Oise (département)

Oise
Department
Prefecture building of the Oise department, in Beauvais
Coat of arms
Location of Oise in France
Coordinates: 49°23′N 02°25′E / 49.383°N 2.417°E / 49.383; 2.417Coordinates: 49°23′N 02°25′E / 49.383°N 2.417°E / 49.383; 2.417
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Prefecture	Beauvais
Subprefectures	Clermont Compiègne Senlis
Government
• President of the General Council	Yves Rome
Area
• Total	5,860 km2 (2,260 sq mi)
Population (2013)
• Total	815,400
• Rank	26th
• Density	140/km2 (360/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Department number	60
Arrondissements	4
Cantons	21
Communes	687
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Oise (French pronunciation: ​[waz]) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Natives of the department are called Isariens.

Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Île-de-France and Picardy.

After the coalition victory at Waterloo, the department was occupied by British troops between June 1815 and November 1818.

Oise is part of the current region of Hauts-de-France and is situated 35 km north of Paris. It is surrounded by the departments of Somme, Aisne, Seine-et-Marne, Val-d'Oise, Eure, and Seine-Maritime.

The major tourist attraction of the department is the Parc Astérix, which opened in 1989. Another very interesting site is Beauvais Cathedral. Also to be seen is the Chateau de Pierrefonds, restored by Viollet-le-Duc. The art collection of the Château de Chantilly is one of the largest outside Paris.