,162), Val-d'Oise dept., N France, on the Seine, a suburb of Paris. It has important metalworks and factories making furniture, railroad and airplane parts, and chemicals. Once...

• Argonne region of the Paris basin, NE France, in Champagne and Lorraine (Meuse, Marne, and Ardennes dept.), a hilly and woody district centering around the capital, Sainte-Menehould. Thinly populated,...

• Ariège department (1990 pop. 136,700), SW France, in Languedoc, bounded by Spain and Andorra. Foix is the capital.

• Arles city (1990 pop. 52,543), Bouches-du-Rhône dept., S central France, in Provence , on the Rhône River delta. Arles is an important railroad, shipping, agriculture, and industrial center with varied manufactures. It was a flourishing Roman town (Arelas) and the metropolis of Gaul...

• Armagnac region and former county, SW France, in Gascony , roughly coextensive with Gers dept. Auch is the chief town. Armagnac is famous for the brandy bearing the same name. The counts of Armagnac originated in the 10th cent. as vassals of the dukes of Gascony. Their power reached its height...

• Armentières town (1990 pop. 26,220), Nord dept., N France, in Flanders, on the Lys River. It has foundries, boiler works, breweries, and a large textile industry. During most of World War I it was directly...

• Arras city (1990 pop. 42,715), capital of Pas-de-Calais dept., and historic capital of Artois, N France, on the canalized Scarpe River. It is a communications, farm, and industrial center, with oil...

• Artois region and former province, in Pas-de-Calais dept., N France, near the English Channel, between Picardy and Flanders. Arras is the chief city. Largely agricultural, it contains diverse industries,...

• Asnières-sur-Seine formerly Asnières, industrial suburb of Paris (1990 pop. 71,850), Hauts-de-Seine dept., N central France, on the Seine River. Boats and perfumes are the major manufactures.

• Aube department (1990 pop. 289,400), NE France, in Champagne. Troyes is the capital.

• Aubervilliers town (1990 pop. 67,836), Seine-Saint Denis dept., N central France, NE of Paris. It is an important industrial center where chemicals, pharmaceuticals, metals, and leather goods are produced...

• Aubusson town (1993 est. pop. 5,546), Creuse dept., central France, in the former province of Marche, on the Creuse River. Its famous tapestry and carpet manufactures date from the 15th cent. Aluminum,...

• Auch town (1990 pop. 24,728), capital of Gers dept., SW France, in Gascony, on the Gers River. It is a farm market and commercial center with a variety of manufactures and an important trade in...

• Aude department (1993 est. pop. 289,400), S central France, in Languedoc. Carcassonne , its capital, and Narbonne are the chief cities.

• Aunis small region and former province, W France, on the Atlantic coast. It is now part of the Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sèvres depts. and includes the islands of Ré and Oléron. La Rochelle, the...

• Auray town (1990 pop. 10,323), Morbihan dept., NW France, in Brittany, on the Auray River estuary. Oysters are bred, food is canned, and furniture is manufactured. Nearby the decisive battle of the War...

• Aurignac village (1993 est. pop. 965), Haute-Garonne dept., S France, at the foot of the Pyrenees. Its caves, excavated in 1860, contain relics of prehistoric man of the Aurignacian period (see Paleolithic...

• Aurillac town (1990 pop. 32,654), capital of Cantal dept., S central France, in Auvergne, on the Jordanne River. An industrial, communications, and market center, it is noted for its furniture, footwear,...

• Auteuil old town between the Seine and the Bois de Boulogne, absorbed (1860) into Paris, France. A favorite resort for writers (Molière, La Fontaine, Boileau) in the 17th cent., it is now the site of a...

• Autun town (1990 pop. 19,422), Saône-et-Loire dept., E central France, on the Arroux River. It is an industrial center producing metals, machinery, leather, cloth, timber, and shale oil. An important...

• Auvergne region and former province, S central France. The area is now occupied chiefly by the departments of Puy-de-Dôme, Allier, Haute-Loire, and Cantal. The Auvergne Mts., a chain of extinct volcanoes...

