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'Loire' (Arpitan: ''Lêre'', Occitan: ''Léger'') is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

External links

History

Loire was created in 1793 when the original department of Rhône-et-Loire was split.
Its capitals have been the following:

★ Feurs from 1793-1795

★ Montbrison from 1795-1855

★ Saint-Étienne since 1855

Geography

Loire is part of the current administrative region of Rhône-Alpes and is surrounded by the departments of Rhône, Isère, Ardèche, Haute-Loire, Puy-de-Dôme, Allier, and Saône-et-Loire.
The River Loire traverses the department from south to north.
The Loire department is split into three arrondissements:

★ Arrondissement of Montbrison

★ Arrondissement of Roanne

★ Arrondissement of Saint-Étienne

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called ''Ligériens''.
The industrial city of Saint-Étienne with its suburbs contains some 290,000 of the area's 728,542 inhabitants.

External links

★ Prefecture website

★ General Council website