a department in France on the eastern outskirts of the Massif Central, in the basin of the upper Loire. Area, 4,800 sq km; population, 733,000 (1972). The prefecture is Saint-Etienne. The department has coal, metallurgical, machine-building, electrical-engineering, chemical, glass, food, silk, and cotton textile industries. There is livestock raising on the mountain pastures, and wheat, potatoes, and fodder crops are cultivated in the valley.
the longest river in France, with a length of 1,012 km and a basin area of 115,000 sq km. It rises in the Cevennes and cuts through mountains until reaching the Allier River, below which it flows through the Loire Valley. It empties into the Bay of Biscay, forming estuaries. The principal tributaries are the Cher, