Côte-d'Or

This article is about the French département. For the chocolate company, seeCôte d'Or (chocolate).For other uses, seeCôte d'Or.

Côte-d'Or(French pronunciation:[kotdɔʁ]^ⓘ) is adépartementin theBourgogne-Franche-Comtéregionof Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.ItsprefectureisDijonandsubprefecturesareBeauneandMontbard.

Côte-d'Or
Department of France
Top down:prefecturebuilding inDijon,view ofSemur-en-AuxoisandMeursaultTown Hall
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Côte-d'Or in France
Coordinates:47°25′N04°50′E
Country	France
Region	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Prefecture	Dijon
Subprefectures	Beaune Montbard
Government
•President of the Departmental Council	François Sauvadet(UDI)
Area 1
• Total	8,763 km2(3,383 sq mi)
Highest elevation	723 m (2,372 ft)
Population (2022)
• Total	537,577
• Rank	50th
• Density	61/km2(160/sq mi)
Demonyms	côte-d'oriens, costaloriens
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2(CEST)
Department number	21
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	23
Communes	698
^1French 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 theFrench Revolutionon 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the formerprovinceofBurgundy.It is arguably unique among the departments in having a name which is poetic, rather than geographic. Given by the representative of Dijon (fr:Charles-André-Rémy Arnoult), it is said to refer to the autumn gold of the flanks of the hills in the wine-growing area.

Geography

The department is part of the currentregionofBourgogne-Franche-Comté.It is surrounded by the departments ofYonne,Nièvre,Saône-et-Loire,Jura,Aube,Haute-Saône,andHaute-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 theCôte d'Or escarpment,from which the department takes its name. It is the south-east facing slope of thisescarpmentwhich is the site of the celebratedBurgundyvineyards.To the west of the Plateau de Langres, towardsChampagne,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 theSaône.

Rivers include:

• TheSaône
• TheSeinerises in the southern end of the Plateau de Langres.
• TheOucherises on the dip slope of the escarpment and flows to the Saône via Dijon.
• TheArmançonrises on the dip slope of the escarpment and flows north-westward.
• TheArrouxrises on the dip slope of the escarpment at the southern end of the department.

Climate

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

Principal towns

The most populous commune isDijon,the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:

Commune	Population (2019)
Dijon	158,002
Beaune	20,551
Chenôve	14,025
Talant	11,713
Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur	11,123

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are calledCostaloriens.

Population development since 1791:

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1791 342,986 — 1801 340,500 −0.07% 1806 355,436 +0.86% 1821 358,148 +0.05% 1831 375,063 +0.46% 1841 393,316 +0.48% 1851 400,297 +0.18% 1861 384,140 −0.41% 1872 374,510 −0.23% 1881 382,819 +0.24% 1891 376,866 −0.16% 1901 361,626 −0.41% 1911 350,044 −0.32%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1921 321,088 −0.86% 1931 333,800 +0.39% 1936 334,386 +0.04% 1946 335,602 +0.04% 1954 356,839 +0.77% 1962 387,869 +1.05% 1968 421,192 +1.38% 1975 456,070 +1.14% 1982 473,548 +0.54% 1990 493,866 +0.53% 1999 506,755 +0.29% 2006 516,834 +0.28% 2016 533,213 +0.31%
Sources:

Politics

See also:Departmental Council of Côte-d'Or

The President of the Departmental Council isFrançois Sauvadetof theUnion of Democrats and Independents.

Party		seats
	Socialist Party	12
•	Union for a Popular Movement	11
•	Miscellaneous Right	8
	Miscellaneous Left	6
	Left Radical Party	3
•	New Centre	2
•	MoDem	1

Current National Assembly Representatives

Constituency		Member	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 premierwine-growing regionof France. It produces what are arguably the world's finest, and definitely most expensivePinot noirandChardonnaywines 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 forDijon mustard.

There are coal mines andheavy 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 the biggest (CEA Valduc) is atSalivesin 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 atMontbardin the west of the department on the River Brenne near its confluence with the Armançon. ThePharmaceutical industryhas shown the greatest growth in recent years. However, since the Dijon employment statistics zone includes the urban and administrative centre of theBurgundy region,theservice sectoris proportionately bigger there in relation to the industrial, than in the other three zones of Côte-d'Or.

• ReferenceIndustry in Bourgogne website

Tourism

Some of the major tourist attractions are the Gothic abbey church ofSaint-Seine-l'Abbayeand the 11th-century Romanesque abbey church atSaulieu,as well the 12th-century Château de Bussy Rabutin atBussy-le-Grand.TheAbbey of Cîteaux,headquarters of theCistercian Order,lies to the east ofNuits-Saint-Georgesin the south of the department.

• 
  Palace of the Dukes of BurgundyinDijon
• 
  Hospices de Beaune
• 
  Abbey of Fontenay
• 
  Château de la Rochepot
• 
  Clos de Vougeot,Burgundy wine
• 
  Reenactment of thesiege of AlesiainAlise-Sainte-Reine

See also

• French wine
• Cantons of the Côte-d'Or department
• Communes of the Côte-d'Or department
• Arrondissements of the Côte-d'Or department
• Pont-d'Ouche

External links

• (in French)Prefecture website
• (in French)Departmental Council website