• Auxerre town (1990 pop. 40,597), capital of Yonne dept., N central France, in Burgundy, on the Yonne River. A commercial and industrial center, it has a great variety of manufactures and an important...

• Aveyron department (1990 pop. 270,144), S central France, in Guienne. Rodez is the capital.

• Avignon city (1990 pop. 86,440), capital of Vaucluse dept., SE France, on the Rhône River. It is a farm market with a wine trade and a great variety of manufactures. Located in (but never a part of) the...

• Avranches town (1993 est. pop. 9,520), Manche dept., NW France, in Normandy, on the English Channel. Because of its proximity to the rocky island of Mont-Saint-Michel , Avranches has a large tourist trade. A Roman town, it became an intellectual center in the early Middle Ages; Lanfranc taught there. It was devastated in the Hundred Years War, the Wars of...

• Azay-le-Rideau village (1993 est. pop. 3,116), Indre-et-Loire dept., N central France, in Touraine. It is the center of a wine-producing area and has a canning industry. Its famous Renaissance château (1518-29),...

• Béarn former province, SW France, in the Pyrenees. It is now the inland part of Pyrénées-Atlantiques dept. Its valleys are well cultivated, and cattle are bred. Pau replaced Orthez as the capital in the...

• Béziers city (1990 pop. 72,362), Hérault dept., S France, in Languedoc. A communications and industrial center with an important trade in wines and liqueurs, it has ironworks, breweries, and factories...

• Bagnères-de-Luchon town, Haute-Garonne dept., S France, at the foot of the Maladetta Mts. It is an important resort in the Pyrenees. Its warm sulfur springs have been known since Roman times.

• Bar-le-Duc town (1990 pop. 18,577), capital of Meuse dept., NE France, in Lorraine. It has textile mills, iron foundries, printing plants, and metallurgical and food-processing industries. Situated in the...

• Bas-Rhin department (1990 pop. 958,000), E France, in N Alsace. Strasbourg is the capital and the commercial and industrial center.

• Basses-Alpes see Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

• Basses-Pyrénées see Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

• Bastia city (1990 pop. 38,728), Haute-Corse dept., NE Corsica, France, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the island's largest city and chief commercial center. Famous for its wines, it has a thriving export...

• Baux, Les village (1993 est. pop. 458), Bouches-du-Rhône dept., SE France, in Provence. Nearby are the ruins of a medieval town. The once flourishing town, carved out of dazzling white limestone, was the...

• Bayeux town (1990 pop. 15,106), Calvados dept., N France, in Normandy, near the English Channel. It is a farm and communications center, noted for its lace industry. A Roman town and episcopal see from...

• Bayonne town (1990 pop. 41,846), Pyrénées-Atlantiques dept., SW France, in Gascony, on the Adour River near its entrance into the Bay of Biscay. Despite a shifting sandbar at the mouth of the Adour, it is...

• Beauce region, in Orléanais, N France, in the Paris Basin, between the Seine and Loir rivers. It now comprises Eure-et-Loir dept. and parts of Loiret and Loir-et-Cher. It is the "granary of France"...

• Beaujolais hilly region, Rhône dept., E central France, W of the Saône between Mâcon and Lyons. It is one of the great wine areas of France, famous for its red wine. Villefranche-sur-Saône, the historic...

• Beaune town (1990 pop. 22,171), Côte-d'Or dept., E France, in Burgundy. It is a noted center for Burgundy wines, with a wine school and wine research facilities. Its manufactures include winemaking...

• Beauvais town (1990 pop. 56,278), capital of Oise dept., N France. Tractors, ceramic tiles, textiles, and musical instruments are among its many manufactures. A Roman town and an early episcopal see, it...

• Belfort city (1990 pop. 51,913), capital of the Territory of Belfort (a department), E France, in Alsace. An important industrial and transportation center, it has large cotton mills and metalworks. A...

• Belfort, Territory of department (1990 pop. 134,400), E France, in Alsace, on the Swiss border. The city of Belfort is the capital.

• Belleau Wood forested area in Aisne dept., N France, E of Château-Thierry. The scene of a victory over the Germans after hard fighting (June 6-25, 1918), involving chiefly U.S. troops, it was dedicated in 1923...

