Drôme

Drôme, a department of France, on the east bank of the Rhone, to the south of the department of Isère. Area, 2508 sq. m. Pop. (1866) 324,231; (1891) 306,419. The surface is generally hilly, and even mountainous in the east, where spurs of the Alps rise to a height of 5900 feet; and, except in the Rhone valley, the soil is not very productive. Drôme is traversed by a number of affluent of the Rhone, the most notable being the Isère and the Drôme (75 miles), from which the department takes its name. Along the Rhone, however, where a Mediterranean climate prevails, the almond and olive flourish, though an occasional crop is lost from frost, and oil-nuts and the mulberry are extensively grown. Also, the cultivation of the vine was an important industry before the ravages of the Phylloxera affected it; Hermitage and the white wine Clairette de Die were especially famous. Wheat, potatoes, and melons are produced in large quantities, and the cultivation of truffles has become noteworthy. Coal, cement, and potter's clay are found; and there are manufactures of silk, woollen, straw, and iron goods, pottery, paper, leather, and glass, besides an active trade in the raw products of the district. The department is divided into the four arrondissements of Valence, Montélimar, Die, and Nyons, with the town of Valence for capital.