Loire

Loire, department (1990 pop. 747,100), E central France, in part of Beaujolais and Lyonnais. Saint-Étienne is the capital.

Loire, longest river of France, c.630 mi (1,010 km) long, rising in the Cévennes Mts., SE France, and flowing in an arc through central and W France to the Atlantic Ocean at Saint-Nazaire. The upper Loire swiftly flows northwestward through numerous gorges in the Massif Central. At Orléans it swings southwest and enters a wide fertile valley; Tours and Angers are there. In the Loire basin lie the rich fields, gardens, and vineyards of Orléanais, Touraine, and Anjou. At the head of the Loire estuary, c.35 mi (55 km) from the sea, is the industrial city of Nantes. The Loire's chief tributaries are the Allier, Cher, and Vienne. Silting, shallowness, and seasonal volume fluctuations limit the use of the Loire for navigation. Because the Loire is subject to heavy flooding, its banks are lined with dikes. The Loire Lateral Canal parallels the river from Roanne to Briare. Other canals connect the river with the Seine and Rhône river systems. The Loire valley has fostered traditions of civilized living that have become a heritage of all France. The châteaus of the Loire region are embodiments of French history and civilization.

Loire (Arpitan: Lêre, Occitan: Léger) is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.

History

Loire was created in 1793 when the original department of Rhône-et-Loire was split.

Its capitals have been the following:

• Feurs from 1793-1795
• Montbrison from 1795-1855
• Saint-Étienne since 1855

Geography

Loire is part of the current administrative region of Rhône-Alpes and is surrounded by the departments of Rhône, Isère, Ardèche, Haute-Loire, Puy-de-Dôme, Allier, and Saône-et-Loire.

The River Loire traverses the department from south to north.

The Loire department is split into three arrondissements:

• Arrondissement of Montbrison
• Arrondissement of Roanne
• Arrondissement of Saint-Étienne

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called Ligériens.

The industrial city of Saint-Étienne with its suburbs contains some 290,000 of the area's 728,542 inhabitants.

External links

• Prefecture website
• General Council website