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Alpes (BASSES b s- lp a depart ment)

BASSES (bäs-älp), a depart ment in the S. E. of France, one of the five formed out of the old Provence; divided into five arrondissements, Barcelonnette, Castellane, Digne, Forcalquier, and Sisteron; capital, Digne. It is a mountainous region, the E. portion belonging to the crystalline Alps, with summits rising to upward of 11,000 feet; the W. portion to the limestone Alps.

This latter portion is one of the most arid and desolate in France. West of the Durance, the principal river of the department, a chain of the limestone Alps runs westward under the name of the Montagne de Lure. The Durance partly bounds the department of the N. Its principal tributaries, all on the left bank, are the Ubaye in the N., leading up to the Col d'Argentière, the Bléonne, the Asse, and the Verdon, which partly separates Basses Alpes from Var. None of these rivers is navigable. The principal wealth of the higher parts of the department consists in its mountain pastures, to which every spring large numbers of sheep from the lower Rhone are led. Cattle, horses, mules, and asses are also reared. Cereals are grown in many places, and in the southern districts olives and great quantities of almonds are produced, and the silkworm is reared. Area, 2,697 square miles. Pop., about 110,000.