a department in France, located in the western part of the Paris metropolitan area. Area, 175 sq km; population, 1.5 million (1973). Its capital is Nanterre. More than 45 percent of the labor force was employed in industry in 1968. Industries include large-scale machine building, automotive and aircraft assembly, and electrical engineering. The Renault plant in Boulogne-Billancourt is one of the major industrial enterprises of the region. There are also rare metals metallurgical and chemical plants. Gennevilliers, the main port serving Paris, is located in Hauts-de-Seine, as is the new commercial center at the Place de la Défense.