Indre

Département in the Centre region of France; area 6,777 sq km/2,617 sq mi; population (1999 est) 231,100. It is drained by the rivers Indre and Creuse. The chief cash crops grown here are cereals, beet, and vegetables. Vines and fruit trees are also widely cultivated. Poultry and sheep are raised, especially in the Champagne district. The chief manufactures are textiles, paper, leather goods, and pottery. The principal towns are Châteauroux (the administrative capital), Le Blanc, La Châtre, and Issoudun.

Indre comprises three main districts: the Boischaut in the south, a wooded, marshy plain; the Champagne, a fertile agricultural area; and the Brenne in the west, a region of moors, marshes, and ponds, now considerably improved by drainage and afforestation.

Indre was formed from parts of the old provinces of Berry, Orléanais, Marche, Touraine, and Poitou.