Brie (region)

Brie (; ) is a historic region of northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

notable in modern times for

Brie cheese Brie (; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie (region), Brie, the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern ''département in France, département'' of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in color with a slight ...

. It was once divided into three sections ruled by different feudal lords: the western ''Brie française'', corresponding roughly to the modern department of

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

in the Île-de-France

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

; the eastern ''Brie champenoise'', forming a portion of the modern department of Marne in the historic region of

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

(part of modern-day Grand Est); and the northern ''Brie pouilleuse'', forming part of the modern department of Aisne in Picardy. The Brie forms a plateau with few eminences, varying in altitude between roughly in the west, and in the east. Its scenery is varied by forests of some size—the chief being the Forest of Sénart, the , and the . The surface soil is clay in which are embedded fragments of siliceous sandstone, used for millstones and constructional purposes; the subsoil is limestone. The Marne and its tributaries the

Grand Morin The Grand Morin (, literally ''Great Morin'') is a long river in France, left tributary of the Marne. Its source is near the village of Lachy. Its course crosses the departments of Marne and Seine-et-Marne. It flows westwards through the towns ...

and the

Petit Morin Petite or petite may refer to: *Petit (crater), a small, bowl-shaped lunar crater on Mare Spumans *Petit (EP), ''Petit'' (EP), a 1995 EP by Japanese singer-songwriter Ua *Petit (typography), another name for brevier-size type *Petit four *Petit G ...

are the chief rivers, but the region is not abundantly watered and the rainfall is only between . Main towns: *

Brie-Comte-Robert Brie-Comte-Robert () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Brie-Comte-Robert is on the edge of the plain of Brie and was formerly the capital of the ''Brie française''. "Brie" com ...

* Château-Thierry * Coulommiers * Crécy-la-Chapelle * La Ferté-Gaucher * La Ferté-sous-Jouarre *

Meaux Meaux () is a Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...

* Nangis *

Melun Melun () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the centre of the capital. Melun is the prefecture of the Seine-et-Ma ...

Provins Provins () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and importance throughout the Middle Ages as an economic center and a host of annu ...

Main rivers: * Marne *

Main forests: * Forêt d'Armainvilliers * Forêt de Crécy-la-Chapelle * Forêt de Ferrières * Forêt de Notre-Dame * Forest of Sénart * Forêt de Villefermoy {{coord, 48, 40, N, 03, 00, E, region:FR_scale:500000_source:frwiki, display=title Historical regions Landforms of Seine-et-Marne Landforms of Marne (department) Former provinces of France Plateaus of Metropolitan France