Eure

All isolated high buildings attract lightning, and particularly those of predominantly metal construction like the mainly iron Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. This photo was taken on the morning of 3 June 1902 and is one of the earliest photographs of lightning in an urban setting (although that setting has changed fairly radically in the intervening century).

Département in the Haute-Normandie region of France; area 6,004 sq km/2,318 sq mi; population (1999 est) 541,000. The territory of Eure is broken up by its rivers - the lower Seine and its tributaries the Eure, Andelle, Epte, and Risle - into wooded plateaux. An agriculturally-rich area, its chief products are wheat, flax, beetroot, and dairy products. Cattle and horses of pure Normandy stock are bred here. Industries include textiles and metallurgy. The administrative centre is Evreux.

Eure was formed in 1790 from part of the former province of Normandy.