• Bergerac town (1990 pop. 27,886), Dordogne dept., SW France, in Périgord, on the Dordogne River. It is a farm-trade and processing center. It also has boiler works, foundries, chemical plants, and shoe...

• Berry former province, central France. Bourges, the capital, and Châteauroux are the chief towns. Cattle are raised on the Champagne Berrichonne, a semiarid plateau that covers most of the region. The...

• Besançon city (1990 pop. 119,134), capital of Doubs dept., E France, in Franche-Comté, on the Doubs. An industrial town with metallurgical, textile, and food-processing industries, it is especially famous...

• Biarritz town (1990 pop. 28,887), Pyrénées-Atlantiques dept., SW France, on the Bay of Biscay near the Spanish border. An ancient fishing village, it was a favorite vacation spot of Napoleon III and...

• Blois town (1990 pop. 51,549), capital of Loir-et-Cher dept., central France, in Orléanais, on the Loire River. A commercial and industrial center with an outstanding trade in wines and brandies, it is...

• Bobigny city (1990 pop. 44,881), capital of Seine-Saint Denis dept., N central France, an industrial suburb of Paris. Metals, food products, and toys are among the major manufactures.

• Bois de Boulogne park in Paris, France, bordering on the western suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. A favorite pleasure ground since the 17th cent., the park contains the race courses of Auteuil and Longchamps and many...

• Bonifacio town (1993 est. pop. 2,701), S Corsica, France. A picturesque port with trade in olive oil, wine, and fish, Bonifacio faces Sardinia across the Strait of Bonifacio (7 mi/11.3 km wide). The oldest...

• Bordeaux city (1990 pop. 213,274), capital of Gironde dept., SW France, on the Garonne River. Bordeaux is a major economic and cultural center, and a busy port accessible to oceangoing ships from the...

• Bouches-du-Rhône department (1990 pop. 1,759,371), in Provence, SE France. It includes the island of Camargue in the Rhône delta. Marseilles is the capital.

• Boulogne-Billancourt city (1990 pop. 101,971), Hauts-de-Seine dept., N central France, a suburb SW of Paris. One of the largest automobile factories in France is in the city. Other manufactures include airplanes,...

• Boulogne-sur-Mer city (1990 pop. 44,244), Pas-de-Calais dept., N France, in Picardy, on the English Channel. A commercial seaport and the leading fishing port of France, it has canning and shipbuilding industries...

• Bourbonnais former province, central France, in the northern part of the Massif Central. It was approximately the same area as today's Allier dept. It is a largely arid plateau (except for the fertile Limagne...

• Bourg-en-Bresse or Bourg , town (1990 pop. 42,955), capital of Ain dept., in Burgundy, E central France. A major transportation hub, farm market, and tourist center, it is the chief city of Bresse. Machinery, morocco...

• Bourges city (1990 pop. 78,773), capital of Cher dept., central France. It is a transportation center with foundries, arsenals, breweries, printing plants, and aeronautical and food industries. Known as...

• Bourget, Le town (1990 pop. 11,728), Seine-Saint-Denis dept., N central France. A suburb of Paris, it is the site of Le Bourget airport, once Paris's main airport but now overshadowed by Charles-de-Gaulle...

• Bouvines village, Nord dept., N France, in Flanders. In a battle there in 1214, Philip II of France defeated the joint forces of King John of England, Emperor Otto IV, and the count of Flanders,...

• Bresse region, in Burgundy, E France, between the Ain and Saône rivers. Bourg-en-Bresse is the historic capital. A fertile farm area, it is famous for its chickens and wines. To the south is the Dombes,...

• Brest city (1990 pop. 153,099), Finistère dept., NW France, on an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a commercial port, an important naval station, and the seat of the French Naval Academy. There is a...

• Brie region, Marne and Seine-et-Marne depts., N France, E of Paris. Rich in wheat and cattle, it is famous for Brie cheese. The smaller section of the region ( Brie française ) forms part of the Île-de-France and is very fertile. There, many of the huge farms are fortresslike in their imposing architecture. Meaux, the former capital and major commercial center; Melun;...

