Haute-Saône, Department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
Haute-Saône is a department in eastern France, part of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, with Vesoul as its capital. The Saône River flows through wooded hills and farming valleys that shape the gently rolling terrain between the Vosges and Jura mountains.
The territory was created as an administrative unit during the French Revolution in 1790, replacing old provincial boundaries. Gray initially shared capital status with Vesoul until the latter became sole prefecture in 1800.
The name refers to the upper course of the Saône, which flows through the territory and shapes the landscape. Small villages and market towns maintain local festivals and Franche-Comté customs with regional specialties like smoked ham and Comté cheese.
The area borders Vosges to the north, Territoire de Belfort to the east, Doubs and Jura to the south, and Côte-d'Or and Haute-Marne to the west. Small country roads connect villages through forests and fields, while larger routes link main towns.
The territory ranks among the larger French departments but remains thinly populated with wide stretches of forest and pasture. Over 500 communes spread across the terrain, many of them small villages with only a few dozen residents.
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