Seine-et-Oise

Seine-et-Oise is a former department of France, which encompassed the western, northern and southern parts of the metropolitan area of Paris. Its prefecture was Versailles and its administrative number was 78. Seine-et-Oise was disbanded in 1968 as part of the reorganisation of the departments of the Paris metropolitan area. The newly-created Yvelines department inherited the 78 number. General characteristics Seine-et-Oise was created on 4 March 1790 during the French Revolution. Its name comes from the two main rivers (Seine River and Oise River) flowing through it. It completely surrounded the Seine department (which included Paris itself), although it was at its narrowest just east of Seine between that department and the Seine-et-Marne department, which still exists today. At the time of its abolition in 1968, Seine-et-Oise consisted of 688 suburban and rural communes. It had an area of 5,658 km² (2,184 sq. miles). The division of Seine-et-Oise into arrondissements changed many times. At its dissolution it had ten arrondissements: Argenteuil, Étampes, Mantes, Montmorency, Palaiseau, Pontoise, Le Raincy, Rambouillet, Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Versailles. Abolition