ge, Poitou, Marche, Limousin and Perigord. It is bounded N. by
the departments of Deux-Sevres and Vienne, E. by those of Vienne and
Dordogne, S. by Dordogne and W. by Charente-Inferieure. Area 2305 sq. m.
Pop. (1906) 351,733. The department, though it contains no high
altitudes, is for the most part of a hilly nature. The highest points,
many of which exceed 1000 ft., are found in the Confolentais, the
granite region of the extreme north-east, known also as the Terres
Froides. In the Terres Chaudes, under which name the remainder of the
department is included, the levels vary in general between 300 and 650
ft., except in the western plains--the Pays-Bas and Champagne--where
they range from 40 to 300 ft. A large part of Charente is thickly
wooded, the principal forests lying in its northern districts. The
department, as its name indicates, belongs mainly to the basin of the
river Charente (area of basin 3860 sq. m.; length of river 225 m.), the
chief affluents of which, within its borders, are the Tardoire, the
Touvre and the Ne. The Confolentais is watered by the Vienne, a
tributary of the Loire, while the arrondissement of Barbexieux in the
south-west belongs almost wholly to the basin of the Gironde.

The climate is temperate but moist, the rainfall being highest in the
north-east. Agriculturally, Charente is prosperous. More than half its
surface is arable land, on the greater part of which cereals are grown.
The potato is an important crop. The vine is predominant in the region
of Champagne, the wine produced being chiefly distilled into the famous
brandy to which the town of Cognac gives its name. The best pasture is
found in the Confolentais, where horned cattle are largely reared. The
chief fruits are chestnuts, walnuts and cider-apples. The poultry raised
in the neighbourhood of Barbezieux is highly esteemed. Charente has
numerous stone quarries, and there are peat workings and beds of clay
which supply brick and tile-works and earthenware manufactories. Among
the other industries, paper-making, which has its chief centre at
Angouleme, is foremost. The most important metallurgical establishment
is the large foundry of naval guns at Ruelle. Flour-mills and
leather-works are numerous. There are also many minor industries
subsidiary to paper-making and brandy-distilling, and Angouleme
manufactures gunpowder and confectionery. Coal, salt and timber are
prominent imports. Exports include paper, brandy, stone and agric