Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is named after the rivers Saône and

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part. Saône-et-Loire is Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's most populous department with a population of 551,493 as of 2019.Populations légales 2019: 71 Saône-et-Loire
INSEE It is also its southernmost department, as it is situated on the regional border with

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...

. Saône-et-Loire's

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

is Mâcon, with subprefectures in

Autun Autun () is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the e ...

, Chalon-sur-Saône, Charolles and Louhans. Its INSEE and postcode number is 71.

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

, Mâcon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Charolles and Louhans.

Geography

Saône-et-Loire is the seventh largest department of France. It is part of the

. In the west, the department is composed of the hills of the ''Autunois'', the region around

, in the southwest the Charollais, and the Mâconnais in the south. In the centre, the department 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 Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

and thus is connected to the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. The source of the

, is south of the department, in the department of Ardèche. It then makes its way in the opposite direction, forming the southwest border of the department, and eventually draining into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. The Canal du Centre links the Saône to the Loire between Chalon-sur-Saône and Digoin, thereby linking the

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 Le Creusot () is a Communes of France, commune and industrial town in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department, Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, eastern France. The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerl ...

and Montceau-les-Mines, formerly noted for their coal mines and metallurgy.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Chalon-sur-Saône; the prefecture Mâcon is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:

Subdivisions

The department consists of five arrondissements: *

* Chalon-sur-Saône * Charolles * Louhans * Mâcon There are 29 cantons in the department and 565 communes.

Demographics

Politics

The president of the Departmental Council is André Accary, elected in 2015.

Current National Assembly Representatives

Tourism

Touristic sites : * Roche de Solutré, * Abbaye de Cluny, * Taizé and Taizé Community, * Paray-le-Monial, * La Clayette, * Dompierre-les-Ormes (Galerie européenne de la forêt et du bois, Arboretum de Pézanin). File:Saône-et-Loire (septembre 2012) 032.JPG, Lamartine's statue in Mâcon File:Temple Janus angle.jpg, Temple of Janus in

File:Abbaye Cluny Kreuzgang1.jpg, Cluny Abbey File:Chalon-sur-Saône--place-du-marché.jpg, Chalon-sur-Saône File:Tournus abbaye.jpg, Tournus File:Arboretum, lac de Pezanin.jpeg, Lake of Pézanin File:Château de la Clayette vu de la rive du lac.jpg, Château de La Clayette

References

External links

*
Departmental Council website
*
Prefecture website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saone-Et-Loire 1790 establishments in France Departments of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté States and territories established in 1790