Centre Region, France

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Centre
Region of France

Logo
Country  France
Prefecture Orléans
Departments
6
Government
 • President François Bonneau (PS)
Area
 • Total 39,151 km2 (15,116 sq mi)
Population (2008-01-01)
 • Total 2,538,000
 • Density 65/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code FR-F
GDP/ Nominal €63 billion (2006)[1]
GDP per capita €25,200 (2006)[1]
NUTS Region FR2
Website www.regioncentre.fr

Centre (French pronunciation: ​[sɑ̃tʁ]) is one of the 27 regions of France, around the Loire Valley, northwest of the geographical centre of the country. The capital is Orléans but the largest city is Tours.

History

Forest in Eure-et-Loir, Centre

The name Centre was selected by the central government purely on the basis of geography, as the region is composed of too many historical provinces to use a single historical name. However, Centre is not in the geographical centre of France, and the name has been criticized as being overly dull and nondescript.[citation needed] Proposed names for the region include Val de Loire after the Loire Valley (the main feature of the region) or "Cœur de Loire" (i.e. "Heart of Loire"), which would give more character to the name of the region.[citation needed] Val de Loire is associated with positive images of the Loire Valley, such as the chateaux, the gentle and refined lifestyle, wine, the mild and temperate climate all of which attract many tourists to the region. The proposal has not yet been adopted, but the term is sometimes juxtaposed as Centre - Val de Loire. The region includes the rich, fertile valleys of the Loire River and its tributaries: Cher, Indre, Loiret.

Major Cities

Pont Wilson, Tours

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "GDP per inhabitant in 2006 ranged from 25% of the EU27 average in Nord-Est in Romania to 336% in Inner London". Eurostat. 

External links

Media related to Centre at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 47°30′N 1°45′E / 47.500°N 1.750°E / 47.500; 1.750

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