OISE

dpartement, Picardie rgion, France, to the north of Paris, created from part of the historic province of le-de-France and a small part of Picardy. The eastern half of the dpartement is bisected by the Oise River, a tributary of the Seine River that flows slowly northeast-southwest through Noyon, Compigne, and Creil along a forested valley. It receives the Aisne River from the east above Compigne. The cathedral city of Beauvais, the departmental capital, in the centre of western Oise, is situated on the Thrain River, which joins the Oise at Creil on the border of a forested region northeast of Senlis. Chantilly, with its chteau and racecourse, lies in the forest west of Senlis. The dpartement, consisting of undulating plateaus and gentle valleys, enjoys a mild climate. Cattle are raised, cereals and sugar beets are grown, and market gardening is prevalent in the valleys. Clay and sandstone are quarried. Metallurgical, cement, glass, and chemical industries, which employ most of the active population, are concentrated in the Oise valley around Creil and Compigne. Light industries and housing developments are expanding as a result of improved communications with Paris. The Autoroute du Nord, the motorway linking Paris and Lille, passes through Oise. Two of the finest Romanesque churches in northern France are in Saint-Leu-d'Esserent and Morienval. Other places of interest include the ruins of the 13th-century Chaalis abbey church, near the Sea of Sand, a small sand desert; the Gallo-Roman ruins at Champlieu; the reconstructed feudal castle of Pierrefonds; and Royaumont abbey. The dpartement has four arrondissements: Beauvais, Clermont, Compigne, and Senlis. Area 2,263 square miles (5,860 square km). Pop. (1990) 725,603.