HAUTE-VIENNE, a department of central France, formed in 1790 of Haut-Limousin and of portions of Marche, Poitou and Berry. Pop. Area, 2,119 sq.m. It is bounded north by Indre, east by Creuse, south-east by Correze, south-west by Dordogne, west by Charente and north-west by Vienne. The highest altitude (2,549 ft.) is in the extreme south-east, and be longs to the treeless but well-watered plateau of Millevaches, formed of granite, gneiss and mica. From that point the depart ment slopes towards the west, south-west and north. To the north-west of the Millevaches are the Ambazac and Blond Hills, and the mountains of Limousin are on the south. The Vienne trav erses the department from east to west, forming in its upper course the basin of Limoges, passing Eymoutiers, St. Leonard, Limoges and St. Junien, and receiving most of its tributaries from the south. The altitude, inland position and cold soils of Haute Vienne and the northern exposure of its valleys make the winters long and severe ; but the climate is milder in the west and north west. The annual rainfall often reaches 36 or 3 7 in. and even more in the mountains. Rye, wheat, buckwheat and oats are the cereals most grown, but the chestnut still forms the staple food of large numbers. Potatoes, walnuts and cider-apples are cultivated. Good breeds of horned cattle and sheep are reared in the valleys and find a ready market in Paris. Horses for remount purposes are also raised. The quarries furnish granite and large quantities of kaolin, which is both exported and used in the porcelain works of the department. Limoges is a centre of the porcelain industry and has important liqueur distilleries. Agricultural implements and hats are other industrial products, and there are breweries, dye works, tanneries, iron foundries and printing works. Wine and alcohol for liqueur-manufacture, coal, raw materials for textile industries, hops, skins and various manufactured articles are among the imports.
The department is served by the Orleans Railway. It is divided into the arrondissements of Limoges, Bellac and Rochechouart (29 cantons and 205 communes), and belongs to the academie (edu cational division) of Poitiers and the ecclesiastical province of Bourges. Limoges, the capital, is the seat of a bishopric and of a court of appeal, and the headquarters of the XII. army corps. The other principal towns are St. Yrieix and St. Junien. Solignac, St. Leonard and Le Dorat have fine Romanesque churches. There are important remains of the château of Chalusset (S.S.E. of Limoges), and the château of Rochechouart dates from the 13th, and 16th centuries.
department of France, formed after the Revo lution in 1790 from the southern portion of Alsace, and incorpo rated in 187o with the German empire; it was resuscitated by the Treaty of Versailles in 1918, when Alsace-Lorraine became French once more. It is bounded north by Bas-Rhin, east by the State of Baden, south by Switzerland, south-west by the territory of Bel fort and west by the Vosges. Pop. (1931), 516,726.
The department which is 1,354 sq.m. in area occupies the southern portion of the Rhine trough. The Vosges and Black Forest are the remains of a Hercynian block, rifted, apparently, at some stage in the uprise of the Alps, with the result that the deep Rhine trough from Basle northwards was formed. Loess deposits occur in the south and along the foot of the Vosges, and give good soil, with layers useful for the manufacture of bricks. Haut-Rhin is one of the most fertile parts in central Europe. The hills are richly wooded, chiefly with fir, beech and oak. The agricultural products are corn, potatoes, flax, grapes and other fruit. Cotton spinning and weaving is the most important indus try centred in Mulhouse, Colmar, Guebwiller, and the Vosges valleys. Other industries are the manufacture of woollen and silk goods, chemicals, paints, machinery, pottery, bricks, tiles and paper. Potash is produced near Mulhouse, and also lime. Haut-Rhin is also important for its wine.
Haut-Rhin is at a disadvantage as regards commerce, owing to its isolation from the rest of France, and the fact that the Rhine, its main outlet, has its mouth outside France. The Rhine is navigable for small vessels as far as Basle, but the department is served by the Ill ; the Rhine-Rhone canal is another outlet. This department and Bas-Rhin, however, gain from the fact that they are in the French customs boundary, and thus have French markets open to their industrial products.
Colmar is the capital of the department, which includes six arrondissements (Colmar, Altkirch, Guebwiller, Mulhouse, Ri beauville, and Thann), 26 cantons, and 385 communes. It is under the academie of Strasbourg. Colmar is the seat of Superior Regional Tribunal. It is the bishopric of Strasbourg. The other important towns are Mulhouse, Guebwiller, and Altkirch. Most of the towns are situated on the Ill; there are no important towns on the Rhine south of Strasbourg, owing to its marshy banks. The department is served by the rail from Basle via Mulhouse and Colmar to Strasbourg.