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ALPES MARITIMES
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ALPES MARITIMES , a See also:department in the S.E. of See also:France, formed in 1860 out of the See also:county of See also:Nice, to which were added the districts of See also:Grasse (formerly in the department of the See also:Var) and of See also:Mentone (See also:purchased from the See also:prince of See also:Monaco). Pop. (1906) 334,007. It is bounded N.E. and E. by See also:Italy, S. by the Mediterranean See also:Sea, and W. by the departments of the Var and the Basses Alpes, while its See also:northern extremity forms a See also:sharp See also:angle between France and Italy. Its See also:area is 1444 sq. m., its greatest length is 59 M. and its greatest breadth 481 m. It is composed of the valley of the Var See also:river (which is all but completely within this department), together with those of its See also:chief affluents, the Tinee and the Vesubie. The region of Grasse is hilly, but the See also:rest of the department is mountainous, its loftiest point being the Mont Tinibras (9948 ft.) .at the See also:head of the Tinee valley. Two singular features of the frontier of the department towards the See also:east are only to be explained by See also:historical reasons. One is that the central See also:bit of the Roja valley is See also:French, while the upper and See also:lower bits of this valley are See also:Italian; the See also:reason is that those bits which are now Italian formed See also:part of the county of See also:Ventimiglia, and the central bit part of the county of Nice, which alone became French in 1860. The result is that the Italians are now unable to build a railway from See also:Cuneo by the See also:Col de Tenda and down the Roja valley See also:direct to Ventimiglia. The other See also:strange feature is that from near Isola in the upper Tinee valley southwards the See also:political frontier does not coincide with the See also:physical frontier, or the See also:main See also:watershed of the Alpine See also:chain; the reason (it is said) is that in 186o all the higher valleys of the Maritime See also:Alps (on both sides of the watershed) were expressly excepted from the treaty of cession, in See also:order that See also:Victor See also:Emmanuel II. might retain his right of See also:chamois See also:hunting in these parts. The department is divided into three arrondissements (Nice, Grasse and See also:Puget Theniers), 27 cantons and 155 communes. It forms the bishopric of Nice (the first See also:bishop certainly known-See also:ALPHABET 7.2 3 is mentioned at the end of the 4th See also:century), which till 1792 was in the ecclesiastical See also:province of See also:Embrun, then (1802) in that of See also:Aix en See also:Provence, next in that of See also:Genoa (1814), and finally (1860) in that of Aix again. Its chief See also:town is Nice. The broad-See also:gauge See also:railways in the department See also:cover 56 m., including the See also:line along the See also:coast, while there are also 82 m. of narrow-gauge railways. The chief See also:industries are distilleries for perfumes and manufacture of See also:olive oil, of pottery and of tiles, besides a See also:great See also:commerce in cut See also:flowers. To foreigners the department is best known for its See also:health resorts, Nice, See also:Cannes, Mentone, See also:Antibes .and See also:Beaulieu, while other important towns are Grasse and Puget Theniers. (W. A. B. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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