Côte-d'Or

Côte-d'Or (IPA: [kot dɔʁ]; literally, "Golden Slope" or "Golden Coast") is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2016, it had a population of 533,213. Its prefecture is Dijon and subprefectures are Beaune and Montbard.

Côte-d'Or
Department of France
Top down: prefecture building in Dijon, view of Semur-en-Auxois and Meursault Town Hall
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Côte-d'Or in France
Coordinates: 47°25′N 04°50′E
CountryFrance
RegionBourgogne-Franche-Comté
PrefectureDijon
SubprefecturesBeaune
Montbard
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilFrançois Sauvadet (UDI)
Area
 • Total8,763 km2 (3,383 sq mi)
Highest elevation
723 m (2,372 ft)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total533,213
 • Rank49th
 • Density61/km2 (160/sq mi)
Demonymscôte-d'oriens, costaloriens
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number21
Arrondissements3
Cantons23
Communes698
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2

History

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

Geography

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

A chain of hills called the Plateau de Langres runs from north-east to south-west through the department to the north of Dijon and continues south-westwards as the Côte d'Or escarpment, which takes its name from that of the department. It is the south-east facing slope of this escarpment which is the site of the celebrated Burgundy vineyards. To the west of the Plateau de Langres, towards Champagne, lies the densely wooded district of Châtillonais. To the south-east of the plateau and escarpment, the department lies in the broad, flat-bottomed valley of the middle course of the Saône.

Rivers include:

  • The Saône
  • The Seine rises in the southern end of the Plateau de Langres.
  • The Ouche rises on the dip slope of the escarpment and flows to the Saône via Dijon.
  • The Armançon rises on the dip slope of the escarpment and flows north-westward.
  • The Arroux rises on the dip slope of the escarpment at the southern end of the department.

Climate

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

Politics

The President of the General Council is François Sauvadet of the New Centre.

Partyseats
Socialist Party12
• Union for a Popular Movement11
• Miscellaneous Right8
Miscellaneous Left6
Left Radical Party3
• New Centre2
• MoDem1

Current National Assembly Representatives
ConstituencyMember[1]Party
Côte-d'Or's 1st constituency Didier Martin La République En Marche!
Côte-d'Or's 2nd constituency Rémi Delatte The Republicans
Côte-d'Or's 3rd constituency Fadila Khattabi La République En Marche!
Côte-d'Or's 4th constituency Yolaine de Courson Ecology Democracy Solidarity
Côte-d'Or's 5th constituency Didier Paris La République En Marche!

Economy

This is a premier wine-growing region of France. It produces what are arguably the world's finest, and definitely most expensive Pinot noir and Chardonnay wines from some of the most rigorously and painstakingly (thanks to the region's many monasteries) classified vineyards in the world. Wine from the Côte-d'Or was a favorite of the emperor Charlemagne. Other crops include cereal grains and potatoes. Sheep and cattle are also raised in the department. The region is famous for Dijon mustard.

There are coal mines and heavy industry, including steel, machinery, and earthenware. The industries most developed in Côte-d'Or are

  • agriculture and food (14% of employees)
  • metallurgy and metal manufacture (12% of employees)
  • chemicals, rubber and plastics (12% of employees)
  • pharmacy
  • electrical and electronic components and equipment
  • wood and paper industries.

The big works are generally in the conurbation of Dijon although biggest (CEA Valduc) is at Salives in the Plateau de Langres. There is also the SEB metal works at Selongey below the plateau on the margin of the Saône plain and the Valourec metalworking group at Montbard in the west of the department on the River Brenne near its confluence with the Armançon. The Pharmaceutical industry has shown the greatest growth in recent years. However, since the Dijon employment statistics zone includes the urban and administrative centre of the Burgundy region, the service sector is proportionately bigger there in relation to the industrial, than in the other three zones of Côte-d'Or.

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called Costaloriens.

Population development since 1791:

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1791342,986—    
1801340,500−0.07%
1806355,436+0.86%
1821358,148+0.05%
1831375,063+0.46%
1841393,316+0.48%
1851400,297+0.18%
1861384,140−0.41%
1872374,510−0.23%
1881382,819+0.24%
1891376,866−0.16%
1901361,626−0.41%
1911350,044−0.32%
1921321,088−0.86%
1931333,800+0.39%
1936334,386+0.04%
1946335,602+0.04%
1954356,839+0.77%
1962387,869+1.05%
1968421,192+1.38%
1975456,070+1.14%
1982473,548+0.54%
1990493,866+0.53%
1999506,755+0.29%
2006516,834+0.28%
2016533,213+0.31%
source:[2]

Tourism

Some of the major tourist attractions are the Gothic abbey church of Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye and the Romanesque abbey church at Saulieu, as well the Château de Bussy Rabutin at Bussy-le-Grand. The Abbey of Cîteaux, headquarters of the Cistercian Order, lies to the east of Nuits-Saint-Georges in the south of the department.

See also

References
  1. http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/
  2. Site sur la Population et les Limites Administratives de la France
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