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Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
The sheet presents the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. It is in the east of France, on the border with Switzerland.
Key points of the sheet
- The region stretches between the Paris Basin (Bassin parisien) and the Jura mountains (massif du Jura).
- The region has 8 départements: Côte-d’Or, Doubs, Haute-Saône, Jura, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, Territoire de Belfort and Yonne.
- The main cities are Dijon, Besançon, Belfort, Chalon-sur-Saône, Auxerre and Nevers. Dijon is the prefecture (préfecture).
- The region has about 2.8 million inhabitants. Population density is low and rural areas are large.
- Key sectors are industry (cars, food processing, microtechnology), wine growing, watchmaking, wood, and green and cultural tourism.
- The unemployment rate is generally low, but it varies by area. Several industrial hubs are present in the region.
Words to know
- prefecture (préfecture)
- In this region, the prefecture city is Dijon.
- low population density (faible densité de population)
- Bourgogne-Franche-Comté has a low population density and large rural areas.
- wine growing (viticulture)
- It is a key sector of the region, with Burgundy wines (vins de Bourgogne).
- watchmaking (horlogerie)
- Watchmaking is one of the key economic sectors of the region.
- unemployment rate (taux de chômage)
- In the region, it is generally low, but it varies by area.
Test yourself: 3 questions
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté has a border with which country?
In French, the language of the exam: La Bourgogne-Franche-Comté a une frontière avec quel pays ?
The region is in the east of France, on the border with Switzerland.
How many départements does Bourgogne-Franche-Comté have?
In French, the language of the exam: Combien de départements compte la Bourgogne-Franche-Comté ?
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté has 8 départements, for example Côte-d’Or and Doubs.
About how many inhabitants does Bourgogne-Franche-Comté have?
In French, the language of the exam: Combien d’habitants compte environ la Bourgogne-Franche-Comté ?
The sheet gives about 2.8 million inhabitants for the region.
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More in this topic (The regions of France)
Source
Sheet “Bourgogne-Franche-Comté” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.