Les Landes, a S. W. department of France, in Gascony, bordering on the bay of Biscay and on the departments of Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Gers, and Basses - Pyrenees; area, 3,597 sq. m.; pop. in 1872, 300,528. The name is derived from the sandy and marshy plains which compose the greater part of its surface, and which prevail generally in the interior, and in many places are covered with thorny shrubs over which the shepherds stalk on stilts. The only crops which the landes yield are maize and barley. The coast district is studded with numerous lagoons; but toward the south, where the spurs of the Pyrenees break the continuity of the plain, and the tributaries of the Adour irrigate the soil, the country is fertile, and abounds in corn, wine, and various kinds of fruit. The other productions of this department are timber, coal, iron, and marble. The climate is mild, but unhealthy. Among the principal manufactures are glass, porcelain, earthenware, paper, and leather, employing about 6,000 persons. The chief rivers are the Adour, Leyre, and Gave-de-Pau. The department is divided into the arrondissements of Dax, Mont-de-Marsan, and St. Sever. Capital, Mont-de-Marsan.