COTE-D'OR

dpartement, Bourgogne rgion, east-central France. It derives its name, meaning golden ridge, from the vine-growing range of hills, with heights averaging 1,500 feet (460 m), in its southern sector. The Seine River has its source in the Langres Plateau, in the north of the dpartement, and part of the plain of the upper Sane River is in the southeast. France's most important motorway, the Autoroute du Soleil, passes through Beaune, 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Dijon (q.v.), the departmental capital. Along the lower slopes of the Cte-d'Or is the great wine-producing district of Bourgogne; the vineyards, comprising the two main groups of Beaune and Nuits, produce the most celebrated Burgundy wines, including Clos-Vougeot, Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges, and Pommard. The wine sales of the Hospices de Beaune, one of the world's greatest annual charity auctions, take place in November. Most of the dpartement is agricultural (cereals, potatoes, sugar beets, and some tobacco); but Dijon, where almost one-third of the population is concentrated, has a brisk industrial activity. Places of historical interest include Fontenay, the best preserved of the great Cistercian houses. The dpartement has three arrondissements, Dijon, Beaune, and Montbard; it is in the educational division of Dijon. Area 3,383 square miles (8,763 square km). Pop. (1992 est.) 499,100.