Isère

River in southeast France, 290 km/180 mi long, a tributary of the Rhône. It gives its name to the département of Isère.

After rising in the Alps, it winds west and southwest through the départements of Savoie, Isère, and Drôme. It joins the Rhône a few kilometres above Valence. The river is navigable for 160 km/100 mi of its length.

Isère

Département in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, lying east of the River Rhône; area 7,474 sq km/2,886 sq mi; population (1999 est) 1,094,000. The River Isère and its tributaries the Drac and Romanche flow through it. Some wheat, potatoes, tobacco, and hemp are grown and livestock is reared. Wine is produced in the Isère valley. Iron and lead are found and hydroelectric power is well developed. There are metallurgical, chemical, textile, and paper industries. The administrative centre is Grenoble. Other towns include La Tour-du-Pin and Vienne.

In the southeast the land is heavily wooded and mountainous, including the ranges of Grande-Chartreuse and Vercors. In the northeast the land is lower, but generally infertile except in the river valleys.