Department Indre: French department in Centre-Val de Loire

It is named after the Indre river, the most important river in the department.

Indre
Department
Prefecture building of the Indre department, in Châteauroux
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Indre in France
Coordinates: 46°46′N 1°36′E / 46.767°N 1.600°E / 46.767; 1.600
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Département	4 March 1790
Prefecture	Châteauroux
Subprefectures	Le Blanc, La Châtre, Issoudun
Government
• President	Serge Descout
Area
• Total	6,790.6 km2 (2,621.9 sq mi)
Population  (2014)
• Total	226,175
• Density	33/km2 (86/sq mi)
Demonym	Indriens
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	FR-36
Arrondissements	4
Cantons	13
Communes	243
Website	Official website

Its prefecture is Châteauroux.

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 six districts: Issoudun, Châteauroux, Argenton, Le Blanc, La Châtre and Marennes. The capital (now prefecture) was Châteauroux.

In 1800, with the creation of the arrondissements in France, the six districts were changed into four arrondissements: Saintes, Châteauroux, Le Blanc, La Châtre and Issoudun.

On 10 September 1926, the arrondissement of Issoudun was eliminated but in 1942 it was made again an arrondissement.

Indre is part of the Centre-Val de Loire region. It has an area of 6,790.6 km² (2,622 sq mi).

The highest point of the department is Terrior Randoin (46°27′7″N 1°58′59″E / 46.45194°N 1.98306°E / 46.45194; 1.98306), in the commune of Pouligny-Notre-Dame, and that is 457 m (1,499 ft) above sea level.

The department is bordered by the 6 departments in 2 regions:

• Centre-Val de Loire region
  • Loir-et-Cher
  • Cher
  • Indre-et-Loire
• Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
  • Creuse
  • Vienne
  • Haute-Vienne

The main rivers are:

• Creuse, a tributary of the Vienne, is 264 kilometres (164 mi) long.
• Claise, 88 kilometres (55 mi) long and a tributary of the Creuse.
• Indre, that flows centrally through the department from south to north, through the major towns of La Châtre, Châteauroux and Loches. It is a tributary of the Loire, joining it at Chinon in the neighbouring department of Loir-et-Cher.

Climate

The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Châteauroux is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Marine West Coast Climate) and of the subtype Cfb.

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Châteauroux is 736.6 mm (29.0 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is May with 73.7 mm (2.9 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of 48.3 mm (1.9 in).

The average temperature for the year in Châteauroux is 11.8 °C (53.2 °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 4.2 °C (39.6 °F).

The department is managed by the Departmental Council of the Indre in Châteauroux. Indre is part of the region of Centre-Val de Loire.

Administrative divisions

There are 4 arrondissements (districts), 13 cantons and 243 communes (municipalities) in Indre.

The following is a list of the 13 cantons of the Indre department, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:

The inhabitants of Indre are known, in French, as Indriens (women: Indriennes).

Indre has a population, in 2014, of 226,175, for a population density of 33.3 inhabitants/km². The arrondissement of Châteauroux, with 126,428 inhabitants, is by far the largest.

Evolution of the population in Indre

The main cities in the department are:

•  
  Châteauroux
•  
  Saint-Benoît-du-Sault
•  
  Le Blanc
•  
  Argenton-sur-Creuse