• Briey town, Meurthe-et-Moselle dept., in Lorraine, NE France. It is at the center of the huge Briey iron-ore basin (see Lorraine ) and has a chemical industry.

• Briga see Brigue and Tende.

• Brigue and Tende Ital. Briga and Tenda, two small districts, Alpes-Maritimes dept., SE France, on the French-Italian border. The districts are on the "Route Royal," opened in 1780, which links Nice with Turin. With several smaller frontier areas in the Mont Cenis and Mont Blanc regions, they were ceded to France by Italy in 1947 as a reparation for World War...

• Brittany Breton Breiz, Fr. Bretagne, region and former province, NW France. It is a peninsula between the English Channel (N) and the Bay of Biscay (S) and comprises four departments, Ille-et-Vilaine, Côtes-d'Armor, Finistère, and...

• Bruay-la-Buissière formerly Bruay-en-Artois , town (1990 pop. 25,451), Pas-de-Calais dept., NE France. Once a coal-mining center, the town has textile and construction industries.

• Burgundy Fr. Bourgogne , historic region, E France. The name once applied to a large area embracing several kingdoms, a free county (see Franche-Comté ), and a duchy. The present region is identical with the province of Burgundy of the 17th and 18th cent. It is now administratively divided into the departments of Yonne, Côte-d'Or, Saône-et-Loire,...

• Côte-d'Or department (1990 pop. 496,200), E France, largely in Burgundy, partly in Champagne. Dijon is the capital.

• Côtes-d'Armor formerly Côtes-du-Nord , department (1990 pop. 538,300), NW France, in Brittany, on the English Channel. Saint-Brieuc is the capital.

• Côtes-du-Nord see Côtes-d'Armor , France.

• Caen city (1990 pop. 115,624), capital of Calvados dept., N France, in Normandy, on the Orne River. It is a busy port, canalized (by Napoleon I) directly to the sea. The commercial center of the rich Calvados region, it is highly industrialized, with a thermal power station and extensive steelworks along the Orne; the nearby iron-ore mines are among the largest in France. The city's manufactures include...

• Cahors town (1991 pop. 20,787), capital of Lot dept., S central France, in Quercy, on the Lot River. A commercial center, it has canneries, distilleries, and factories making a great variety of products...

• Calais city (1990 pop. 78,836), Pas-de-Calais dept., N France, in Picardy, on the Straits of Dover. An industrial center with a great variety of manufactures, it has been a major commercial seaport and a...

• Calvados department (1990 pop. 621,300), in Normandy, N France, on the English Channel. Caen is the capital.

• Camargue alluvial lowland, c.215 sq mi (560 sq km), Bouches-du-Rhône dept., SE France, in the Rhône delta. Formed by sedimentation, it has numerous shallow lagoons cut off from the sea by sandbars. The...

• Cambrai city (1990 pop. 34,210), Nord dept., N France, a port on the Escaut (Scheldt) River. It has long been known for its fine textiles and gave its name to cambric, first manufactured there. It is an...

• Cannes town (1991 pop. 69,363), Alpes-Maritimes dept., SE France. An important and fashionable resort on the French Riviera, Cannes also has shipbuilding and textile industries. Napoleon I landed nearby...

• Cantal department (1990 pop. 158,300), S central France, in Auvergne. Aurillac is the capital.

• Carcassonne city (1990 pop. 44,911), capital of Aude dept., S France, in Languedoc. The old city, a medieval fortress atop a hill, is one of the architectural marvels of Europe. The new city, across the Aude...

• Carnac town (1993 est. pop. 4,322), Morbihan dept., NW France, in Brittany, at the foot of the Quiberon peninsula. It is the site of remarkable megalithic monuments , particularly the menhir. The menhirs,...

• Carpentras town (1990 pop. 25,477), Vaucluse dept., SE France, in Provence. It is an important farm market and a small industrial center. Of Gallo-Roman origin, it was an episcopal see from the 3d cent. and...

• Castillon-la-Bataille town (1993 est. pop. 3,030), Gironde dept., SW France, in Guienne, on the Dordogne River. An ancient port, it has a wine and liqueur trade and a leather industry. There, in 1453, the French...

