View source for Centre-Val de Loire

{{Short description|Administrative region of France}}
{{About|an administrative region of France|other similarly named regions|Central Region (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| official_name                   = Centre-Val de Loire
| native_name                     =
| native_name_lang                = fr
| settlement_type                 = [[Regions of France|Region]]
| image_skyline                   = La Loire à Orléans.jpg
| image_caption                   = The [[Loire]] river as it passes through [[Orléans]]
| image_flag                      = Flag of the Region of Centre-Val de Loire.svg
| flag_size                       = 120px
| image_shield                    = BlasonCentre.svg
| shield_size                     = 
| image_blank_emblem              = 
| blank_emblem_size               = 75px
| image_map                       = Centre-Val_de_Loire_in_France_2016.svg
| map_caption                     = 
| motto                           = 
| coordinates                     = 
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = {{flagu|France}}
| seat_type                       = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]]
| seat                            = [[Orléans]]
| parts_type                      = [[Departments of France|Departments]]
| parts_style                     = list
| parts                           = 6
| p1                              = [[Cher (department)|Cher]] (18)
| p2                              = [[Eure-et-Loir]] (28)
| p3                              = [[Indre]] (36)
| p4                              = [[Indre-et-Loire]] (37)
| p5                              = [[Loir-et-Cher]] (41)
| p6                              = [[Loiret]] (45)
| p7                              = 
| p8                              = 
| p9                              = 
| p10                             = 
| p11                             = 
| p12                             = 
| p13                             = 
| p14                             = 
| leader_party                    = 
| leader_title                    = [[President of the Regional Council (France)|President of the Regional Council]]
| leader_name                     = [[François Bonneau]] ([[Socialist Party (France)|PS]])
| area_footnotes                  = 
| area_total_km2                  = 39151
| area_land_km2                   = 
| area_water_km2                  = 
| area_rank                       = 7th
| population_total        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_as_of        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population_footnotes    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes2}}
| population_density_km2          = auto
| population_demonym              = 
| timezone1                       = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1                     = +01:00
| timezone1_DST                   = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST                 = +02:00
| demographics_type1       = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en | title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref>
|demographics1_title1     = Total
|demographics1_info1      = €78.343 billion
| demographics1_title2     = Per capita
|demographics1_info2      = €30,500
| blank_name_sec2                 = [[First level NUTS of the European Union|NUTS Region]]
| blank_info_sec2                 = FR2
| website                         = {{URL|https://www.centre-valdeloire.fr/}}
| iso_code                        = FR-CVL
| footnotes                       = 
| blank1_name_sec2                = Largest city
| blank1_info_sec2                = [[Tours]]
}}
'''Centre-Val de Loire''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|v|æ|l|_|d|ə|_|ˈ|l|w|ɑː|ɹ|,_|ˌ|v|ɑː|l|-}}; {{IPA|fr|sɑ̃tʁ(ə) val də lwaʁ}}, {{literally|Centre-Loire Valley}}), or simply '''Centre''' as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen [[Regions of France|administrative regions]] of [[France]]. It straddles the middle [[Loire Valley]] in the interior of the country, encompassing six departments ([[Cher (department)|Cher]], [[Eure-et-Loir]], [[Indre]], [[Indre-et-Loire]], [[Loir-et-Cher]] and [[Loiret]]), with a population of 2,572,853 as of 2018. Its [[Prefectures in France|prefecture]] is [[Orléans]], and its largest city is [[Tours]].

==Naming and etymology==
[[File:Logo-Centre.svg|thumb|left|140px|Logo used until 2015]]
Like many current regions of France, the region of Centre-Val de Loire was created from parts of [[Province of France|historical provinces]]: {{lang|fr|[[Touraine]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|fr|[[Orléanais]]|italic=no}} and {{lang|fr|[[Berry, France|Berry]]|italic=no}}. First, the name {{lang|fr|Centre}} [[Place name origins|was chosen]] by the government purely on the basis of geography, in reference to its location in [[Geography of France|northwest-central France]] (the central part of the [[Langues d'oïl|original French language area]]).

However, the Centre region is not situated in the geographical centre of France (except the [[Cher (department)|Cher]] department). The name was criticised as being too dull and nondescript.{{Citation needed| date=October 2012}} Proposed names for the region included {{lang|fr|Val de Loire}} after the [[Loire Valley]] (the main feature of the region) or {{lang|fr|Cœur de Loire}} (Heart of Loire).{{Citation needed| date=October 2012}} On 17 January 2015, as part of the reorganisation of French regions, the region's official name was changed to {{lang|fr|Centre-Val de Loire}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-17 |title=''Journal officiel'' of 17 January 2015 |url=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jopdf/common/jo_pdf.jsp?numJO=0&dateJO=20150117&numTexte=1&pageDebut=00777&pageFin=00783 |access-date=2015-03-10 |website=Légifrance |language=French}}</ref> {{lang|fr|Val de Loire}} is associated with positive images of the Loire Valley, such as the {{lang|fr|[[châteaux of the Loire Valley|châteaux]]}}, the gentle and refined lifestyle, wine, as well as the mild and temperate climate, all of which attract many tourists to the region. A new logo was also created.

