Dombes

Area in Ain, France The Neuf pond, dried out, close to Bouligneux in Dombes (May, 2014). The Dombes (French: [dɔ̃b] ⓘ; Arpitan: Domba) is a natural region in eastern France comprised in the department of Ain, and bounded on the west by the Saône River, on the south by the Rhône, on the east by the Ain and on the north by the region of Bresse. Formerly part of it was an independent sovereignty before becoming part of the province of Burgundy in 1781. Topography Aerial photo The region forms an undulating plateau with a slight slope towards the north-west, the higher ground bordering the Ain and the Rhône attaining an average height of about 1,000 ft (300 m). The Dombes is characterized by an impervious surface consisting of boulder clay and other relics of glacial action. Because of this, there are a large number of rain-water pools, varying for the most part from 35 to 250 acres (1.0 km2) in size which cover some 23,000 acres (93 km2) of its total area of 282,000 acres (1,140 km2). These pools, artificially created, date in many cases from the 15th century, some to earlier periods, and were formed by landed proprietors who in those disturbed times saw a surer source of reven