Pyrénées, Basses

Pyrénées, Basses, a department in the southwest corner of France, between the Landes and Spain, and having the Bay of Biscay on the west. Area, 2946 sq. m.; pop. (1891) 425,027. It is divided into the arrondissements of Pau, Oloron, Orthez, Bayonne, and Mauléon. Chief town, Pau. The department occupies the northern slopes of the Western Pyrenees (3000–9800 feet), offshoots from which divide the department into a number of valleys, traversed by mountain-streams (gaves). The chief are the Gave d'Oloron, and Gave de Pau, and other tributaries of the Adour. The Bidassoa, with the Isle of Pheasants, where the treaty of 1659 was signed, forms the dividing line between France and Spain for a short distance. The high valleys and slopes are generally fertile, and well adapted for the growth of the vine, chestnut, and other fruits. Agriculture is the principal industry; large herds of cattle and sheep are fed on the extensive pastures, and many swine in the wide forests. Of the numerous mineral springs the most important are those of Biarritz, Eaux-Bonnes, and Eaux-Chaudes. The western half of the department is the home of the Basques (q.v.).