• The Information on Départements of Centre

  • Cher [18]
    The Département of Cher is situated in the southeast corner of the region.  It was created from small parts of the old provinces of Bourbonnais and Nivernais and from the eastern part of the historic province of Berry.  It is bordered by the Département of Loiret to the north, Nièvre to the east, Allier to the southeast, Creuse to the south, Indre to the southwest and Loire-et-Cher to the northwest. 
    
    The Allier and Loire rivers flow to the département’s east and the département’s surface consists primarily of agricultural and wooded land.  Just to the west of Bourges, which is located just south of the middle of the département, the Cher River flows in a northwesterly direction.  
    
    Logging takes place in the département’s north and west and there is beekeeping, cattle raising, viticulture and wheat farming elsewhere.  The vineyards, overlooking the Loire River, near the ancient village of Sancerre, are world renown.
    
    The département’s industry includes armaments, aircraft, agriculture machinery, chemicals, clothing, porcelain and metalwork.  Cher’s industrial activities are centered primarily around Bourges and Vierzon.
    
    There are three arrondissements for the Département of Cher:  Bourges, Saint-Amand-Montrond and Vierzon.  The départemental capital is the cathedral city of Bourges.
     

  • Eure-et-Loir [28]
    The Département of Eure-et-Loir is mostly situated on the Paris Basin.  It was configured, in 1790, from parts of the old provinces of Normandy and Orléanais.  It is bordered by the Départements of Eure and Yvelines to the north, Essone and Loiret to the east, Loir-et-Cher to the south, Sarthe to the southwest and Orne to the west.
    
    Most of the département’s population is rural.  More than half of the département’s area is composed of the Beauce plain, one of the most productive plateaus in France.  It is a treeless area of isolated grain farms and large villages.  The Thimerais region, to the northwest, encompasses wooded areas and grasslands.  To the southwest is the hilly Perche; the rolling hills of the Hurepoix are to the northeast.
    
    The Eure and Loir rivers give their names to the département.  The Eure flows northward through the capital, Chartres.  The Loir flows southward through Châteaudun.
    
    The département is divided into the four arrondissements of Chartres, Châteaudun, Dreux and Nogent-le-Rotrou.  Chartres, famous for its world famous High Gothic cathedral, which was consecrated in 1260, is the capital of the département. 
    
    Eure-et-Loir’s products include flour, leather and agricultural machinery. 
     

  • Indre [36]
    Parts of the historic provinces of Berry, Marche, Orléanais and Touraine were used to create the relatively flat Département of Indre.  Indre is the southern most département in the Region of Centre.  It is bounded by the Département of Loir-et-Cher to the north, Cher to the east, Haute-Vienne and Creuse to the south, Vienne to the southwest and Indre-et-Loire to the west.
    
    Indre’s topography slopes from the Massif Central, in the south, to the north.  It is mainly drained by two rivers, the Indre in the north and the Creuse in the south.  The Indre River, a tributary of the Loire, flows from the southeast through Châteauroux to Châtillon in the northwest.   The Creuse River roughly parallels the Indre’s flow.
    
    The Brenne, in the west, is an area covered with marshlands and small lakes.  The département’s north and center are wooded.  To the northeast, the land becomes agricultural.  The Boischaut, a wooded, hilly area in the south, follows the course of the Creuse River Valley.  The river has been dammed for the hydroelectric power plant near Éguzon.
    
    The département is divided into the four arrondissements of Châteauroux, La Châtre, Issoudun and Le Blanc.  Châteauroux, the département’s capital, was originally just the 10th century castle built by Raoul le Large, lord of Déols, called Château-Raoul.
    
    Indre is primarily an agricultural economy, but there is industrial activity, in the area of Châteauroux , consisting of aircraft, metalwork, plastics, textiles and tobacco.  Tourism is also important.  The Châteaux of the Loire attract many tourist in the north and the Creuse River is frequented by tourist in the south.  The magnificent Renaissance Château of Valencay, that once belonged to Talleyrand, is in Indre.  There is also an 11th century circular church at Neuvy-Saint-Sépulchre.  To the département’s center, and to its west, other medieval churches abound.  The village of Nohant is the location of George Sand’s much frequented Château, which is now a museum.

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