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Vienne (Department in the W of France)

a department in the W. of France constituted mainly of the old province of Poitou, between Indre and Deux-Sèvres; area, 2,711 square miles; pop. about 330,000. The Vienne, an affluent of the Loire, is the principal river, and has the Creuse as its chief tributary. The surface is mostly flat, with a gradual slope from the N. The country consists almost wholly of fertile plains, fine pasture lands, and extensive forests. The mineral riches comprise iron, manganese, and quarries of stone, including lithographic stone. Poitiers is the capital.