The tracking detector of the KLOE experiment

The design and construction of the large Drift Chamber for the KLOE experiment at the Frascati φ-factory, DAΦNE, are described. The relevant aspects of the various elements of the detector are reviewed together with a description of the track reconstruction program and of the calibration procedures. The performance of the detector based on measurements with cosmic rays and with e+e− colliding beams during DAΦNE commissioning is presented.