BELFORT, TERRITOIRE DE

dpartement, Franche-Comt rgion, Alsace-Lorraine, eastern France. Formed from the southern portion of the Haut-Rhin dpartement, it is bounded on the south by Switzerland and on the north by the Vosges. To the north, the south face of the Vosges rises to 4,091 feet (1,247 m) in the Ballon d'Alsace, and to the south are the wooded hills around Delle that comprise the northernmost part of the Jura. Between the two is the Belfort Depression, also known as the Belfort Gap or Burgundy Gate, 15-20 miles (24-32 km) wide, a strategic passageway connecting the Rhine River valley with the Paris Basin, which carries the link canal as well as important roads and railroads. The territory is one of the smallest administrative units in France-it received its departmental status in 1922; the territory is also an arrondissement. Industry is centred at the towns of Belfort, Delle, and Beaucourt. From early times the historic gap has been commanded by the fortress town of Belfort. When the rest of Alsace was ceded to Germany (1871-1919), the territory was retained by France. Area 235 square miles (609 square km). Pop. (1990) 134,117; (1994 est.) 136,795.