SAONE-ET-LOIRE

dpartement, Bourgogne rgion, eastern France, created from part of the historic province of Burgundy. It is one of the largest dpartements in France. The Sane River links with the Doubs River in the northeast, flows southward through Chalon-sur-Sane, and then follows the dpartement's eastern boundary. After passing through the ancient town of Tournus, celebrated for its Romanesque church, the Sane flows by Mcon (q.v.), which is the departmental capital. The Loire River flows along the southwestern border through the small industrial town of Digoin before passing through the southwestern corner. Crossing the northwest, the Aroux River flows past the cathedral city of Autun to join the Loire above Digoin. The Canal du Centre runs north-southeast across the Montceau-les-Mines and Blanzy industrial basin, which includes Le Creusot, the cradle of France's metallurgical industry. The canal passes through Paray-le-Monial, a pilgrimage centre with a Romanesque church modeled on the celebrated ruined Cluny abbey in the southeast. The Autoroute du Soleil, a motorway from Paris to the Mediterranean, runs parallel to the Sane. The climate is continental, with hot summers and harsh winters. Most of the land is covered with low mountains or high hills. In the northwest are the wooded granite mountains of Morvan. The Charollais region in the centre and south is the home of the well-known breed of cattle that bears its name. The Sane River valley and the plain of Bresse in the east are rich agricultural lands (cereals, sugar beets, vegetables, dairy farming, and poultry). Vines on the Mconnais heights above the Sane and around Chalon-sur-Sane produce excellent wines, notably Brouilly, Moulin--Vent, Pouilly-Fuiss, and Mercurey. Coal is still mined at Blanzy; heavy metallurgy is carried on at Le Creusot; and elsewhere textiles, chemicals, and electronics are manufactured. Extensive remains of Paleolithic humans have been found at Solutr-Pouilly near Mcon. The dpartement has five arrondissementsMcon, Autun, Chalon-sur-Sane, Charolles, and Louhansand is in the educational division of Dijon. Area 3,311 square miles (8,575 square km). Pop. (1992 est.) 555,700.