is a
Département in the northeast of
France named after the
Meurthe and
Moselle rivers.
Meurthe-et-Moselle was created in
1871 at the end of
Franco-Prussian War from territories of the departments of
Moselle and
Meurthe which remained to France.
The current boundary between Meurthe-et-Moselle and Moselle was the border of France and
Germany from
1871 to
1919 .
Meurthe-et-Moselle is part of the ''
Région '' of
Lorraine and is surrounded by the departments of
Meuse ,
Vosges ,
Bas-Rhin and
Moselle and by
Luxembourg and
Belgium .
Its extends from north to south for 130 kilometers and between 7 and 103 kilometers from west to east.
The important rivers are the following:
- Moselle
- Meurthe
- Chiers
- Vezouze
The economy was highly dependent on mining until the 1960s. There are iron, salt, and lime extraction sites.
The urban area around Nancy has a very dynamic economy based largely on services, research, and higher education.
The inhabitants of the department are called ''Meurthe-et-Mosellans''.
The area around Nancy has become highly urbanized, whereas the Santois in the south is quite rural.
