a department in southern France, in the Tarn River basin; located in the southern Massif Central (maximum elevation, 1,266 m). Area, 5,800 sq km. Population, 335,000 (1975). The capital is Albi. Of Tarn’s economically active population, 26 percent is employed in industry, and 24 percent in agriculture (1968). The main industries are machine building (in Albi and Castres), garment manufacturing (in Castres), sheep-hide tanning (in Mazamet), the production of morocco (in Graulhet) and cement, and food processing. Grapes and vegetables are grown, and cattle and sheep are raised.
a river in France; a right tributary of the Garonne. The Tarn is 375 km long and drains an area of about 15,000 sq km. It rises in the Cévennes Mountains and flows through the limestone plateau known as the Causses, forming a gorge about 50 km long and up to 500 m deep; Sabo Falls is located on the river above the city of Albi. The lower Tarn flows through a plain. High water occurs in the spring, and there are flash floods in the autumn. The mean flow rate is about 250 cu m per sec, and the maximum rate, 8,200 cu m per sec. The Tarn is navigable below Albi. There is a hydroelectric power plant. The cities of Montauban and Albi are located on the river.