CHARENTE

inland dpartement, Poitou-Charentes rgion, western France, separated from the Bay of Biscay by Charente-Maritime dpartement and elsewhere surrounded by the dpartements of Deux-Svres, Vienne, Haute-Vienne, and Dordogne. Formed from the historic provinces of Angoumois and (in part) Saintonge, it encompasses an area of 2,300 square miles (5,956 square km). Most of the dpartement comprises fertile arable land where wheat, corn (maize), and fodder crops are grown. Charente is especially renowned for its vineyards, which provide the wine for distilling brandy, associated with Cognac, a town that lies in the Charente River valley. The river is navigable for small barges as far as Angoulme, which has paper works and food-canning industries. There are local limestone quarries and gypsum workings, and clay is dug for brick and tile works. Cattle are raised around Confolens and Barbezieux. Charente's butter, manufactured by a cooperative, is among France's best. Principal rivers, in addition to the Charente, which drains the central area, include the Vienne in the northeast and the Dronne in the south. Charente is divided into the three arrondissements of Angoulme (the departmental capital), Cognac, and Confolens. It forms the diocese of Angoulme and is associated with the acadmie (academic district) of Poitiers; its court of appeal is at Bordeaux. Pop. (1990 prelim.) 341,900.