Library Index

Hautes Alpes

isere department

HAUTES ALPES. is bounded on the N. by the depart- ments of Isere and Savoir; on the E. by the kingdom of Italy; on the S. by the department of Alpes Basses; and on the W. by that of DrOme. It extends nearly 80 miles from N.E. to S.W., and contains an area of 2158 square miles. Its surface is very mountainous, being traversed in all directions by the Cottian and Dauphine Alps, which, in Mont Pelvoux and other peaks, rise to an eleva
tion of about 13,000 feet above the sea, the highest summits in France. The Drac, flowing northwards into the Isere, and the Durance, with its tributaries the Guil and the Buech, are the chief rivers of Hautes Alpes. The climate is cold in winter, and in summer variable; the soil is barren, yielding only oats, barley, potatoes, rye, and timber, except in a few favoured valleys, where wine of a fair quality and fruits of various kinds are produced. Large numbers of sheep and other domestic animals are reared or pastured in the department. Game, both large and small, is found in great abundance. The mines produce lead, copper, iron, and other metals. There are no manufactures of any commercial importance, although some leather, coarse woollen cloth, hats, woodwork, and iron wares are made. Hautes Alpes, a part of the old province of Dauphine, is divided into three arrondissements: Gap on the west, Embrun on the south-east, and Briancon on the north-east, with 24 cantons and 89 communes. The capital is Gap, the seat of the bishop ; Embrun and Briancon being the only other towns of any size. Population, 118,898.
ALPES-1
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