SEINE-SAINT-DENIS

dpartement, le-de-France rgion, northern France, bordering the city limits of Paris on the north and east. It was created as part of the administrative reorganization of greater Paris in 1964 and was mainly formed from the northeast section of the former Seine dpartement, with additional parts of the former Seine-et-Oise dpartement. The western boundary includes both branches of the Seine River as it loops toward the northwest and the long crescent-shaped island, the le-Saint-Denis. Within the northern boundary are the southern parts of the old Le Bourget airport, which was replaced by the Charles de Gaulle airport at nearby Roissy-en-France (opened in 1974). The Bondy Forest, the suburb of Gournay-sur-Marne, and part of the wood of Saint-Martin are within the eastern boundary. Montreuil is just within the southern boundary. The Marne River cuts across the southeastern tip of the dpartement. The Autoroute du Nordthe motorway from Paris to Lillepasses through Saint-Denis and is connected to the Charles de Gaulle airport. The dpartement is heavily industrialized, and a great number of factories are intermingled with the workers' houses in the densely populated areas. Seine-Saint-Denis has three arrondissements: Bobigny (the dpartement's capital), Saint-Denis, and Le Raincy. Area 91 square miles (236 square km). Pop. (1990) 1,381,329; (1994 est.) 1,404,430.