BELFORT, TERRITORY OF, an administrative division of eastern France, formed from the southern portion of the department of Haut-Rhin, the rest of which was ceded to Ger many by the treaty of Frankfort (1871), but recovered by France in 1919. It is bounded on the north-east and east by Haut-Rhin, on the south by Switzerland, on the south-west by the department of Doubs, on the west by that of Haut-Saone, on the north by that of Vosges. Pop. With an area of 235 sq.m., it is one of the smallest depart ments of France. The northern part is occupied by the southern offshoots of the Vosges, the southern part by the northern out posts of the Jura. Between these two highlands stretches the Trouee (depression) de Belfort, 15-2o m. broad, joining the basins of the Rhine and the Rhone, traversed by the canal between these rivers, by the Eastern and the Paris-Lyon-Mediterranee Railways and from earliest times an important route from north to south. The northern part rises to 4,126 ft. in the Ballon d'Alsace, to 3,773 ft. in the Planche des Belles-Filles, to 3 ,5 79 ft. in the Signal des Plaines and to 3,534 f t. in the Barenkopf. . South of the Trouee de Belfort, there are near Delle limestone hills, partly wooded, attaining 1,68o ft. in the Fora de Florimont. The line of lowest altitude follows the river St. Nicolas and the Rhone Rhine canal. To the north of the town of Belfort the rainfall is retained by an impervious subsoil; farther south it is quickly absorbed by the soil or evaporated by the sun. About one-third of the total area is arable land ; wheat, oats, rye and potatoes are the chief crops. Forest covers another third of the surface; the chief trees are firs, pines, oak and beech ; cherries are largely grown for the distillation of Kirsch. Pasture and forage crops cover the remaining third of the territory; only horned cattle are raised to any extent. There are copper, silver and lead at Giro magny, and there are also quarries of stone. The chief industries are the spinning and weaving of cotton and wool, and the produc tion of iron and iron-goods and machinery. Belfort has important locomotive and engineering works. Hosiery is made at Delle, watches, clocks, agricultural machinery, petrol (gasolene) motors, ironware and electrical apparatus are manufactured at Beaucourt, and there are numerous sawmills, tile and brick works and breweries.
Belfort is the capital of the territory, which comprises one arrondissement, 5 cantons and 106 communes, and is in the arch bishopric, the court of appeal and the academie (educational division) of Besancon. It forms the 7th subdivision of the VII. Army Corps.