Loir-et-Cher

Loir-et-Cher

— département —

Prefecture building of the Loir-et-Cher department, in Blois

Coat of arms

Location of Loir-et-Cher in France

Coordinates: 47°16′N 00°40′E / 47.267°N 0.667°ECoordinates: 47°16′N 00°40′E / 47.267°N 0.667°E

Country

France

Romorantin-Lanthenay
Vendôme

Government

• President of the General Council

Jean-Luc Brindeau (Nouveau Centre)

Area¹

• Total

6,343 km² (2,449 sq mi)

Population (1999)

• Total

314,968

• Rank

• Density

50/km² (130/sq mi)

• Summer (DST)

Department number

41

Arrondissements

^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km²

Loir-et-Cher (French pronunciation: [lwa.ʁ‿e.ʃɛʁ]) is a department in north-central France named after the rivers Loir and Cher.

History

Loir-et-Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais and Touraine.

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Geography

Loir-et-Cher is part of the modern region of Centre. Adjacent departments are Eure-et-Loir to the north, Loiret to the north-east, Cher to the south-east, Indre to the south, Indre-et-Loire to the south-west, and Sarthe to the west.

The department comprises 6,314 km², which makes it the 31st largest of the French departments in terms of area. The line of the river Loire traverses the land, ensuring easy communication between its own capital, Blois, and the vibrant cultural and commercial centres of Tours to the west and the fringes of the Seine-Paris basin at Orléans to the east.

Its main rivers are the Loire, on which its prefecture (capital) Blois is situated, the Loir and the Cher.

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Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called Loir-et-Chériens.

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Tourism

Loir-et-Cher has a number of historic castles, including the following:

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See also

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External links

(French) Prefecture website
(French) General Council website
(English) Loir-et-Cher at the Open Directory Project

Departments of France

Overseas departments: 971 Guadeloupe; 972 Martinique; 973 French Guiana; 974 Réunion; 976 Mayotte

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Last modified on 10 March 2013, at 21:51