• Castres city (1990 pop. 46,292), Tarn dept., SW France, on the Agout River. It has been a textile center since the 13th cent., and its machine tools are known worldwide. Wood products, especially...

• Cateau, Le or Le Cateau-Cambrésis , town (1993 est. pop. 7,789), Nord dept., N France, in French Flanders. It has textile, metallurgical, and ceramic industries. The Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis...

• Châlons-en-Champagne formerly Châlons-sur-Marne , city (1990 pop. 51,533), capital of Marne dept., NE France, in Champagne, on the Marne River. It is a commercial and industrial center. Among its manufactures are electrodes, paper, hosiery,...

• Château d'If castle built in 1524 on the small rocky isle of If, in the Mediterranean Sea off Marseilles, SE France. Long used as a state prison, it was made famous by Alexandre Dumas's Count of Monte Cristo.

• Châteauroux city (1990 pop. 52,949), capital of Indre dept., central France, on the Indre River. It has textile, metal, pharmaceutical, and food-processing industries. Châteauroux grew around a 10th-century...

• Château-Thierry town (1990 pop. 15,830), Aisne dept., N France, on the Marne River. The town was the focal point of the second battle of the Marne (1918), which ended the last German offensive of World War I. An...

• Châtellerault town (1990 pop. 35,691), Vienne dept., W central France. It is an industrial center where armaments, cutlery, aeronautical equipment, rubber products, and clothing are produced. There are many...

• Châtillon-sur-Seine town (1993 est. pop. 7,451), Côte d'Or dept., N central France, in Burgundy, on the Seine River. It was a residence of the early dukes of Burgundy and has a 10th-century church. The town was the...

• Chablis village (1990 pop. 2,608), Yonne dept., central France, in Burgundy. It is famous for the white wine named for it. There is a remarkable early Gothic church (12th cent.).

• Chalon-sur-Saône town (1990 pop. 56,259), Saône-et-Loire dept., E central France, in Burgundy, on the Saône River and the Canal Central. It is an inland port and railway center with a large wine and grain trade...

• Chambéry town (1990 pop. 55,603), capital of Savoie dept., E France, in the Alpine trough. It is a communications and commerce center as well as a railway and air transport hub. Manufactures include metals...

• Chambord château, park, and village (1993 est. pop. 200), all owned by the state, in Loir-et-Cher dept., N central France. The huge Renaissance château, built by Francis I and set in an immense park and...

• Chamonix town (1990 pop. 10,062), Haute-Savoie dept., E France, at the foot of Mont Blanc. The principal base for climbing Mont Blanc and for visiting the Mer de Glace, it is a popular summer and winter...

• Champagne region and former province, NE France, consisting mainly of Aube, Marne, Haute-Marne, and Ardennes depts. The region is almost, but not fully, coextensive with the former provinces of Champagne...

• Champ-de-Mars former parade ground of Paris, France, between the École militaire and the Seine River. There, at the Fête de la Fédération (July 14, 1790), Louis XVI took an oath to uphold the new constitution...

• Champs Élysées avenue of Paris, France, leading from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. It is celebrated for its tree-lined beauty, its commodious breadth, the elegance of its cafés, theaters, and...

• Charente department (1990 pop. 342,300), W France. The capital is Angoulême. The brandy distilled at Cognac is world renowned.

• Charente-Maritime department (1990 pop. 528,700), W France, on the Atlantic coast, formerly Charente-Inférieure. La Rochelle is the capital.

• Charleville-Mézières town (1990 pop. 59,439), capital of Ardennes dept., NE France, on the Meuse River, in Champagne. It was formed in 1966 when the twin cities of Charleville and Mézières were merged, along with...

• Charolais small region, Saône-et-Loire dept., E central France, in Burgundy, in the Massif Central, named after the town of Charolles. Cattle breeding is the chief occupation. The countship of Charolais was...

• Chartres city (1990 pop. 41,850), capital of Eure-et-Loir dept., NW France, in Orléanais, on the Eure River. Chartres is of great historic and artistic interest; it is also a regional market with many...

