HAUTE-SAVOIE

dpartement, Rhne-Alpes rgion, southeastern France, formed from the the northern part of the old duchy of Savoy. The dpartement is bounded in the north by Lake Geneva and the Swiss canton of Genve, in the east by the canton of Valais, Switz., and in the southeast by the Italian frontier along the massif of Mont Blanc. The Rhne River leaves Lake Geneva and flows south along the dpartement's western border. The southern boundary separating it from Savoie dpartement runs along mountain peaks to the Aiguille des Glaciers of the massif of Mont Blanc, in the extreme southeast. The summit of Mont Blanc, 15,771 feet (4,807 m), the highest peak in the Alps, is just within the dpartement. The Arve River flows through the mountain resort of Chamonix and northwest across the length of the dpartement to join the Rhne at Geneva. From Mont Blanc the mountains gradually lose height to the north and west, and elevations of less than 1,000 feet (300 m) are reached along the Rhne River and at vian-les-Bains on the shores of Lake Geneva. In the west, Annecy, the departmental capital, and its lake are surrounded by the lower Pre-Alps mountains, which are clothed with forests and pastures. Rains are abundant in the dpartement; winters are cold, and summers are warm in some areas. Agriculturein cereals, vines, fruitprospers in the lower, sheltered areas. The cattle raising that once predominated in the mountains, founded on a system of transhumance, is in decline in the uplands; in the valleys, however, dairy cooperatives have kept milk and cheese production vigorous. Lumbering is extensive on the lower slopes. Industries include cement making, engineering, watchmaking, and cheese processing. Annecy makes electronic and precision instruments and also has a famous bell foundry. Tourism and winter sports have developed greatly in the valleys of the Mont Blanc massifat Chamonix, Megve, Morzine, and La Cluzasand skiing and sightseeing have been greatly facilitated by the construction of an aerial cable-car over the Aiguille du Midi. A road tunnel, 7.3 miles (11.7 km) long, under the massif links Chamonix with Courmayeur, Italy. The dpartement has four arrondissementsAnnecy, Bonneville, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, and Thonon-les-Bainsand is in the educational division of Grenoble. Area 1,694 square miles (4,388 square km). Pop. (1990) 568,286.