==Geography==
[[File:1789 et 2022, Centre-Val de Loire et Île-de-France, noms.png|thumb|left|300px|The regions Centre-Val de Loire and Île-de-France and their departments on the background of historical provinces]]
<div style="clear:left;"></div>
Bordering six out of eighteen, Centre-Val-de-Loire is the region that has the highest of number of shared borders with other French regions. The adjacent regions are [[Normandy]] to the northwest, [[Île-de-France]] to the northeast, [[Bourgogne-Franche-Comté]] to the east, [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]] to the southeast, [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]] to the southwest and [[Pays de la Loire]] to the west.

===Departments===
Centre-Val de Loire comprises six departments: [[Cher (department)|Cher]], [[Eure-et-Loir]], [[Indre]], [[Indre-et-Loire]], [[Loir-et-Cher]], and [[Loiret]].

===Largest cities===
*[[Tours]] with 136,463 inhabitants (2018)
*[[Orléans]] with 116,238 inhabitants (2018)
*[[Bourges]] with 64,668 inhabitants (2018)
*[[Blois]] with 45,871 inhabitants (2018)
*[[Châteauroux]] with 43,442 inhabitants (2018)
*[[Chartres]] with 38,426 inhabitants (2018)
*[[Joué-lès-Tours]] with 38,250 inhabitants (2018), [[Tours Métropole Val de Loire]]
*[[Dreux]] with 30,664 inhabitants (2018)
*[[Vierzon]] with 25,725 inhabitants (2018)
*[[Olivet, Loiret|Olivet]] with 22,168 inhabitants (2018), [[Orléans Métropole]]

==Economy==
[[File:Chambord Castle Northwest facade.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018 |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |url-status=live |website=Eurostat|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417095003/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |archive-date=2020-04-17 }}</ref>

An economic development agency, called ''Centréco'', was created in 1994 by the Regional Council of Centre to promote the inflow of investments and the establishment of new businesses by French and foreign companies in the Centre region. This contributes to a mission of economic promotion, international support to regional companies, and the promotion of regional agrofood products via a regional signature, ''du Centre''.

== Transport ==
[[Tours Val de Loire Airport]] is the only airport in the region with only providing limited flights in some destinations. However, the region would normally uses Paris's [[Charles de Gaulle Airport]] as it provides more domestic and international destinations. It is accessible by train which takes an hour and 40 minutes from Tours.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Bridge of Jacques-Gabriel in Blois 02.jpg|alt=|[[Blois]]
File:Cathédrale Saint-Étienne 7SC2336CFP.jpg|alt=|[[Bourges]]
File:Notre Dame de Chartres.jpg|alt=|[[Chartres]]
File:Châteauroux Église Saint-André Chor 2.jpg|alt=|[[Châteauroux]]
File:France Orleans Cathedrale Pont Georges V 01.JPG|alt=|[[Orléans]]
File:Loire Indre Tours2 tango7174.jpg|alt=|[[Tours]]
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Apremont-sur-Allier]]
*[[Gargilesse-Dampierre]]
*[[Lavardin, Loir-et-Cher|Lavardin]]
*[[Montrésor]]
*[[Saint-Benoît-du-Sault]]
*[[Corroirie]]
*[[Louroux Priory]]
*[[Beaujardin]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}
*{{Official website|http://www.regioncentre.fr}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130316055923/http://www.france.fr/en/regions-and-cities/centre-road-chateaux Centre : on the road of the châteaux] - Official French website (in English)
<!-- please keep this link: Dmoz page holds a Wikipedia back link -->
*[http://www.investinloirevalley.com/ Website of the agency for promotion and economic development of the Centre / Loire Valley region]
*[http://about-france.com/regions/region-centre.htm About-France] - overview of the region and main attractions
*[http://experienceloire.com/centre-val%20de%20loire.htm Experience Loire] - information on the region and its departments

{{Prefectures of Centre-Val de Loire}}
{{Regions of France|current}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|47|30|N|1|45|E|region:FR_type:adm1st_source:GNS-enwiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Centre-Val de Loire| ]]
[[Category:Regions of France]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Centre region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 2015]]