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Loir-et-Cher
Prefecture building of the Loir-et-Cher department
Prefecture building of the Loir-et-Cher department, in Blois
Flag of Loir-et-Cher
Flag
Coat of arms of Loir-et-Cher
Coat of arms
Location of Loir-et-Cher in France
Location of Loir-et-Cher in France
Country France
Region Centre-Val de Loire
Département 4 March 1790
Prefecture Blois
Subprefectures Vendôme, Romorantin-Lanthenay
Area
 • Total 6,343.4 km2 (2,449.2 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)
 • Total 333,567
 • Density 52.5849/km2 (136.1942/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Loir-et-Chériens
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code FR-41
Arrondissements 3
Cantons 15
Communes 276
Website Official website: http://www.le-loir-et-cher.fr/

Loir-et-Cher is a department in the centre of France in the Centre-Val de Loire region. It is named after the Loir and the Cher, two rivers that flow through the department.

Its prefecture is Blois and there are two subprefectures at Romorantin-Lanthenay and Vendôme.

History

The department is one of the 83 French departments made during the French revolution, on 4 March 1790. The department was created from part of the former province of Orléanais together with small parts of other provinces.

The new department had six districts: Blois, Vendôme, Romorantin, Mondoubleau, Mer and Saint-Aignan. The capital (now prefecture) was Blois.

In 1800, with the creation of the arrondissements in France, the six districts were changed into three arrondissements: Blois, Romorantin and Vendôme.

After the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815), the department was occupied by the Prussian army from June 1815 to November 1818.

On 10 September 1926, the arrondissement of Romorantin was eliminated but in 1943 it was made again an arrondissement. In 1961, Romorantin was merged with Lanthenay and the name, of the commune and of the arrondissement, was changed to Romorantin-Lanthenay.

Geography

Loir-et-Cher is part of the Centre-Val de Loire region. It has an area of 6,343.4 km2 (2,449 sq mi).

The highest point of the department is in the Bois des Vallèes (47°59′54″N 1°6′27″E / 47.99833°N 1.10750°E / 47.99833; 1.10750), in the commune of Bouffry, and that is 256 m (840 ft) above sea level.

The department is bordered by the 6 departments in 2 regions:

The main rivers are:

  • Loire, that flows through the centre of the department. The city of Blois is along this river.
  • Loir, a left tributary of the Sarthe; it flows through the northern part of the department.
  • Cher, that flows through the southern part of the department. It is a left tributary of the Loire.
  • Sauldre, a right tributary of the Cher river.

Climate

The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Vendôme is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Marine West Coast Climate) and of the subtype Cfb.

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Vendôme is 604.5 mm (23.8 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is October with 58.4 mm (2.3 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of 40.6 mm (1.6 in).

The average temperature for the year in Vendôme is 10 °C (50 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 18.9 °C (66.0 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 1.7 °C (35.1 °F).

Administration

The department is managed by the Departmental Council of the Loir-et-Cher in Blois. Loir-et-Cher is part of the region of Centre-Val de Loire.

Administrative divisions

There are 3 arrondissements (districts), 15 cantons and 276 communes (municipalities) in Loir-et-Cher.

INSEE
code
Arrondissement Capital Population
(2014)
Area
(km²)
Density
(Inh./km²)
Communes
411 Blois Blois 173,125 2,238.9 77.3 94
412 Vendôme Vendôme 70,205 1,719.4 40.8 105
413 Romorantin-Lanthenay Romorantin-Lanthenay 90,237 2,385.2 37.8 77

The following is a list of the 13 cantons of the Loir-et-Cher department, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:

  1. La Beauce (4101)
  2. Blois-1 (4102)
  3. Blois-2 (4103)
  4. Blois-3 (4104)
  5. Chambord (4105)
  6. Montoire-sur-le-Loir (4106)
  7. Montrichard (4107)
  8. Onzain (4108)
  9. Le Perche (4109)
  10. Romorantin-Lanthenay (4110)
  11. Saint-Aignan (4111)
  12. Selles-sur-Cher (4112)
  13. La Sologne (4113)
  14. Vendôme (4114)
  15. Vineuil (4115)

Demographics

The inhabitants of Loir-et-Cher are known, in French, as Loir-et-Chériens (women: Loir-et-Chériennes).

Loir-et-Cher has a population, in 2014, of 333,567, for a population density of 52.6 inhabitants/km2. The arrondissement of Blois, with 173,125 inhabitants, is by far the largest.

Evolution of the population in Loir-et-Cher

The main cities in the department are:

City Population
(2014)
Arrondissement
Blois 46,351 Blois
Romorantin-Lanthenay 17,459 Romorantin-Lanthenay
Vendôme 16,879 Vendôme
Vineuil 7,638 Blois
Mer 6,197 Blois
Salbris 5,398 Romorantin-Lanthenay
Lamotte-Beuvron 4,767 Romorantin-Lanthenay
Selles-sur-Cher 4,661 Romorantin-Lanthenay
La Chaussée-Saint-Victor 4,489 Blois
Saint-Laurent-Nouan 4,305 Blois

Gallery

Related pages

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Loir y Cher para niños

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