AIN

dpartement, Rhne-Alpes rgion, eastern France. It lies in the angle between the Rhne River (to the south) and the Sane River (to the west) and borders Switzerland to the east. The dpartement is bisected by the Ain River, which flows south to the Rhne and separates the fertile Bresse and swampy Dombes lowlands in the west from the Jura scarps to the east. The latter are covered with pasture and timber. Bresse is a region of diversified farming and pig and poultry raising; horses and geese are bred in the pool-studded Dombes. The rest of Ain is concerned primarily with stock raising, cheesemaking, forest activities, and small manufacturing (notably textiles). Hydropower is supplied by the Ain and Rhne rivers. Other industries include diamond cutting, plastics, and precision machinery. There is a thriving tourist industry for winter sports and angling, and some of the gorges and ridges in the dpartement are quite striking. Bourg-en-Bresse is the capital and largest town in the dpartement. Ain has four arrondissements: Bourg-en-Bresse, Belley, Nantua, and Gex. Area 2,225 square miles (5,762 square km). Pop. (1990) 471,170; (1994 est.) 497,943.