Centre-Val de Loire

Centre-Val de Loire (/ˌvɑːl də ˈlwɑːr/, French pronunciation: ​[sɑ̃tʁə val də lwaʁ][Notes 1], lit. 'Centre-Loire Valley') or Centre Region (French: Région Centre, pronounced [ʁeʒjɔ̃ sɑ̃tʁ]), as it was known until 2015, is one of the 18 administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior of the country. The administrative capital is Orléans.

Centre-Val de Loire
Region of France
The Loire river as it passes through Orléans
Flag
Coat of arms
Country France
PrefectureOrléans
Departments
6
Government
 • President of the Regional CouncilFrançois Bonneau (PS)
Area
 • Total39,151 km2 (15,116 sq mi)
Area rank7th
Population
 (2008-01-01)
 • Total2,538,000
 • Density65/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeFR-CVL
GDP (2012)[1]Ranked 9th
Total€67.1 billion (US$86.3 bn)
Per capita€26,126 (US$33,603)
NUTS RegionFR2
Websitewww.regioncentre-valdeloire.fr

Naming and etymology
Logo used prior to 2015

Like many contemporary regions of France, the region of Centre-Val de Loire was created from parts of three historical provinces: Touraine, Orléanais, and Berry. First, the name Centre was chosen by the French government purely on the basis of geography, in reference to its location in northwest-central France (the central part of the original French language area).

However, Centre is not situated in the geographical centre of France (except the Cher department), and the name was criticized as being too dull and nondescript. Proposed names for the region included Val de Loire after the Loire Valley (the main feature of the region) or Cœur de Loire (i.e. Heart of Loire). On 17 January 2015, as part of the reorganization of French regions, the region's official name was changed to Centre-Val de Loire.[2] Val de Loire is associated with positive images of the Loire Valley, such as the châteaux, the gentle and refined lifestyle, the wine, and the mild and temperate climate, all of which attract many tourists to the region. A new logo was also created.

Geography

Bordering six other regions, Centre-Val-de-Loire borders the most of all 18 regions in France. The bordering regions are Normandy on the northwest, Île-de-France on the northeast, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté on the east, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on the southeast, Nouvelle-Aquitaine on the south and southwest, and Pays de la Loire on the west.

Departments

Centre-Val De Loire comprises 6 departments: Cher, Eure-et-Loir, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret.

Largest cities

Economy
Château de Chambord

The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 72.4 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 3.1% of French economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 25,200 euros or 84% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 99% of the EU average.[3]

An economic development agency, called Centréco, was created in 1994 by the Centre Regional Council of the Centre-Loire valley region (France) to promote the inflow of investments and the establishment setting-up of new businesses French and foreign companies in the Centre region. This ensures a mission of economic promotion, international support to regional companies and enhancement promotion of regional agrofood products via a regional signature, © du Centre.

  • Blois
  • Bourges
  • Chartres
  • Châteauroux
  • Orléans
  • Tours

See also

Notes
  1. In isolation, Centre is pronounced [sɑ̃tʁ].

References
  1. INSEE. "Produits intérieurs bruts régionaux et valeurs ajoutées régionales de 1990 à 2012". Retrieved 2014-03-04.
  2. "Journal officiel of 17 January 2015". Légifrance (in French). 2015-01-17. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  3. "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat.

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