Landes

Landes, department, France

Landes, department (1990 pop. 313,100), SW France, in Gascony, on the Atlantic coast. Mont-de-Marsan is the capital.

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Landes, region, France

Landes (läNd), region, SW France. It is a vast, flat, nearly triangular tract of sand and marshland, stretching along the Atlantic coast for more than 100 mi (160 km) between the Adour River and the Médoc region and reaching inland as far as 40 mi (60 km). It thus covers most of Landes dept. and part of Gironde dept. and converges on Nérac (Lot-et-Garonne). Formerly, sheep grazing was the only occupation in this insalubrious region, but much of the land has been reclaimed through drainage and the planting of pine forests. Agriculture is progressing and lumber and resins are important products. The chief towns are Mont-de-Marsan, Dax, and Arcachon, a popular resort.

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Landes

1. a department of SW France, in Aquitaine region. Capital: Mont-de-Marsan. Pop.: 341 254 (2003 est.). Area: 9364 sq. km (3652 sq. miles)

2. a region of SW France, on the Bay of Biscay: occupies most of the Landes department and parts of Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne; consists chiefly of the most extensive forest in France. Area: 14 000 sq. km (5400 sq. miles)

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Landes 

a department in southwestern France, on the coast of the Bay of Biscay of the Alantic Ocean. Area, 9,400 sq km; population, 281,000 (1971). Administrative center, Mont-de-Marsan.

Much of Landes Department consists of a sandy plain called the Landes. In the south are the foothills of the Pyrenees, cut by tributaries of the Adour River. About two-thirds of the territory is covered with forest. The basis of the economy is forestry and a lumber industry. There are oil wells near Parentis-en-Born. In agriculture, corn and grapes are cultivated, and cattle, pigs, and sheep are bred (cheese is produced, including Roquefort). There is also an oyster industry. Resorts include Dax, Capreton, and Mimizan.