MONTÉLIMAR, chief town of an arrondissement and canton in the department of Drôme, France, is situated near the left bank of the Rhone, 93 miles south of Lyons on the railway to Marseilles. The waters of the Roubion and Jabron, which unite at Montélimar, spread fertility over the plains surrounding the town. A well-planted park separates the town from the station, but within the four gates that still remain the streets are narrow and uninviting. The ancient castle, one of the most interesting military remains of central France, is now used as a prison. Silk throwing and spinning, and the manufacture of flowered silks and of hats, are the principal industries; there are also foundries, tool-shops, and tanneries, and agricultural implements and hydraulic lime are made. Montélimar is famed for its nougat, a cake composed of almonds and honey. The population of the town in 1881 was 12,894.

Montélimar was called by the Romans Λcιmum. At a later period it. belonged to the family of Aymar or Adhémar, whence its present name. After coming into the possession of the counts of Valentinois, and then of the dauphins of Viennois, it was united by Louis XI. to the crown of France. It frequently changed hands during the religious wars, and, although it resisted Coligny, it was taken in 1589 by Lesdiguières.