ISERE, a department of France, formed in 1790 out of the northern part of the old province of Dauphine. Pop. (1931) 584,017. It is bounded north by the department of the Ain, east by Savoie, south by the Hautes Alpes and the DrOme and west by the Loire and the RhOne department. Area 3,178 sq.m. The de partment consists of most of the upper course of the Isere river (q.v.) and of the Drac, among the French Alps, and of the lower land towards the great bend of the Rhone at Lyons (Bas Dau phine). At Vienne the average annual temperature is 5.3° above that of Paris, but winters are cold amongst the mountains, and rainfall increases there to nearly 8o in. The department is divided into three separate arrondissements (Grenoble, la Tour du Pin and Vienne), 45 cantons and 564 communes. It is in the region of the XIV. Army Corps (Lyons). Its capital is Grenoble
which is the seat of a court of appeal, of an academie (educational division), and of a bishop now in the province of Lyons, but before the Revolution in that of Vienne: other important towns are Vienne, St. Marcellin and la Tour du Pin. It contains coal and iron mines, slate and stone quarries and several mineral springs. The forests cover much ground. Flourishing industries are those of cement, glove making, silk weaving and paper making, metal work of various kinds, etc. Wheat, oats, vines, mulberries, chest nuts, tobacco, etc. are grown. The pastures feed horses, mules and cattle, while sheep from Provence migrate into the department in summer. Cremieu is a hill town with ancient fortifications and market. La Grande Chartreuse is in the department.