Centre (France)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Région Centre | ||
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| (Region flag) | (Region logo) | |
| Location | ||
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| Administration | ||
| Capital | Orléans | |
| Regional President | Michel Sapin (PS) (1998 to 2000, and since 2004) |
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| Departments | Cher Eure-et-Loir Indre Indre-et-Loire Loir-et-Cher Loiret |
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| Arrondissements | 20 | |
| Cantons | 198 | |
| Communes | 1,842 | |
| Statistics | ||
| Land area1 | 39,151 km² | |
| Population | (Ranked 9th) | |
| - January 1, 2006 est. | 2,505,000 | |
| - March 8, 1999 census | 2,440,329 | |
| - Density (2006) | 64/km² | |
| 1 French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers |
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Centre is one of the 26 regions of France, located towards the northwest of the country. Its capital is Orléans.
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[edit] History
Centre is composed of the following former provinces of France:
- Orléanais
- Touraine
- Berry
- a part of Perche (the rest of Perche lies in the regions of Lower Normandy and Pays-de-la-Loire)
[edit] Features
The main feature of Centre is the Loire Valley. It includes the rich, fertile valleys of the Loire River and its tributaries: Cher, Indre, Eure, etc. It is in Centre that are located the famous châteaux of the Loire Valley, which attract many tourists to the region.
[edit] Name
The name Centre is criticized by many in France as being overly bland. It was chosen by the French central government based purely on geography, as Centre is composed of too many historical provinces to use a historical name. However, Centre is not in the geographical centre of France, and the name is criticized as being dull and nondescript.
It has been proposed to rename the region Val de Loire (i.e. "Valley of the Loire"), which would give more character to the name of the region. Val de Loire is a name associated with positive images of the Loire Valley, such as the chateaux, the gentle and refined lifestyle, wine, the mild and temperate climate, and so on. The name change has not yet been adopted, but the term is sometimes used next to the name of the region, as in Centre - Val de Loire
[edit] See also
Alsace • Aquitaine • Auvergne • Bourgogne • Bretagne • Centre • Champagne-Ardenne • Corsica • Franche-Comté • Île-de-France • Languedoc-Roussillon • Limousin • Lorraine • Midi-Pyrénées • Nord-Pas de Calais • Basse-Normandie • Haute-Normandie • Pays de la Loire • Picardie • Poitou-Charentes • Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur • Rhône-Alpes
Overseas regions: French Guiana • Guadeloupe • Martinique • Réunion
