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GARD

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Originally appearing in Volume V11, Page 459 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GARD , a See also:

department in the See also:south of See also:France, consisting of See also:part of the old See also:province of See also:Languedoc. Pop. (1906) 421,166. See also:Area 2270 sq. m. It is bounded N. by the departments of See also:Lozere and See also:Ardeche, E. by the See also:Rhone, which separates it from See also:Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhone, S. by the Mediterranean, S.W. by See also:Herault and W. by See also:Aveyron. Gard is divided into three sharply-defined regions. Its See also:north-western districts are occupied by the range of the See also:Cevennes, which on the frontier of Lozere attain a height of 5120 ft. The whole of this region is celebrated for its fruitful valleys, its See also:gorges, its beautiful streams, its pastures, and the See also:chestnut, mulberry and other See also:fruit trees with which the mountains are often clothed to their summits. The Garrigues, a dry, hilly region of See also:limestone, which lends itself to the cultivation of cereals, the See also:vine and See also:olive, stretches from the See also:foot of the Cevennes over the centre of the department, covering about See also:half its area. The See also:southern portion, which extends to the See also:sea, and was probably at one See also:time covered by it, is a See also:low See also:plain with numerous lakes and marshes. Though unhealthy, it is prosperous, and comprises the best arable See also:land and vineyards in Gard. Besides the Rhone, which See also:bounds the department on the E., and the Ardeche, the See also:lower course of which forms part of its boundary on the N., the See also:principal See also:rivers are the Ceze, Gard, Vidourle and Herault.

The most See also:

northern of these is the Ceze, which rises in the Cevennes, and after a course of about 5o M. in an E.S.E. direction falls into the Rhone above Roquemaure. The Gard, or Gardon, from which the department takes its name, is also an affluent of the Rhone, and, rising in the Cevennes from several See also:sources, traverses the centre of the department, having a length of about 6o m. In the upper part of its course it flows through a See also:succession of deep See also:mountain gorges, and from the melting of the snows on the Cevennes is subject to inundations, which often cause See also:great damage. Its See also:waters not infrequently rise 18 or 20 ft. in a few See also:hours, and its See also:bed is sometimes increased in width to nearly a mile. Near Remoulins it is crossed by a celebrated See also:Roman aqueduct—the See also:Pont du Gard (see See also:AQUEDUCT). The Vidourle flows in a S.S.E. direction from its source near L& See also:Vigan, and after a course of about 50 M. falls into the sea. Below See also:lake, blows from S. to N. The steep See also:grey limestone crags of See also:Monte Baldo, on the eastern See also:side of the lake, contrast strongly with the See also:rich vegetation on the western and southern shores. The portion of the western See also:shore that extends from Gargnano to Salo is the most sheltered and warmest part of the region, so that not merely does it resemble one continuous See also:garden (producing lemons, See also:figs, mulberries, See also:olives, &c.), but is frequented in See also:winter, and has been given the name of the See also:Riviera Benacense. The lovely promontory of Sermione, at the southern end of the lake, has also an extremely luxuriant vegetation, while it contains many remains of buildings of Roman and later date, having been the See also:Sirmio of See also:Catullus, who resided here and celebrated its beauties in many of his poems. In 1827 a See also:boat with paddles set in See also:motion by horses was put on the lake, but the first steamer See also:dates only from 1844. At the south end of the lake, E. and W. respectively of the promontory of Sermione, are the towns of Peschiera (14; M. by See also:rail from See also:Verona on the See also:east) and of Desenzano (171 m. by rail from See also:Brescia on the See also:west), which are 81 m. distant from each other.

On the west shore of the lake are Salo, Toscolano, Gargnano and Limone, while the rugged east shore can boast only of Bardolino and See also:

Garda. At the northern tip of the lake, and in See also:Tirol, is See also:Riva, the most considerable See also:town on the lake, and 151 M. by rail from the Mori station on the See also:main See also:Brenner See also:line. (W. A. B.

End of Article: GARD

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