Isère (redirected from Isêre)

Isère (ēzĕr`), department (1990 pop. 1,025,300), SE France, in Dauphiné. Grenoble is the capital.

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Isère 

a department in southeastern France. Area, 8,200 sq km; population, 798,000 (1971). The administrative center is Grenoble. The Alps occupy more than half of the department’s surface area (highest elevation, 4,103 m). The valleys of the Rhône, Isère, and Drac rivers make up the flat and low lying sections. There is also an extensive forested area. The leading branch of the economy is industry. Among Isère’s industries are hydroelectric-power production, electrometallurgy, electrochemistry, and machine building. Paper, silk, and food are also processed. Livestock is raised and tourism is popular in the area.

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Isère 

a river in southeastern France, left tributary of the Rhone. Length, 290 km; basin area, 11,800 sq km. It originates at the Italian border in the Graian Alps and crosses the Savoy Alps in a deep valley. The river is fed primarily by snow; there are floods during the spring and summer. The mean annual discharge is approximately 330 cu m per sec. In the Isère basin are reservoirs, including the large Tignes Reservoir in the upper reaches, and a hydroelectric power plant. In its lower course the Isère is used for irrigation and navigation. The city of Grenoble is situated on the river, and centers for winter sports and tourism are located along the upper reaches of the river.