ARDENNES

also spelled Ardenne wooded plateau covering part of the ancient Forest of Ardennes, occupying most of the Belgian provinces of Luxembourg, Namur, and Lige; part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; and the French dpartement of Ardennes. It is an old plateau comprising the western extension of the Middle Rhine Highlands, stretching in a northeast-southwest direction and covering more than 3,860 sq mi (10,000 sq km). Its geological history is complex; as a result of intense folding, faulting, uplifts, and denudations, some older strata of rock have been thrust over younger strata. The name Ardennes used in a strict sense refers to the southern half of the area, where the elevations range from 1,150 to 1,640 ft [350 to 500 m], though the high point at Botrange, south of Lige, is 2,277 ft. This part consists of sandstone, quartzite, and some slate and limestone. Its rounded summits are separated by shallow depressions containing peat bogs, from which rise many rivers that cut narrow and sinuous valleys. These High Ardennes form the watershed between rivers flowing north and west to the Meuse River and south and east to the Moselle River. Heavy precipitation, combined with low clouds, fog, and frost, make the uplands distinctly bleak. Although one-half of the area is covered by forest, the thin, acid, and waterlogged soil is generally infertile, supporting only heath. The northern part is much lower, between 655 and 985 ft. Most of the small farmland is under permanent grass for pasture, but there is some cultivation of oats, rye, potatoes, and clover in the valleys. Cattle are raised mainly for dairy production, pigs for the ham that has long been a local specialty of the Ardennes, and sheep for a small wool industry. Cattle hides are processed with the abundant local supplies of tannin from the oak trees. Stone quarrying is widespread, but mining and manufacturing are limited. Despite a certain raw inhospitality of the area, its economy increasingly depends upon the development of tourism. The Ardennes has one of the lowest population densities of Europe, but it is located in the middle of the heavily populated triangle of Paris-Brussels-Cologne. Mineral springs at Spa, Belg. (whence the English word spa), have made it a favourite health resort since the 16th century. The lonely forests offer respites for central Europeans from the pressures of the surrounding urbanization. During World Wars I and II, the Ardennes became a battleground, the scene of bitter fighting in 1914, 1918, and 1944 (Battle of the Bulge; q.v.). dpartement, Champagne-Ardennes region, northeastern France, bordering on Belgium, covering an area of 2,015 sq mi (5,219 sq km) and including the southwest margin of the Ardennes highland and the adjacent lowlands in the Meuse and Aisne valleys, which are connected by the Ardennes Canal. The Meuse turns northwest after leaving Lorraine, and from Charleville-Mzires to Givet on the frontier it flows in deeply entrenched meanders, some of which provide defensive points marked by castle towns. The rugged Argonne Massif pushes north into the southeastern part of the dpartement, drained by the Aisne River. The Aisne Valley and the flanking chalk country are well cultivated (grains and sugar beets), but there are heavy forests in the Argonne and Ardennes. Although unfavourable terrain for manoeuvre, the region has been the scene of battles since the French Revolution, including the campaign of 1794, the Franco-German War (with Napoleon III's surrender at Sedan, 1870), the Battle of the Ardennes in World War I and the bitter U.S.German fighting in the Argonne in 1918, the German breakthrough near Sedan in 1940 that marked the Battle of France, and the final offensive action in France by the Germans in December 1944 (Battle of the Bulge; q.v.). Sedan on the Meuse and Rethel on the Aisne have long-established woollen mills. Charleville-Mzires has wood-working and iron industries. There is a nuclear power plant at Chooz (270 mW; operational since 1967). Charleville-Mzires (the capital), Sedan, Rethel, and Vouziers head arrondissements. The appeal court is at Nancy, and education is directed from Reims. Pop. (1982) 302,338.