Ardennes (plateau)

Hilly, wooded plateau in northeast France, southeast Belgium, and northern Luxembourg, cut through by the River Meuse. The area gives its name to the region of Champagne-Ardenne and the département of the Ardennes in France. The highest hills are about 590 m/1,936 ft. Cattle and sheep are raised and the area is rich in timber and minerals, but relatively sparsely populated. There was heavy fighting here in both world wars, notably in the Battle of the Bulge (1944–1945, also known as the Ardennes offensive). In World War I it was the route of the main German advance in 1914.