Beauce, France

Beauce () is a natural region in northern France, located between the Seine and Loire rivers. It now comprises the Eure-et-Loir "département" and parts of Loiret, Essonne and Loir-et-Cher. 
The region shared the history of the province of Orléanais and the county of Chartres, which is its only major city. Beauce is one of France's most productive agricultural areas.
The name derives from Latin "Belsia" or "Belsa", said by Virgilius Maro Grammaticus to be a Gaulish word meaning "grass plain, cultivated plain." It was formerly spelled "La Beausse".
It is the setting of Émile Zola's novel, "La Terre" (The Earth). 