MOSELLE

dpartement, Lorraine rgion, northeastern France, established in 1790 from territories of Lorraine and the city of Metz. The area was annexed by Germany after the Franco-German War (187071) and was restored to France in 1919 after World War I. Germany annexed it again in World War II and held it until 1944. The dpartement, which contains one of the most important concentrations of heavy industry in France, occupies an area of 2,400 square miles (6,216 square km) between the eastern border of Meurthe-et-Moselle and the western border of the German Saarland. It extends from the forested Vosges massif in the southeast, across the Plateau Lorrain (elevation about 600 feet ), to the Luxembourg border in the north. The Moselle River crosses the northwest region, flowing north through Metz, capital of Moselle, and alongside the iron-ore fields of Ctes de Moselle and Thionville. The Lorraine coalfield, a prolongation of the Saar River basin, is situated near the German border east of the industrial complex. In the southeast the dpartement is watered by the Saar (French: Sarre) River, which flows north through Sarrebourg past salt mines and chemical works. Canals link the industrial regions of Moselle and the Saar region of Germany with both the Rhine system (of canals and rivers) and the Paris Basin. The canalization of the Moselle River assures a direct connection with the Rhine River valley to the north. Communications through Metz to Nancy, the Saar, and Luxembourg were improved with the construction of high-volume motorways. Moselle has warm summers and severe winters. The agricultural population, which has declined with industrialization, tends to concentrate on cattle raising and dairy farming for local markets. The Moselle iron-ore fields began to be exploited after 1875, when it became technologically possible to eliminate the high phosphorus impurities they contain. Abundant and easy to exploit, these deposits permitted the creation of a powerful industrial district that served markets in the north of France and in Germany's Ruhr. Today the reserves have diminished, and with competition from much richer foreign sources, the decline and eventual end of exploitation of these fields is foreseen. The Lorraine coalfields are still the main source of supply in France, responsible for most of national production; these coalfields are among the most completely mechanized in Europe and among the most productive in output per worker. The Moselle River valley near Thionville and the valleys of Fentsch and Orne are lined with scores of blast furnaces, iron- and steelworks, and coking plants, although this activity is thought by planners to have an uncertain future. The dpartement accounts for much of France's total output of coal, iron, and steel. Gas produced as a by-product is fed to the Paris region by pipeline. Moselle has nine arrondissementsBoulay-Moselle, Chteau-Salins, Forbach, Metz-Ville, Metz-Campagne, Sarrebourg, Sarreguemines, Thionville-Est, and Thionville-Ouest. It is in the educational division of Strasbourg. Pop. (1992 est.) 1,010,000.