SAÔNE-ET-LOIRE INFORMATION
SAONE-ET-LOIRE Geography
Saône-et-Loire is the seventh largest department of France and the most densely populated in the region of Bourgogne. In the west the department is composed of the hills of the Autunois, the region around Autun, of the Charollais and of the Mâconnais. In the center it is traversed from north to south by the Saône in its wide plain; the Saône is a tributary of the River Rhône that joins it at Lyon and thus is connected to the Mediterranean Sea. The Loire makes its way in the opposite direction, draining into the Atlantic Ocean. The Canal du Centre links the Saône to the Loire between Chalon-sur-Saône and Digoin, thereby linking the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic ocean. In the east the department occupies the northern part of the plain of Bresse. In the west its industrial heart is in Le Creusot and Montceau-les-Mines.
The department of Saône-et-Loire is surrounded by the department of Nièvre and Côte d'Or, in the region of Auvergne by the department of Allier, in the region of Rhône-Alpes by the departments of Ain, Rhône and Loire.
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.
Saône River: The Saône (French pronunciation: [son]; Arpitan Sona) is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon.
The name Saône derives from that of the Gallic river goddess Souconna. The recorded ancient name of the river was Arar.
Loire River: Originating in Ardèche, in springs on Mont Gerbier de Jonc in the north-eastern part of the southern Cévennes highlands, the Loire flows roughly northward through Roanne and Nevers to Orléans and thereafter westward through Tours to the Atlantic at Nantes, where it forms an estuary. Changes in the river's water levels have sometimes resulted in serious flooding, notably in 1856, 1866 and 1911.
Unlike most other rivers in western Europe, there are very few dams or locks creating obstacles to its natural flow. The Villerest dam, built in 1985 a few kilometres south of Roanne, has played a key-role in preventing recent flooding. As a result, the Loire is a very popular river for boating excursions, flowing through a pastoral countryside, past limestone cliffs and historic castles.
SAONE-ET-LOIRE History
When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern Burgundy and Bresse, uniting lands that had no previous common history nor political unity and which have no true geographical unity. Thus its history is that of Burgundy, and is especially to be found in the local histories of Autun, Mâcon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Charolles and Louhans.
SAONE-ET-LOIRE Wines
The area west and north of Mâcon produces well-known wines from the Chardonnay grape. The best known appellation of the Mâconnais is Pouilly-Fuissé.
SAONE-ET-LOIRE Administration
Department number : 71
Region : Bourgogne
Prefecture : Mâcon
Subprefectures: Autun, Chalon-sur-Saône, Charolles, Louhans
Arrondissements : 5
Cantons : 57
Communes : 573
SAONE-ET-LOIRE HOLIDAY RENTALS in BURGUNDY Region
MORE THAN 10.000 B&B in all France
MORE THAN 10.000 Gîtes in all France
by our portal Dream French Property.eu