• Chaumont town (1990 pop. 28,900), capital of Haute-Marne dept., NE France, in Champagne, at the confluence of the Marne and Saize rivers. It is a railroad and light industrial center. Iron is mined nearby...

• Chemin des Dames [Fr.,=ladies' road], road running along a crest between the Aisne and Ailette rivers, N France. Built during Roman times, the road was the site of the battle (57 BC) in which Julius Caesar defeated...

• Chenonceaux village, Indre-et-Loire dept., W central France, in Touraine, on the Cher River. It is famous for its château (built 1515-22), the residence, successively in the 16th cent., of Diane de Poitiers...

• Cher department (1990 pop. 332,000), central France, in Berry. Chief cities are Vierzon and Bourges , the capital.

• Cherbourg city (1990 pop. 28,773), Manche dept., NW France, in Normandy, on the English Channel, at the tip of the Cotentin peninsula. It is a naval base and seaport, and a major industrial center where...

• Chinon town (1993 est. pop. 8,961), Indre-et-Loire dept., W central France, in Touraine, on the Vienne River. Chinon was an important medieval town and many buildings (notably three churches) from that...

• Cholet city (1990 pop. 56,540), Maine-et-Loire dept., W France, in Poitou, on the Maine River. Cholet, a livestock market, has textile, metallurgical, electronic, and rubber manufactures. It was totally...

• Clamart suburb SW of Paris (1990 pop. 47,755), Hauts-de-Seine dept., N central France. There are pharmaceutical laboratories, a tobacco factory, and nurseries in the town. Fruits and vegetables are grown,...

• Clermont-Ferrand city (1990 pop. 140,167), capital of Puy-de-Dôme dept., central France, in Auvergne, on the Tiretaine River. One of the population and industrial centers of the Massif Central, it is home of the...

• Clichy suburb N of Paris (1990 pop. 48,204), Hauts-de-Seine dept., N central France. It is a modern industrial city with ironworks; automobile parts, metal products, machinery, electrical products, and...

• Cognac city (1990 pop. 19,932), Charente dept., W France, in Angoumois, on the Charente River. The French brandy to which Cognac gives its name has been manufactured and exported from the city since the...

• Colmar Ger. Kolmar , city (1990 pop. 64,889), capital of Haut-Rhin dept., E France, in Alsace. It is connected by rail and canal to Strasbourg, Mulhouse, and Basel, Switzerland. An industrial port on the Rhine, Colmar...

• Colombes city (1990 pop. 79,058), Hauts-de-Seine dept., N central France, on the Seine River. An industrial suburb of Paris, Colombes has fuel refineries, foundries, and tire plants. A 16th-century church...

• Colombey-les-deux-Églises town (1993 est. pop. 664), Haute-Marne dept., NE France. The home and grave site of Charles de Gaulle are there. His grave is marked by a 164 ft (50 m) high Croix de Lorraine.

• Compiègne city (1990 pop. 44,703), Oise dept., N France, in Île-de-France, on the Oise River. It is an industrial center with varied manufactures; a large glassworks is located in the suburbs. As far back...

• Comtat Venaissin or Comtat, region of SE France, Vaucluse dept., comprising the territory around Avignon. Well-irrigated, it is a truck-farming and fruit-growing area. Comtat Venaissin was given by King Philip III to Pope Gregory X in 1274. Succeeding French kings sought to regain the region, but it...

• Concorde, Place de la large square, Paris, France. It is bounded by the Tuileries gardens; the Champs Élysées; the Seine River; and a facade of buildings divided by a vista of the Madeleine Church. It is the locus of...

• Condamine, La see Monaco.

• Cornouaille district of Brittany, NW France, comprising parts of Finistère, Côtes-d'Armor, and Morbihan depts. The name was probably brought by Britons who fled Cornwall at the time of the Anglo-Saxon...

• Corrèze department (1990 pop. 237,500), S central France, in Limousin. Tulle is the capital.

• Corsica Fr. Corse, island (1990 pop. 251,000), 3,352 sq mi (8,682 sq km), a region of metropolitan France, SE of France and N of Sardinia, in the Mediterranean Sea. Ajaccio , the capital, and Bastia are the chief towns and ports. The island is largely mountainous, culminating in Monte Cinto (8,891 ft/2,710 m). Corsica is divided into two administrative departments. French is the official...

