Beauce

Beauce bōs [key], region, in Orléanais, N France, in the Paris Basin, between the Seine and Loir rivers. It now comprises Eure-et-Loir dept. and parts of Loiret and Loir-et-Cher. It is the granary of France —a vast, limestone plateau where corn, wheat, beets, potatoes, barley, and oats are grown. The region shared the history of the countship of Chartres , which is its only important city. Little Beauce, between the Loir and Loire rivers, is also a rich wheat area Vendôme is its center.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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