OISE, a department of northern France, three-fourths of which belonged to Ile-de-France and the rest to Picardy, bounded north by Somme, east by Aisne, south by Seine-et-Marne and Seine-et-Oise, and west by Eure and Seine-Inferieure. Pop. 2 area 2,272 sq.m. As its name implies, the department includes a good deal of the lower basin of the Oise and its tribu taries, forming a broad basin dissected from the outlying zone of the Eocene deposits. To the south-east of the Oise the Eocene forms a plateau with a considerable amount of forest, especially towards the north. To the north-west of the Oise the Eocene is capped along various south-east–north-west ridges by Pliocene, forming the hills of the Pays de Bray (770 ft.). The valley of the Oise itself is a sunny region, with less than 24 in. of rain per an num, and a range of seasonal averages of temperature from about 38° to 64° F.
Clay for bricks and earthenware, sand and building-stone are among the mineral products of Oise, and peat is also worked. Pierrefonds, Gouvieux, Chantilly and Fontaine Bonneleau have mineral springs. Wheat, oats and other cereals, potatoes and sugar beet are the chief agricultural crops. Cattle are reared especially in the western districts, . where dairying is actively
carried on. Bee-keeping is general. Racing stables are numerous in the neighbourhood of Chantilly and Compiegne. The chief industries of the department are manufactures of sugar and alco hol from beetroot. The manufacture of furniture, brushes (Beau vais) and other wooden goods and of toys, fancy-ware, buttons, fans and other articles in wood, ivory, bone or mother-of-pearl are important. There are also woollen and cotton mills, and manufactories of woollen fabrics, blankets, carpets (Beauvais), hosiery and lace (Chantilly and its vicinity). Creil and the neigh bouring Montataire form an important metallurgical centre. Oise is served by the Northern railway, on which Creil is an important junction, and the Oise and its lateral canal and the Aisne afford about 7o m. of navigable waterway.
There are three arrondissements—Beauvais, Compiegne and Senlis—with 3 5 cantons and 701 communes. The department forms the diocese of Beauvais (province of Reims) and part of the region of the II. army corps and of the academie (educational division) of Paris. Its court of appeal is at Amiens.