Loire

Longest river in France, rising in the Cévennes Mountains in the département of Ardèche at 1,350 m/4,430 ft near Mont Gerbier de Jonc, and flowing for over 1,000 km/620 mi north through Nevers to Orléans, then west through Tours and Nantes until it reaches the Bay of Biscay at St Nazaire. The Loire drains 116,550 sq km/45,000 sq mi of land, more than a fifth of France, and there are many châteaux and vineyards along its banks. The Loire gives its name to the départements of Loire, Haute-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire, and Saône-et-Loire.

Its main tributaries include the Nièvre, Maine, and Erdre on the right bank, and the Allier, Cher, Indre, Vienne, and Sèvre Nantaise on the left bank. There are four nuclear plants on the Loire.

Navigation In summer the Loire's level is generally low, but the river is subject to sudden floods (especially in Loire-Atlantique) and, except in its lower course, is only partially navigable. Embankments have been constructed along much of the Loire, especially between Orléans and Angers, to prevent flooding. The ‘Loire Lateral Canal’ parallels the river from Roanne to Briare, and other canals connect it with the Rhône and Seine river systems as well as with the harbour at Brest. Commercial navigation along the Loire and the connecting canals was formerly very important to the prosperity of the surrounding area; this has declined and sections of the river and its canals are now largely used for pleasure boats. Large ships can still navigate as far as Nantes, through the Loire estuary, 56 km/35 mi long.

Châteaux The Loire Valley attracts numerous tourists every year, many of whom visit the splendid Renaissance châteaux situated along the river banks, such as Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Blois, Chambord, Chaumont, Chenonceaux, and Chinon. Tourism plays an important part in the local economy.

Vineyards There are many vineyards along the banks of the Loire, including Muscadet, Pouilly, Sancerre, Saumur, Vouvray, Montlouis, and Rochecorbon. Wine production and bottling are important local industries.

Loire

Département in the Rhône-Alpes region of southeast France; area 4,773 sq km/1,843 sq mi; population (1999 est) 728,500. The département is largely mountainous, but the plains of Forez and Roanne provide good agricultural and pasture lands. Vines are grown in the Rhône valley. The main goods manufactured are glass, silk, cast steel, hardware, machinery, and cutlery. The principal towns are St-Etienne (the capital), and Roanne.

Loire is drained in the north by the River Loire and its tributaries and in the southeast by the tributaries of the Rhône. The basin of the St-Etienne was an important coal district before World War II. Iron and lead are mined.

Loire was formed from the old district of Forez together with parts of Beaujolais and Lyonnais. It is bounded on the north by the département of Saône-et-Loire, to the south by Ardèche and Haute-Loire.