Cher (department)
French department From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cher is a department in the centre of France in the Centre-Val de Loire region. It is named after the Cher river, the most important river in the department.
Cher | |
|---|---|
 Prefecture building of the Cher department, in Bourges | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Cher in France | |
| Coordinates: 47°0′N 2°35′E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Centre-Val de Loire |
| Département | 4 March 1790 |
| Prefecture | Bourges |
| Subprefectures | Saint-Amand-Montrond, Vierzon |
| Government | |
| • President | Michel Autissier |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7,235.0 km2 (2,793.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2014)[3] | |
| • Total | 310,270 |
| • Density | 43/km2 (110/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Berrichons |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | FR-18 |
| Arrondissements | 3 |
| Cantons | 19 |
| Communes | 290 |
| Website | Official website |
Its prefecture is Bourges.
The department is one of the 83 French departments made during the French revolution, on 4 March 1790. The department was created from part of the former province of Berry.
The new department had seven districts: Aubigny, Sancerre, Sancoins, Saint-Amand, Châteaumeillant, Bourges and Vierzon. The capital (now prefecture) was Bourges.[4]
In 1800, with the creation of the arrondissements in France, the seven districts were changed into three arrondissements: Bourges, Saint-Amand-Mont-Rond and Sancerre.[4]
On 10 September 1926, the arrondissement of Sancerre was eliminated. In 1984, a new arrondissement was created: Vierzon.[4]
Cher is part of the Centre-Val de Loire region. It has an area of 7,235 km2 (2,793 sq mi).[2]
The highest point of the department is Le Magnoux (46°25′43″N 2°11′54″E), in the south end of the department in the commune of Préveranges, and that is 501 m (1,644 ft) above sea level.[5]
The department is bordered by 6 departments in 4 regions:
- Centre-Val de Loire region
- Loir-et-Cher (northwest)
- Indre (west)
- Loiret (north)
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
- Creuse (south)
- Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region
- Allier (southeast)
- Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
- Nièvre (east)
The main rivers are:
- Cher, a left tributary of the Loire; it is 367.8 km (228.5 mi) long. The department is named after this river.
- Allier, also a left tributary of the Loire; it is 420.7 km (261.4 mi) long.
- Indre, also a left tributary of the Loire; it is 279.3 km (173.5 mi) long.
- Sauldre, a right tributary of the Cher; it is 183.1 km (113.8 mi) long.
Climate
The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Bourges is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Marine West Coast Climate) and of the subtype Cfb.[6]
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Bourges is 665.5 mm (26.2 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is November with 66 mm (2.6 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of 45.7 mm (1.8 in).
The average temperature for the year in Bourges is 11.7 °C (53.1 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 20.2 °C (68.4 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 4 °C (39 °F).
The department is managed by the Departmental Council of the Cher in Bourges. Cher is part of the region of Centre-Val de Loire.
Administrative divisions
There are 3 arrondissements (districts), 19 cantons and 290 communes (municipalities) in Cher.[7]
| INSEE code | Arrondissement | Capital | Population[8] (2014) | Area[9] (km²) | Density (Inh./km²) | Communes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 181 | Bourges | Bourges | 173,889 | 2,797.8 | 62.2 | 131 |
| 182 | Saint-Amand-Montrond | Saint-Amand-Montrond | 65,145 | 2,669.8 | 24.4 | 116 |
| 183 | Vierzon | Vierzon | 71,236 | 1,767.4 | 40.3 | 43 |
The following is a list of the 19 cantons of the Cher department, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:[10]
- Aubigny-sur-Nère (1801)
- Avord (1802)
- Bourges-1 (1803)
- Bourges-2 (1804)
- Bourges-3 (1805)
- Bourges-4 (1806)
- Chârost (1807)
- Châteaumeillant (1808)
- Dun-sur-Auron (1809)
- La Guerche-sur-l'Aubois (1810)
- Mehun-sur-Yèvre (1811)
- Saint-Amand-Montrond (1812)
- Saint-Doulchard (1813)
- Saint-Germain-du-Puy (1814)
- Saint-Martin-d'Auxigny (1815)
- Sancerre (1816)
- Trouy (1817)
- Vierzon-1 (1818)
- Vierzon-2 (1819)
The inhabitants of Cher are known, in French, as Chériens (women: Chériennes) or Berrichons (women: Berrichonnes).[11]
Cher has a population, in 2014, of 310,270,[3] for a population density of 42.9 inhabitants/km2. The arrondissement of Bourges, with 173,889 inhabitants, is by far the largest.[8]
Evolution of the population in Cher
The main cities in the department are:
| City | Population[8] (2014) |
Arrondissement |
|---|---|---|
| Bourges | 66,528 | Bourges |
| Vierzon | 27,050 | Vierzon |
| Saint-Amand-Montrond | 10,161 | Saint-Amand-Montrond |
| Saint-Doulchard | 9,363 | Bourges |
| Mehun-sur-Yèvre | 6,717 | Vierzon |
| Saint-Florent-sur-Cher | 6,616 | Bourges |
| Aubigny-sur-Nère | 5,560 | Vierzon |
| Saint-Germain-du-Puy | 5,063 | Bourges |
| Dun-sur-Auron | 3,948 | Saint-Amand-Montrond |
| Trouy | 3,917 | Bourges |
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