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The Morvan region lies smack in the middle of Burgundy between the valleys of the Loire and the Saone, stretching roughly from Clamecy, Vezelay and Avallon in the north to Autun and Le Creusot in the south. It is a land of wooded hills, close and rounded rather than mountainous, although they rise to 900m above Autun. The villages and farms are few and far between, for the soil is poor and the pastures only good for a few cattle. In the old days timber was the main business - supplying firewood and charcoal to Paris - but in modern times, far from main roads and rail lines, the region's chief export has been its escaping young. It earned a reputation as one of the poorest and most backward regions in the country, with few resources to trade on and little inspiration for outside investment. In fine weather it is a lush and verdant home to all manner of foliage, flora and wild animals; in foul it is damp, muddy, lonely and rather depressing. The creation of a parc naturel regional in 1970 did something to promote the area as a place for outdoor activities and refuge from commuterdom. But more than anything it was the election of Francois Mitterrand, local politician and mayor of Chateau-Chinon for years, as president of the Republic that rescued the Morvan from oblivion. In addition to lending it some of the glamour of his office, he took concrete steps to beef up the local economy.
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