Côte-d'Or

Côte-d'Or
Map of Côte-d'Or
Information
Number	21
Region	Bourgogne
Prefecture	Dijon
Subprefectures	Beaune Montbard
Population  - Total (1999)  - Density	Ranked 49th 506,755 58 /km²
Area	8,763 km²
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	43
Communes	707
President of the general council
Location

Côte-d'Or is a département in the eastern part of France.

History

Côte-d'Or was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.

Geography

The department is part of the current région of Bourgogne. It is surrounded by the departments of Yonne, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, Jura, Aube, and Haute-Marne.

A chain of hills called the Plateau de Langres runs from northeast to southwest through the department. South of Dijon is the wine-growing region. In the northwest is the densely wooded district of Châtillonais.

Rivers include:

• Saône
• Seine
• Ource
• Armancon
• Arroux

Climate

The climate of the department is temperate, with abundant rain on the west side of the central range.

Economy

This is a premier wine-growing region of France. Other crops include cereal grains and potatoes. Sheep and cattle are also raised in the department. The region is famous for its Dijon mustard.

There are coal mines and heavy industry, including steel, machinery, and earthenware.

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called Côte-d'Oriens.

Tourism

Some of the major tourist attractions are the Gothic abbey church of St. Seine-l'Abbaye and the Romanesque abbey church at Saulieu, as well the Château de Bussy Rabutin at Bussy-le-Grand.

Miscellaneous topics

Communes of the Côte-d'Or département

External links

• Prefecture website (in French)
• Conseil Général website (in French)
• http://www.ot-dijon.fr/
• http://5.1911encyclopedia.org/C/CO/COTE_D_OR.htm