a department in the north-east division of France, on a river of the same name, formed out of divisions of the ancient provinces—Isle of France, Picardy, and Champagne. It is bounded on the north by the department of the North and the kingdom of the Netherlands, on the east by the departments of the Ardennes and Marne, on the south by the Marne and Seine-Marne, and on the west by the Oise and Somme. The extent is 2912 square miles, or 1,872,977 acres. The whole department is a plain, with few hills of much elevation. The soil is generally calcareous, except in the northern part, where it becomes clayey, and in some spots slaty. It is of various degrees of fertility, but for the most part adapted to the growth of corn. Wine, cider, flax, are the other agricultural products. The manufactures are of cotton, linen, and hosiery. The department is divided into five arrondissements, 37 cantons, and 853 communes. Its population is 451,525. The chief city of the department is Laon, with 6691 inhabitants.