Ariège

River in southern France, which rises in the Pyrenees and flows north to join the Garonne 10 km/6 mi south of Toulouse; length 170 km/106 mi. It gives its name to the département of Ariège.

Ariège

Département in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France: area 4,890 sq km/1,888 sq mi; population (1999 est) 137,200. Spurs of the Pyrenees Mountains cover a large part of the département and there are many fertile valleys. In the east flows the River Ariège, and in the west, the Salat, both tributaries of the Garonne. Cereals, vines, vegetables, potatoes, and hemp are produced, and livestock is farmed. Iron, zinc, manganese, and bauxite are mined, and there are chemical, metallurgical, textile, and paper industries. The administrative centre is Foix.

Ariège is formed from parts of the former provinces of Languedoc and Gascony, and the county of Foix. The Couserans are 18 valleys that make up the western third of Ariège and are historically and culturally part of Gascony. Other towns include Pamiers and St-Girons.