AUDE, department of south France formed in 1790 from part of the old province of Languedoc. Area 2,448sq.m. Pop. (1931) 296,880. It consists of the east side of the Carcassonne gap be tween the Montagne Noire as an outer rampart of the Plateau Central and the outer ramparts of the Pyrenees, and it includes portions of both as well as the north-eastward projection of the latter in the Corbieres between the valley of the Aude and that of the much smaller Berre, the department's two chief rivers. Aude is bounded on the north-east by Herault, north-west by Tarn, west by Haute-Garonne, south-west by Ariege, south by Pyrenees-Orientales and east by the Mediterranean, and it is formed mainly by the basin of the Aude which runs out at its north-east corner. The coast, like that of Herault, has large lagoons (Bages et Sigean, Gruissan, Lapalme and Leucate) sep arated from the sea by spits. Climate and vegetation are Medi terranean, the average winter temperature 44°-45°, and summer temperature 7e-71°, the rainfall is less than 24in. save on the hills. The department is agricultural, growing maize and other grains, while, with Herault, it produces most of the cheapest wines of France, though those of Limoux and Narbonne are highly esteemed. The olive and chestnut are also grown. There are salt-producing marshes, some mines of mispickel, iron and manganese, and stone quarries.
The Canal du Midi, coming from the west via the Carcassonne gap, follows the Fresquel tributary to the Aude and a branch, Canal de la Robine, passes out to sea through Narbonne. The Southern Railway (Midi) serves the department.
The three arrondissements are named from the chief towns, Carcassonne (capital of the department), Limoux and Narbonne, and they are divided into 31 cantons. Aude belongs to the i6th military region and to the academie (educational division) and court of appeal of Montpellier. It forms the diocese of Car cassonne under the archbishopric of Toulouse.