Beauce (French pronunciation: [bos]) is a natural region in northern France, located between the rivers Seine and Loire. 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.