'Saône-et-Loire' ('''Sona-et-Lêre''' in
Arpitan language) is a
French department, named after the
Saône and the
Loire rivers between which it lies.
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.
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. A canal (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.
See also
★
Mâcon - Capital
★
Cantons of the Saône-et-Loire department
★
Communes of the Saône-et-Loire department
★
Arrondissements of the Saône-et-Loire department
External links
★
General Council website
★
Prefecture website
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