![]() | This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (January 2009)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Cher | |
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![]() Prefecture of Cher, in Bourges | |
![]() Location of Cher in France | |
Coordinates: 47°0′N2°35′E / 47.000°N 2.583°E Coordinates: 47°0′N2°35′E / 47.000°N 2.583°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Centre-Val de Loire |
Prefecture | Bourges |
Subprefectures | Saint-Amand-Montrond Vierzon |
Government | |
• President of the Departmental Council | Jacques Fleury [1] (LR) |
Area | |
• Total | 7,235 km2 (2,793 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Total | 302,306 |
• Rank | 76th |
• Density | 42/km2 (110/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Department number | 18 |
Arrondissements | 3 |
Cantons | 19 |
Communes | 287 |
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 |
Cher ( /ʃɛər/ ; French: [ʃɛʁ] ; Berrichon: Char) is a department in the administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is named after the river Cher. In 2019, it had a population of 302,306. [3]
Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. Most of it was created, along with the adjacent department of Indre from the former province of Berry. The southeastern corner of the department, however, was part of the Duchy of Bourbon.
The department is part of the current administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire. It is surrounded by the departments of Indre, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, Nièvre, Allier, and Creuse.
The most populous commune is Bourges, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 8 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants: [3]
Commune | Population (2019) |
---|---|
Bourges | 64,541 |
Vierzon | 25,464 |
Saint-Doulchard | 9,607 |
Saint-Amand-Montrond | 9,488 |
Mehun-sur-Yèvre | 6,555 |
Saint-Florent-sur-Cher | 6,442 |
Aubigny-sur-Nère | 5,502 |
Saint-Germain-du-Puy | 5,041 |
The inhabitants of the department are called Chériens or Berrichons after the former province of Berry. [4]
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Sources: [5] [6] |
The President of the General Council is Jacques Fleury of The Republicans, elected in July 2021. [7]
Party | seats | |
---|---|---|
Union for a Popular Movement | 10 | |
• | Socialist Party | 9 |
• | French Communist Party | 7 |
Miscellaneous Right | 5 | |
• | Miscellaneous Left | 4 |
Constituency | Member [8] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1st | François Cormier-Bouligeon | La République En Marche! | |
2nd | Nadia Essayan | MoDem | |
3rd | Loïc Kervran | La République En Marche! |
The Bourges Cathedral of St. Étienne is a major tourist attraction.
The historical languages are Berrichon and the northern version of Bourbonnais. These are both dialects of French, or the Langues d'oïl. They are named respectively after the former Province of Berry and the former Duchy of Bourbon. Some 11 communes in the extreme South used to speak Occitan.
The old dialects were in widespread use until the middle decades of the twentieth century and incorporated major regional variations within the department, influenced by the dialects of adjacent regions near the departmental frontiers. During the twentieth century government educational policy promoted a more standardised version of the French language.
In the extreme south of the department influence from the southern Occitan language begins to appear, with "chambrat" being used in place of "grenier a foin" (hayloft), "betoulle" in place of "bouleau" (birch tree) and "aigue" in place of "eau" (water).
Loire is a landlocked department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes occupying the river Loire's upper reaches. It had a population of 765,634 in 2019.
Indre-et-Loire is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079. Sometimes referred to as Touraine, the name of the historic region, it nowadays is part of the Centre-Val de Loire region. Its prefecture is Tours and subprefectures are Chinon and Loches. Indre-et-Loire is a touristic destination for its numerous monuments that are part of the Châteaux of the Loire Valley.
Berry is a former province located in central France. It was a province of France until departments replaced the provinces on 4 March 1790, when Berry became divided between the départements of Cher and Indre.
Bourges is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry.
Allier is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named after the river Allier, it had a population of 335,975 in 2019. Moulins is the prefecture; Montluçon and Vichy are the subprefectures. Its INSEE and post code is 03.
Loir-et-Cher is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La Poste gave it the number 41. It had a population of 329,470 in 2019.
Isère is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019. Its prefecture is Grenoble. It borders Rhône to the northwest, Ain to the north, Savoie to the east, Hautes-Alpes to the south, Drôme and Ardèche to the southwest and Loire to the west.
Indre is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the Indriens and Indriennes. Indre is part of the current administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire and is bordered by the departments of Indre-et-Loire to the west, Loir-et-Cher to the north, Cher to the east, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne to the south, and Vienne to the southwest. The préfecture (capital) is Châteauroux and there are three subpréfectures at Le Blanc, La Châtre and Issoudun. It had a population of 219,316 in 2019.
Loire-Atlantique is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population of 1,429,272 in 2019.
Sarthe is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the Grand-Ouest of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had a population of 566,412 in 2019.
Centre-Val de Loire or Centre Region, as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior of the country, with a population of 2,572,853 as of 2018. Its prefecture is Orléans.
Montluçon is a commune in central France on the river Cher. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's prefecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known as Montluçonnais. The town is in the traditional province of Bourbonnais and was part of the mediaeval duchy of Bourbon.
Saint-Saturnin is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Charenton-du-Cher is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Concressault is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Marseilles-lès-Aubigny is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Rezay is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Saint-Priest-la-Marche is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Saugy is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Vienne is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.