Burgundy Geography, France

Burgundy accounts for 12.000 km of rivers.

• The Yonne River, the traditional waterway to Paris, is about 293 km long and gives its name to the Yonne department. It originates in the Morvan hills and flows essentially in the Burgundy region through the following towns: Château-Chinon, Clamecy, Auxerre, Joigny, Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, Sens.
• The Saône is a river of eastern France, joigning the Rhône in Lyon. It is the biggest French river for it stretches on 30,000 km². It flows through the southern vineyards and traverses the towns of Gray, Auxonne, Chalon-sur-Saône, Tournus and Mâcon. The Canal of Burgundy joins the Rivers Yonne and Saône, allowing barges to navigate from the north to south of France.
• The canal is 242 kilometers long across the Yonne and Cote d'Or departments.
• The Canal du Nivernais for its part is long of 180 kms. It links Loire and Seine via the Yonne River. It crosses the Nièvre department and ends in Auxerre.
• The Chalaux is a river flowing in the Nièvre and Yonne departments. It belongs to the Morvan regional nature park.
• The Cure River flows in the departments of the Saône-et-Loire, Nièvre and Yonne. It is tributary of the Seine which originates in Côte d'Or.
• The Loire River marks the western border of the region.

Burgundy accounts for 20.000 ha of freshwater ponds and lakes, where to fish, to bathe and to discover the nature.

• The Panneciere Lake of 520 ha is surrounded with deep forests. It is the biggest of Burgundy and the most full of fishs.
• The lake "des Settons" of 360 ha is deep of 6 metres. It is the most touristic in the region.
• The Chaumecon lake of 135 ha is long of 7 kms.
• The St Agnan lake on 150 ha is known for its drinking water.
• The lake "du Crescent" on 200 ha is surrounded with wooded hills.
• Vaux and Baye ponds on 230 ha are appreciated for fishing.

In the North: the "lower Burgundy" with sedimentary plains covered by farming sites and forests.

In the East: the "Saône countries" with plains covered by grassland and fields.

In the center, the "bourguignons" with calcareous and stony plains, covered by vineyards.

The" Morvan massif" with its highest point Haut-Folin (901m), is surrounded of clayey plains for farming.

In the South the" Mâconnais" connected to the "Massif Central" offers various culture, farming and vineyard.

Burgundy accounts for about 9.000 km² of forests Sitting in the centre of Bourgogne is the Morvan Forest, a national park covering nearly a quarter of a million hectares, including the "Forêt de Saulieu" on 760 hectares.

Other forests of the Nièvre region: "Forêt de Châtillon" (88 km²),"Forêt de Vauluisant" called "Forêt de Lancy"

The heart of the Burgundy is the Morvan regional nature park, with its natural and picturesque environment.

It includes granite mountain range, wild landscapes, fir trees,river ways,wooded hills,majestic lakes.

The forests are essentially composed of: oak, beech and resinous trees.

Various fauna including lots of fish in hedged farmland, ponds and becks.

Visit Burgundy through its five main viticultural areas:Côte de Nuits,Côte de Beaune,Chablis,Côte chalonnaise and the Maconnais.