ALPES, the name of three departments in the southeast of France,— Basses Alpes, Hautes Alpes, and Alpes Maritimes. Basses Alpes is bounded on the N. by the department of Hautes Alpes; on the E. by the kingdom of Italy and the department of Alpes Maritimes; on the S. by the departments of Var and Bouches du Rhone; and on the ,W. by those of Vaucluse and Drôme. It extends at the widest points 90 miles from N.E. to S.W., and 70 from E. to W., and contains an area of 2680 square miles. Its surface is mountainous, especially on the north-east, where offshoots of the Maritime Alps penetrate into the country, rising near the river Ubaye to an elevation of over 9000 feet above the level of the sea. With the exception of the south-eastern corner, which is drained by the Var, the whole department is in the basin of the Durance, which for a considerable distance separates Basses from Hautes Alpes, but eventually strikes southward through the former. Its chief tributaries are the Buech and the Jabron on the right, and the Ubaye, the Bléone, the Asse, and the Verdon on the left. The climate in the mountainous districts of the north is cold and variable. The soil there is poor, but it is cultivated with great industry — producing rye, oats, barley, potatoes, and timber. In the south and south-west, however, where the country is comparatively flat, the temperature is milder and the soil more fertile; here plums, almonds, apricots, peaches, and other fruits are produced in large quantities, as well as wine of an excellent description, chiefly for home consumption. Considerable numbers of cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs are reared in the Basses Alpes, besides which many flocks of sheep, from Var and Bouches du Rhone, are pastured during summer in the upper valleys of the ...department. Game is abundant. There are mines of lead and other metals of some value. The manufactures are few and of little importance, the chief being leather, coarse woollen cloths, cutlery, earthenware, and paper. Basses Alpes, one of the departments formed out of ancient Provence, is divided into five arrondissements—Digne, in the centre; Barcelonnette and Castellane, on the east; Sisteron and Forcalquier on the west; which together contain 30 cantons and 251 communes. Digne is the capital and the seat of a bishop, whose diocese is co-extensive with the department; and among the other towns are Barcelonnette, Castellane, Sisteron, Forcalquier, and Manosque. Population (1871), 139,332.
Hautes Alpes is bounded on the N. by the departments of Isère and Savoir; on the E. by the kingdom of Italy; on the S. by the department of Alpes Basses; and on the W. by that of Drôme. It extends nearly 80 miles from N.E. to S.W., and contains an area of 2158 square miles. Its surface is very mountainous, being traversed in all directions by the Cottian and Dauphiné Alps, which, in Mont Pelvoux and other peaks, rise to an elevation of about 13,000 feet above the sea, the highest summits in France. The Drac, flowing northwards into the Isère, and the Durance, with its tributaries the Guil and the Buech, are the chief rivers of Hautes Alpes. The climate is cold in winter, and in summer variable; the soil is barren, yielding only oats, barley, potatoes, rye, and timber, except in a few favoured valleys, where wine of a fair quality and fruits of various kinds are produced. Large numbers of sheep and other domestic animals are reared or pastured in the department. Game, both large and small, is found in great abundance. The mines produce lead, copper, iron, and other metals. There are no manufactures of any commercial importance, although some leather, coarse woollen cloth, hats, woodwork, and iron wares are made. Hautes Alpes, a part of the old province of Dauphiné, is divided into three arrondissements: Gap on the west, Embrun on the south-east, and Briançon on the north-east, with 24 cantons and 89 communes. The capital is Gap, the seat of the bishop; Embrun and Briançon being the only other towns of any size. Population, 118,898.
Alpes Maritimes, bounded on the N. by Basses Alpes and the kingdom of Italy, which also forms its boundary on the E.; on the S. by the Mediterranean Sea; and on the W. by Var and Basses Alpes. It extends at the widest points 55 miles from N. to S., and 50 from E. to W.; and contains an area of 1517 square miles. The surface of this department, like that of the two former, is more or less mountainous, branches of the Maritimes Alpes covering the greater part of the territory. It is watered by the Roya, the Paillon, the Var (with its tributaries the Tinéa and the Esteron), the Loup, and the Siagne. The climate is on the whole warm and gentle, except among the higher mountains; while the mildness of the temperature along the shores of the Mediterranean has made that portion of the department a favourite resort for invalids. The upper valleys and mountain slopes are chiefly devoted to pasture for sheep, being ill-suited for cultivation, although a little barley and maize is grown; the richer districts of the south produce fruits of various kinds, tobacco, honey, and flowers, used in the making of perfumes. The other manufactures are of dried fruits, olive-oil, preserved anchovies and sardines, silk, soap, and paper. Alpes Maritimes is divided into three arrondissements—Grasse and Nice on the south, and Puget Théniers on the north, containing 25 cantons and 146 communes. The arrondissements of Nice and Puget Théniers constitute the bishopric of Nice; Grasse belongs to that of Fréjus. Nice is the capital; and among the other towns are Mentone, Villafranche, Grasse, Antibes, Cannes, and Puget Théniers. The Marseilles, Nice, and Ventimille railway, skirting the coast, connects Cannes, Antibes, Nice, and Mentone, and joins an Italian line which affords direct railway communication with Genoa. The department of Alpes Maritimes was formed in 1860 from the territory of Nice, which had been ceded to France, together with Mentone and Roccabruna, purchased from the Prince of Monaco, and the arrondissement of Grasse, transferred from Var. It had a population of 119,037 in 1871.
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