Nièvre Facts for Kids

Nièvre is a special area in the middle of France. It's called a "department." It's part of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. The department gets its name from the Nièvre river, which flows into the big Loire. The main city and capital of Nièvre is Nevers.

History of Nièvre
- How Nièvre's Districts Changed
Geography of Nièvre
Administration of Nièvre
- Administrative Divisions
Population of Nièvre
- Largest Cities in Nièvre
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History of Nièvre

Nièvre was one of the first 83 departments created in France. This happened during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The city of Nevers was chosen as its capital.

The area used to be part of an old region called Nivernais. At first, the department's name was spelled Nyèvre.

How Nièvre's Districts Changed

When departments were first made, Nièvre was split into nine smaller areas called "districts." These districts included Nevers, Saint-Pierre-le-Moutier, and Clamecy.

Later, in 1800, these districts were changed into four larger areas called arrondissements. These new arrondissements were Nevers, Château-Chinon, Clamecy, and Cosne.

In 1926, the Cosne arrondissement was removed. But it was brought back in 1943, so Nièvre still has four arrondissements today.

Geography of Nièvre

Nièvre is located in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of France. It covers an area of about 6,817 square kilometers (2,632 square miles).

Neighboring Departments

Nièvre shares its borders with six other departments. These departments are in three different regions:

In the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region:
- Yonne (to the north)
- Côte-d'Or (to the east)
- Saône-et-Loire (to the southeast)
In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region:
- Allier (to the southwest)
In the Centre-Val de Loire region:
- Cher (to the west)
- Loiret (to the northwest)

Loiret (Centre-Val de Loire)	Yonne (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté)
Cher (Centre-Val de Loire)		Côte-d'Or (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté)
	Nièvre

Allier (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)		Saône-et-Loire (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté)

Main Geographical Zones

Nièvre has three main types of landscapes:

Eastern Zone: This area has small hills covered with many forests. It's home to the Parc Naturel Régional du Morvan, which is a special natural park.
Central Zone: This part of the department is mostly used for agriculture, meaning farming.
Western Zone: This area follows the Loire river valley from north to south. It's where most of the people in Nièvre live.

Rivers in Nièvre

The most important river in the department is the Loire. It forms most of Nièvre's western border. Other important rivers that flow into the Loire include the Allier and the Aron. The Yonne river, with its branch the Cure, also flows through Nièvre.

Climate in Nièvre

The climate in Nièvre is called an "Oceanic climate." This means it has mild temperatures and rain throughout the year.

It rains in all seasons, but the eastern part of the department, especially in the Morvan area, gets more rain. The Loire valley in the west usually has less rain.

Administration of Nièvre

Nièvre is managed by a group called the General Council of Nièvre. This council is located in the city of Nevers. The department is part of the larger Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.

Administrative Divisions

Nièvre is divided into several smaller parts to help with its administration:

4 arrondissements (which are like large districts)
17 cantons (smaller areas used for elections)
312 communes (which are like towns or municipalities)

The 17 cantons of Nièvre are:

La Charité-sur-Loire
Château-Chinon
Clamecy
Corbigny
Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire
Decize
Fourchambault
Guérigny
Imphy
Luzy
Nevers-1
Nevers-2
Nevers-3
Nevers-4
Pouilly-sur-Loire
Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier
Varennes-Vauzelles

Population of Nièvre

The people who live in Nièvre are called Nivernais in French.

In 2013, Nièvre had a population of 215,221 people. This means there were about 31.6 people living in each square kilometer. The arrondissement of Nevers has the most people, with 118,974 residents.