RHONE

dpartement, RhneAlpes rgion, east-central France, embracing the city of Lyon, its capital, and the northeastern slopes of the Massif Central. It was created mainly from a part of the historical Lyonnais province, but in 1967 it received small additions detached from Isre and Ain dpartements to facilitate the administration of the Lyon district. The Rhne River flowing east to west makes a sweeping bend through Lyon, below which it is joined by the Sane River flowing north to south along its eastern border. To the west of the Rhne and Sane plains, the northern half is occupied by the Beaujolais Mountains and the southern half by the Lyonnais Mountains. The foggy Lyon region has hot summers and moderate winters; abundant rain falls on the heights. Good farmland, on which are grown cereals and sugar beets, extends over the Rhne-Sane plain; grapevines, from which the well-known Beaujolais wines are produced, grow on higher ground below 1,500 feet (457 m). The dpartement has varied industries. Lyon has for centuries been a world centre of the silk and cloth industries, though synthetic fibres have almost completely supplanted silk. Important metallurgical, chemical, motor vehicle, and food-processing works are located in the Lyon area, which has most of the departement's population. The largest employer, however, is the service sector, centred on Lyon, which is a transportation junction of road, rail, and inland water routes. The dpartement has two arrondissements, Lyon and Villefranche-sur-Sane, and is in the educational division of Lyon. Area 1,254 square miles (3,249 square km). Pop. (1992 est.) 1,527,264.