• Cotentin region of N France, in Normandy, roughly coinciding with the peninsula formed by Manche dept. and extending into the English Channel. Cherbourg is the chief port, and there are numerous fishing ports. The lambs of the Cotentin breed of sheep are highly esteemed for their meat. Cattle are also raised in the region. Much of the land is...

• Courbevoie city (1990 pop. 65,649), Hauts-de-Seine dept., N central France, on the Seine River. An industrial suburb of Paris, Courbevoie manufactures automobiles, bicycles, perfumes, and pharmaceuticals...

• Crécy officially Crécy-en-Ponthieu , village, Somme dept., N France. A nearby forest is popular for camping. At Crécy, on Aug. 26, 1346, Edward III of England defeated Philip VI of France in the Hundred Years War. The French forces were armed with crossbows and, although outnumbering the English troops, were overwhelmed by the English longbows. The victory enabled the English to reach Calais. Among the...

• Créteil city (1990 pop. 82,390), capital of Val-de-Marne dept., N central France, on the Marne River. Motors, electrical equipment, gold and silver items, and varnish are produced. A church built in the...

• Creuse department (1990 pop. 131,349), central France, in the Massif Central. Guéret (the capital) and Aubusson are the chief towns.

• Creusot, Le city (1990 pop. 29,230), Saône-et-Loire dept., E central France, in Burgundy. Situated in a former coal-mining region, it is the site of the historic Schneider iron and steel mills and munitions...

• Dôle city (1990 pop. 28,860), Jura dept., E France, in Franche-Comté, on the Doubs River. There are metallurgical, food, and other industries. Dôle was the capital of Franche-Comté until Louis XIV...

• Dauphiné region and former province, SE France, bordering on Italy. It is now divided into three departments, Haute-Alpes, Isère, and Drôme. In the east the Alps culminate in the Barre des Écrins; their...

• Dax town (1990 pop. 20,119), Landes dept., SW France, in Gascony, on the Adour River. It has long been famous for its hot mineral springs. An aviation school is in the town.

• Deauville town (1993 est. pop. 4,380), Calvados dept., N France, on the English Channel. A fashionable resort, it has a famous racecourse and a gambling casino. Tourism has increased due to the construction...

• Denain city (1990 pop. 19,685), Nord dept., N France. It has ironworks, steel mills, and glass manufacturing. At Denain in 1712, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the French under Villars...

• Deux-Sèvres department (1990 pop. 346,300), W France, largely in Poitou. Niort is the capital.

• Dieppe city (1990 pop. 36,600), Seine-Maritime dept., N France, in Normandy, at the mouth of the Arques River on the English Channel. It is a fishing and commercial port, a manufacturing center of...

• Digne or Digne-les-Bains , city (1990 pop. 17,425), capital of Alpes-de-Haute, Provence dept., SE France, in Provence. Points of interest include the Notre-Dame-de-Bourg Cathedral (13th-14th cent.) and a museum housing...

• Dijon city (1990 pop. 151,636), capital of Côte-d'Or dept., E France, the old capital of Burgundy. It is a transportation hub and industrial center with food, metal-products, and electronics industries. Its mustard and cassis (black currant liqueur) are famous, and Dijon is also an important...

• Dinard town (1990 pop. 10,341), Îlle-et-Vilaine dept., NW France, in Brittany, on an inlet of the English Channel. Formerly a small fishing village, it is now a popular beach resort.

• Domrémy-la-Pucelle village, Vosges dept., E France, in Lorraine, on the Meuse River. Joan of Arc was born (1412?) in the village. The house in which she was born is now a museum.

• Dordogne department (1990 pop. 387,500), SW France. Périgueux is the capital; Bergerac the other chief town. There are many prehistoric sites in the department.

• Douai town (1990 pop. 44,195), Nord dept., N France, in French Flanders, on the Scarpe River. It is a major industrial and commercial center in what formerly was the northern coal region. The chief...

• Douaumont village, Meuse dept., NE France. It was part of the Verdun battlefield in World W