BEAUCE (

See also:

• LAT

Lat. Belsia)  , a physical region of north-central France, comprising large portions of the departments of Eure-et-Loir and Loir-et-Cher, and also extending into those of Loiret and Seine-et-Oise . It has an area of over 2800 sq. m., its limits being roughly defined by the course of the Essonne on the E., of the Loire on the S., and of the Brenne, the Loir and the Eure towards the W., though in the latter direction it extends some-what beyond these boundaries . The Beauce is a treeless, arid and monotonous plain of limestone formation; windmills and church spires are the only prominent features of the landscape . Apart from the rivers on its borders, it is watered by insignificant streams, of which the Conie in the west need alone be mentioned . The inhabitants live in large villages, and are occupied in agriculture, particularly in the cultivation of wheat, for which the Beauce is celebrated . Clover and lucerne are the other leading crops, and large flocks of sheep are kept in the region . Chartres is its chief commercial centre .