SARTHE

dpartement, Pays de la Loire region, northwestern France, created from the eastern part of the historic province of Maine and from small portions of Anjou. With an area of 2,398 sq mi (6,210 sq km), it is drained by the Sarthe River and its tributaries. The Sarthe flows northsouth through Le Mans, the capital; its tributary, the Loir, flows eastwest above the southern border, joining it in neighbouring Maine-et-Loire. Sarthe dpartement consists largely of undulating fields and woodland. In the north there are two ancient massifs (mountain masses), and the land rises to 1,115 ft (340 m) in the picturesque Fort (forest) de Perseigne. In the northeast the Perche hills, covered with beeches, oaks, and pasture land, rise to 830 ft (250 m). The climate is mild, with warm summers and abundant rainfall in all seasons. The economy is predominantly agriculturalcattle, cereals, and potatoesexcept for the Le Mans area, where there are electronic, electrical, and motor engineering works and where textiles are manufactured. Almost one-third of the population of Sarthe is concentrated in this city. A famous motor-racing circuit near Le Mans attracts large crowds annually. La Flche is the seat of a noted officers' school, located in a former Jesuit college founded in 1607; at Solesmes is the well-known Benedictine monastery celebrated for its ceremonies in Gregorian chant. The dpartement has three arrondissements: Le Mans, La Flche, and Mamers; and it is in the educational division of Caen. Pop. (1982) 504,768.