Saône-et-Loire
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2018) |
Saône-et-Loire | |
|---|---|
 Prefecture building in Mâcon | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Saône-et-Loire in France | |
| Coordinates: 46°40′N 04°42′E / 46.667°N 4.700°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté |
| Prefecture | Mâcon |
| Subprefectures | Autun Chalon-sur-Saône Charolles Louhans |
| Government | |
| • President of the Departmental Council | André Accary[1] (LR) |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,575 km2 (3,311 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 549,288 |
| • Rank | 48th |
| • Density | 64/km2 (170/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Department number | 71 |
| Arrondissements | 5 |
| Cantons | 29 |
| Communes | 565 |
| ^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2 | |
Saône-et-Loire (French pronunciation: [sonelwaʁ]; Arpitan: Sona-et-Lêre) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, 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.[3] It is also its southernmost department, as it is situated on the regional border with Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Saône-et-Loire's prefecture is Mâcon, with subprefectures in Autun, Chalon-sur-Saône, Charolles and Louhans. Its INSEE and postcode number is 71.
History
[edit]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
[edit]Saône-et-Loire is the seventh largest department of France. It is part of the region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. In the west, the department is composed of the hills of the Autunois, the region around Autun, 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 and thus is connected to the Mediterranean Sea. The source of the Loire, 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 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, formerly noted for their coal mines and metallurgy.
Principal towns
[edit]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:[3]
| Commune | Population (2019) |
|---|---|
| Chalon-sur-Saône | 45,056 |
| Mâcon | 33,908 |
| Le Creusot | 21,269 |
| Montceau-les-Mines | 17,678 |
| Autun | 12,987 |
Subdivisions
[edit]The department consists of five arrondissements:
There are 29 cantons in the department and 565 communes.
Demographics
[edit]
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Politics
[edit]The president of the Departmental Council is André Accary, elected in 2015.
Current National Assembly Representatives
[edit]Tourism
[edit]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).
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Lake of Pézanin -
See also
[edit]- Mâcon - Capital
- Cantons of the Saône-et-Loire department
- Communes of the Saône-et-Loire department
- Arrondissements of the Saône-et-Loire department
- Chizerots
- Les Télots Mine
- Charolais-Brionnais region, known for its beef and its goats' cheese
References
[edit]- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
- ^ "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b Populations légales 2019: 71 Saône-et-Loire, INSEE
- ^ "Historique de Saône-et-Loire". Le SPLAF.
- ^ "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
- ^ Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale.
External links
[edit]
- (in French) Departmental Council website
- (in French) Prefecture website
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