EURE

Chteau Gaillard, Les Andelys, Eure dpartement, France. dpartement, Haute-Normandie rgion, northeastern France, in the eastern part of the historic province of Normandy, occupying 2,332 square miles (6,040 square km). It is bounded in the northeast by the mouth of the Seine River, which flows through its northwesterly section as it leaves the Paris Basin. Nowhere higher than 800 feet (270 m), Eure is broken up by its rivers into well-wooded plateaus. The Eure River flows into the Seine from the southeast after a course of 44 miles (71 km) in the dpartement. vreux, the capital, is on the Iton, a tributary of the Eure. The climate is mild, with moderate rainfall. Eure is one of the richest agricultural dpartements of France (cattle, horses, cereals, fruit, beetroots, and potatoes) and is noted for the richness of its milk and other dairy products. It has considerable light industry (textiles, building material, leather, chemicals, foodstuffs, and flour) in the valleys. The very active exploitation of quarries in the valley of the Eure has led to the development of almost continuous schemes utilizing the river's course. The most spectacular of the historic sites is the 12th-century ruin of Chteau Gaillard, built by Richard I the Lion-Heart, dominating the Seine and the town of Les Andelys (see photograph). The dpartement has three arrondissementsvreux, Bernay, and Les Andelysand is in the educational division of Rouen. Pop. (1990) 513,818.