ent principality of Montbeliard and of part of the province of
Franche-Comte. It is bounded E. and S.E. by Switzerland, N. by the
territory of Belfort and by Haute Saone, and W. and S.W. by Jura. Pop.
(1906) 298,438. Area, 2030 sq. m. The department takes its name from the
river Doubs, by which it is traversed. Between the Ognon, which forms
the north-western limit of the department, and the Doubs, runs a range
of low hills known as "the plain." The rest of Doubs is mountainous,
four parallel chains of the Jura crossing it from N.E. to S.W. The
Lomont range, the lowest of these chains, dominates the left bank of the
Doubs. The central region is occupied by hilly plateaux covered with
pasturage and forests, while the rest of the department is traversed by
the remaining three mountain ranges, the highest and most easterly of
which contains the Mont d'Or (4800 ft.), the culminating point of Doubs.
Besides the Doubs the chief rivers are its tributaries, the Dessoubre,
watering the east of the department, and the Loue, which traverses its
south-western portion. The climate is in general cold and rainy, and the
winters are severe. The soil is stony and loamy, and at the higher
levels there are numerous peat-bogs. Approximately a fifth of the total
area is planted with cereals; more than a third is occupied by pasture.
In its agricultural aspect the department may be divided into three
regions. The highest, on which the snow usually lies from six to eight
months in the year, is in part barren, but on its less exposed slopes is
occupied by forests of fir trees, and affords good pasturage for cattle.
In the second or lower region the oak, beech, walnut and sycamore
flourish; and the valleys are susceptible of cultivation. The region of
the plain is the most fertile, and produces all kinds of cereals as well
as hemp, vegetables, vines and fruit. Cattle-rearing and dairy-farming
receive much attention; large quantities of cheese, of the nature of
Gruyere, are produced, mainly by the co-operative cheese-factories or
_fruitieres_. The rivers of the department abound in gorges and falls of
great beauty. The most important manufactures are watches, made chiefly
at Besancon and Morteau, hardware (Herimoncourt and Valentigney), and
machinery. Large iron foundries are found at Audincourt (pop. 5317) and
other towns. The distillation of brandy and absinthe, and the
manufacture of cotton and woollen goods, automobiles and paper, are also
car