(Ital. Saroja, Fr. Savoie). Duchy or a portion of the kingdom of Sardinia, lying between N. Lat. 45. 4. and 46. 24., E. Long. 5. 37. and 7., bounded on the N. and N.E. by Switzerland, E. and S.E. by Piedmont, S.W. and W. by France. Length from N. to S. 92 miles, breadth 66; area 4197 square miles. Geographically, Savoy belongs rather to Switzerland than to Italy; as it is separated from the latter country by the Graian and Pennine Alps, the loftiest chains of those mountains, while all the rivers that water the country discharge their waters ultimately or immediately into the Rhone. From Switzerland it is only separated by the lake of Geneva; from France on the W. by the Rhone, and on the S.W. by the Maurienne Alps, an off-set of the Cottian Alps, extending westwards from Mont Cenis. The country thus inclosed is one of the most mountainous in Europe; for the moun-

| Provinces | Area in Sq. Miles | Pop. (1882) | |-----------|------------------|------------| | Annecy | 629 | 103,763 | | Faucigny | 785 | 103,986 | | Chablais | 326 | 60,193 | | Division of Annecy | 1722 | 267,942 | | Chambery | 633 | 155,916 | | Upper Savoy| 346 | 49,276 | | Maurienne | 798 | 64,063 | | Tarantaise | 698 | 44,636 | | Division of Chambery | 2475 | 313,891 | | Total of Savoy | 4197 | 281,833 |

tains which border it send out numerous ramifications, which make the whole surface a continual series of lofty elevations and deep valleys. The Graian Alps extend from Mont Cenis to Mont Blanc, forming a curve with the convex side towards Piedmont. They contain not only the highest peaks, but the most gigantic glaciers and the wildest passes that are to be found in the whole of the Alps. The summits of Mont Iséan and the Little St Bernard, the glaciers of Mont Iséan, of Clou, of Ruitors, and the passes of Galesia, Galetta, and Little St Bernard, are among the most important. The mountains which border upon Savoy consist, as we have seen, of the main ridge, and one large ramification of the Alps; those which occupy the centre of the country, consist of three important branches of the same great mountain system. Furthest south, the mountains of La Vanoise diverge from the main ridge at Mont Iséan, and occupy the whole region between the Isère and its affluent the Arc, curving to the southwards, along the banks of the latter river, and forming by their off-sets to the north the valleys of the upper tributaries of the Isère. From the Little St Bernard extends another great branch, called the Alps of Savoy, which covers with its ramifications all the country between the Arve, the Rhone, and the Isère. This chain extends for some distance to the W. and N.W., till at a point called Grande Crête, S.W. of Sallenches, it divides into two branches, the one continuing a N.W. course, till it terminates at the Rhone opposite the end of the Jura on the French side; the other and more important branch turns to the S.W., and, after a zigzag course along the lake of Annecy, skirts the Isère, and terminates in the Grande Chartreuse in France. The third branch, called the Alps of Savoy and Valais, diverges from the Pennine Alps at Mont Cappable, and stretches N.W. to the lake of Geneva, occupying, with its offshoots, the country between that lake, the Arve, and the Rhone. This is the most northerly of the mountain-chains that traverse Savoy. The principal valleys in the country are those traversed by the rivers already mentioned; but there are innumerable others, down which flow streams of less size and importance. There are only two lakes of any size in Savoy, those of Bourget and Annecy, neither of which are to be compared with that of Geneva. The former discharges its waters by a canal into the Rhone, the latter into the Fier, an affluent of that river. From the natural character of the surface, the amount of arable land in Savoy is necessarily very limited; but the insufficiency of the grain raised is in a large measure supplied by chestnuts, which form an important article of food for the lower classes. Vines are cultivated in a few places, in the lower valleys and slopes. Cattle and dairy produce, however, form the principal riches of the country, along with the timber which clothes the lower portions of many of the mountains. Some minerals are found, but not anywhere in large quantities. The only articles manufactured are coarse woollen stuffs, leather, and hardware. The produce of the country is exported; and there is a considerable transit trade carried on through Savoy between France and Italy, chiefly by way of Mont Cenis. Savoy forms in the kingdom of Sardinia the divisions of Annecy and Chambery, and is subdivided into provinces as follows:— The leading events in the history of Savoy are mentioned in the Article SARDINIA.