ESSONNE

dpartement, le-de-France rgion, northern France; it includes some of the southern outer suburbs of Paris. The dpartement was created in 1964 from the southern part of the former Seine-et-Oise dpartement. Chiefly consisting of a plateau of agricultural and forest land cut by deep valleys, the dpartement is watered by the Essonne, the Orge, and their tributaries, which flow into the Seine River from the west. The Seine crosses the dpartement's northeast corner, passing through Corbeil-Essonnes, and is heavily industrialized on the left bank as it approaches the Paris area. At the northern departmental boundary the Seine is joined from the east by the Yerres River, which flows through pleasant suburbs near the forest of Snart. The northeast part of the dpartement, in which the Paris-Orly Airport terminal is located, is also crossed by the Autoroute du Sud, the motorway from Paris to the Mediterranean. The southwest embraces part of the Beauce plain, which is a major grain-producing area of France. In the southeast the region of Milly-la-Fort, adjoining the Forest of Fontainebleau, is a popular area for weekend tourists. The administrative centre of the dpartement is at vry, close to Corbeil-Essonnes; there are two other arrondissements, tampes and Palaiseau. Essonne is in the educational division of Versailles. Area 696 square miles (1,804 square km). Pop. (1991 est.) 1,096,300.