Saône-et-Loire

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
Department of France
Prefecture building in Mâcon
Prefecture building in Mâcon
Flag of Saône-et-Loire
Flag
Coat of arms of Saône-et-Loire
Coat of arms
Location of Saône-et-Loire in France
Location of Saône-et-Loire in France
Coordinates: 46°40′N 04°42′E
CountryFrance
RegionBourgogne-Franche-Comté
PrefectureMâcon
SubprefecturesAutun
Chalon-sur-Saône
Charolles
Louhans
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilAndré Accary[1] (LR)
Area
1
 • Total8,575 km2 (3,311 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
 • Total551,063
 • Rank48th
 • Density64/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number71
Arrondissements5
Cantons29
Communes565
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2

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

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. 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

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

The department consists of five arrondissements:

There are 29 cantons in the department and 565 communes.

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1801452,673—    
1806471,236+0.81%
1821498,057+0.37%
1831524,180+0.51%
1841551,543+0.51%
1851574,720+0.41%
1861582,137+0.13%
1872598,344+0.25%
1881625,589+0.50%
1891619,523−0.10%
1901620,360+0.01%
1911604,446−0.26%
1921554,816−0.85%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1931538,741−0.29%
1936525,676−0.49%
1946506,749−0.37%
1954511,182+0.11%
1962535,772+0.59%
1968550,364+0.45%
1975569,810+0.50%
1982571,852+0.05%
1990559,413−0.27%
1999544,893−0.29%
2006549,359+0.12%
2011555,999+0.24%
2016555,023−0.04%
Sources:[4][5]

Politics

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

Current National Assembly Representatives
ConstituencyMember[6]Party
Saône-et-Loire's 1st constituency Benjamin Dirx La République En Marche!
Saône-et-Loire's 2nd constituency Josiane Corneloup The Republicans
Saône-et-Loire's 3rd constituency Rémy Rebeyrotte La République En Marche!
Saône-et-Loire's 4th constituency Cécile Untermaier Socialist Party
Saône-et-Loire's 5th constituency Raphaël Gauvain La République En Marche!

Tourism
See also: Tourism in Saône-et-Loire

Touristic sites :

See also

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
  2. "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. Populations légales 2019: 71 Saône-et-Loire, INSEE
  4. "Historique de Saône-et-Loire". Le SPLAF.
  5. "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
  6. Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale.
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