Saône-et-Loire

Saône-et-Loire is a department in the centre of France. It is in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. It is named after the two main rivers in the department: the Saône and the Loire rivers.

Saône-et-Loire
Department
Prefecture building of the Saône-et-Loire department, in Mâcon
Prefecture building of the Saône-et-Loire department, in Mâcon
Flag of Saône-et-Loire
Flag
Coat of arms
Coat of arms
Saône-et-Loire in France
Saône-et-Loire in France
Coordinates: 46°40′N 04°42′E
CountryFrance
RegionBourgogne-Franche-Comté
Département4 March 1790
PrefectureMâcon
SubprefecturesAutun, Chalon-sur-Saône, Charolles, Louhans
Government
 • PresidentAndré Accary[1]
Area
[2]
 • Total8,574.7 km2 (3,310.7 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)[3]
 • Total555,788
 • Density65/km2 (170/sq mi)
DemonymSaône-et-Loiriens
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeFR-71
Arrondissements5
Cantons29
Communes567
Websitewww.saoneetloire71.fr

The largest city in the department is Chalon-sur-Saône. The prefecture (capital) is the smaller city of Mâcon.

History

Saône-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790 with Mâcon as its capital.[4] It was formed from combined parts of the old provinces of southern Burgundy and Bresse, uniting lands which have no true geographical unity.

It was divided in seven districts: Autun, Bourbon-Lancy, Chalon-sur-Saône, Charolles, Louhans, Mâcon and Semur-en-Brionnais.[5] That same year, the name of the district Semur-en-Brionnais was changed to Marcigny.[4]

In 1800, with the creation of the arrondissements in France, the seven districts were changed into five arrondissements: Mâcon, Autun, Chalon-sur-Saône, Charolles and Louhans.[4]

After the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815), the department was occupied by the Austrian army from June 1815 to November 1818.

On 10 September 1926, the arrondissement of Louhans was eliminated but in 1942 it became again an arrondissement of the department.[4]

Geography
Map of Saône-et-Loire.

Saône-et-Loire is part of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. It has an area of 8,574.7 km2 (3,311 sq mi);[2] the seventh largest department of France.

The department borders with 7 other departments in two regions:

There are five natural regions in the department:

  1. Autunois, to the northwest; it is the region around Autun.
  2. Charolais, to the southwest and around the commune of Charolles.
  3. Chalonnais, to the north with Chalon-sur-Saône as the main city.
  4. Mâconnais, to the south and around the commune of Mâcon.
  5. Bresse, to the east of the Saône river with Louhans as the main city.

The main rivers in the department are the Loire, that makes most of the western border of the department and that flows to the north, into the Atlantic Ocean; and the Saône, in the eastern part of the department and that flows to the south and joins the Rhône river at Lyon.

Climate

The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Charnay-lès-Mâcon is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Maritime Temperate climate) and of the subtype Cfb.[6]

The average temperature for the year in Charnay-lès-Mâcon, to the west of Mâcon and where is the local airport, is 11.7 °C (53.1 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 21.1 °C (70.0 °F). The coolest month, on average is January, with an average temperature of 2.8 °C (37.0 °F).

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Charnay-lès-Mâcon is 866.1 mm (34.10 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is October with 96.5 mm (3.80 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is August with an average of 50.8 mm (2.00 in).[6]

Administration

Saône-et-Loire is managed by the Departmental Council of Saône-et-Loire in Mâcon. The department is part of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.

Administrative divisions

There are 5 arrondissements (districts), 29 cantons and 567 communes (municipalities) in Saône-et-Loire.[7]

INSEE
code		ArrondissementCapitalPopulation[8]
(2014)		Area[9]
(km²)		Density
(Inh./km²)		Communes
711AutunAutun86,6931,900.345.683
712Chalon-sur-SaôneChalon-sur-Saône200,0841,726.0115.9149
713CharollesCharolles99,3812,500.339.7135
714LouhansLouhans55,5671,248.544.579
715MâconMâcon114,0631,199.695.1121

The following is a list of the 29 cantons of the Saône-et-Loire department (with their INSEE codes), following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:[10]

  1. Autun-1 (7101)
  2. Autun-2 (7102)
  3. Blanzy (7103)
  4. Chagny (7104)
  5. Chalon-sur-Saône-1 (7105)
  6. Chalon-sur-Saône-2 (7106)
  7. Chalon-sur-Saône-3 (7107)
  8. La Chapelle-de-Guinchay (7108)
  9. Charolles (7109)
  10. Chauffailles (7110)
  11. Cluny (7111)
  12. Le Creusot-1 (7112)
  13. Le Creusot-2 (7113)
  14. Cuiseaux(7114)
  15. Digoin (7115)
  16. Gergy (7116)
  17. Givry (7117)
  18. Gueugnon (7118)
  19. Hurigny (7119)
  20. Louhans (7120)
  21. Mâcon-1 (7121)
  22. Mâcon-2 (7122)
  23. Montceau-les-Mines (7123)
  24. Ouroux-sur-Saône (7124)
  25. Paray-le-Monial (7125)
  26. Pierre-de-Bresse (7126)
  27. Saint-Rémy (7127)
  28. Saint-Vallier (7128)
  29. Tournus (7129)

Demographics

The inhabitants of Saône-et-Loire are known, in French, as Saône-et-Loiriens (women: Saône-et-Loiriennes).[11]

Saône-et-Loire had a population, in 2014, of 555,788,[3] for a population density of 64.8 inhabitants/km2. The arrondissement of Chalon-sur-Saône, with 200,084 inhabitants, is the arrondissement with more inhabitants.[8]

Evolution of the population in Saône-et-Loire

The cities with more than inhabitants in the department are:[8]

City Population[8]
(2014)		 Arrondissement
Chalon-sur-Saône44,985Chalon-sur-Saône
Mâcon33,456Mâcon
Le Creusot21,991Autun
Montceau-les-Mines18,902Chalon-sur-Saône
Autun13,955Autun
Paray-le-Monial9,133Charolles
Saint-Vallier8,783Chalon-sur-Saône
Digoin8,005Charolles
Gueugnon7,276Charolles
Charnay-lès-Mâcon6,969Mâcon

References
  1. "Le président" (in French). Conseil Départemental de Saône-et-Loire. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  2. "Département de Saône-et-Loire (71)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  3. "Populations légales 2014: Recensement de la population - Régions, départements, arrondissements, cantons et communes" (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  4. "Historique de Saône-et-Loire". Le SPLAF (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  5. "Histoire". Saône-et-Loire - Le Départment (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  6. "Charnay-lès-Mâcon, France - Climate Summary". Weatherbase. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  7. "Département de Saône-et-Loire (71)". Géographie administrative et d'étude (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  8. "Régions, départements, arrondissements, cantons et communes" (PDF). Populations légales 2014 (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  9. "Département de Saône-et-Loire (71)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  10. "Décret n° 2014-182 du 18 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département de Saône-et-Loire" (in French). Legifrance.gouv.fr. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  11. "Saône-et-Loire (71)" (in French). habitants.fr. Retrieved 9 November 2014.

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