Aisne (department)
| Aisne | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Department | |||
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 Location of Aisne in France |
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| Coordinates: 49°30′N 3°30′E / 49.500°N 3.500°ECoordinates: 49°30′N 3°30′E / 49.500°N 3.500°E | |||
| Country | France | ||
| Region | Hauts-de-France | ||
| Prefecture | Laon | ||
| Subprefectures |
Château-Thierry Saint-Quentin Soissons Vervins |
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| Government | |||
| • President of the General Council | Yves Daudigny (PS) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 7,369 km2 (2,845 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2013) | |||
| • Total | 540,067 | ||
| • Rank | 49th | ||
| • Density | 73/km2 (190/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Department number | 02 | ||
| Arrondissements | 5 | ||
| Cantons | 21 | ||
| Communes | 804 | ||
| ^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 | |||
Aisne (French pronunciation: [ɛːn]) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne.
The department of Aisne is surrounded by the French departments of Nord, Somme, Oise, Ardennes, and Seine-et-Marne and borders Belgium to the northeast. The Aisne River crosses the area from east to west, where it joins the Oise River. The Marne forms part of the southern boundary of the department with the department of Seine-et-Marne. The southern part of the department is the geographical region known as la Brie poilleuse, a drier plateau known for its dairy products and Brie cheese.
According to the 2003 census, the forested area of the department was 123,392 hectares, or 16.6% for an average metropolitan area of 27.4%.
The landscape is dominated by masses of rock which often have steep flanks. These rocks appear all over the region, but the most impressive examples are at Laon and the Chemin des Dames ridge.
The principal cities in Aisne are :
See also: List of the communes of the Aisne department and Brie.
The Scheldt (which takes its source near Le Catelet), the Aisne, the Marne, the Ourcq, the Vesle, the Somme (which rises in Fonsommes), the Oise, and the Serre. In the south of the department, there is the Surmelin, the Verdonnelle, and the Dhuys (this river is channeled into the Dhuis Aqueduct, 131 km long, to supply drinking water to Paris since 1 October 1865 and also more recently the Leisure Park of Marne-la-Vallée).
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