a department in the north-east division of France, on a river of the same name, formed out of divisions of the ancient provinces of Picardy and Isle of France. It is bounded on the N. by the department of the Nord and the kingdom of the Netherlands, on the E. by the departments of the Ardennes and Marne, on the S. by the Marne and Seine-Marne, and on the W. by the Oise and Somme. The extent is 2812 square miles, or 1,799,680 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, and flax, are the other agricultural products. The manufactures are cotton, linen, and hosiery. The department is divided into five arrondissements, 37 cantons, and 840 communes. Its population in 1851 was 558,989. The chief city of the department is Laon. St Gaubain is celebrated for its mirrors, which are the largest in the world; and Folembray is said to manufacture annually 8,000,000 of wine bottles. Both these towns are in the arrondissement of Laon.