AISNE

dpartement, Picardie rgion, northern France. Aisne was created from parts of the old provinces of the le de France, Picardy, and Champagne. It touches the Ardennes Forest and the Belgian frontier on the northeast. The Aisne River enters the dpartement from the east and flows west to join the Oise River. Outlying masses of rock, often with steep flanks, occur in much of the region and form important sites such as that of Laon, the capital, and the Chemin des Dames ridge. Aisne receives 20 to 30 inches (500 to 750 mm) of precipitation annually and contains rich grainlands in the south and west, with dairying in the hilly Thirache country (northeast). Beet sugar is an important industrial crop. World War I battles destroyed many of the old-growth forests in the departement, however. Saint-Quentin and other towns weave silk, cotton, and wool, and Saint-Gobain has made mirrors since the 17th century. The agricultural and industrial centre of northern Aisne is Guise. Laon, Soissons, Saint-Quentin, Chteau-Thierry, and Vervins head arrondissements and are the chief towns. The dpartement is in the educational division of Douai. Several of Aisne's architectural monuments were destroyed in World War I. The medieval churches of Laon, Braine, and Urcel survive, however, and the basilica of Saint-Quentin was restored. The ruined castle of La Fert-Milon also escaped war damage. The German offensive in 1918 against the Chemin des Dames is sometimes called the Battle of the Aisne. The battlefield around the town of Chteau-Thierry lies nearby, to the south. Area 2,845 square miles (7,369 square km). Pop. (1990) 537,291; (1993 est.) 540,500.