In France, a natural region (French: région naturelle), traditionally called a "pays", is a territory of often limited extent (at most a few hundred square kilometers) with homogeneous physical characteristics (geomorphology, geology, climate, soils, water resources) associated with a human occupation that shares a distinct cultural identity (perception and management of land that develop specific landscapes). In some cases, traditional "pays" are subdivided into smaller territories; for example, the Bresse region is divided into Bresse bourguignonne (including Bresse louhannaise and Bresse chalonnaise), Bresse savoyarde, and Bresse comtoise. In Corsica, the term microrégion is used, with the island being divided into about fifteen such regions. The word "pays" derives from the Latin "pagus".[1]
- ^ Mazière, Léon (1865). Le Noyonnois: état politique (in French). typographie de D. Andrieu-Duru. p. 14.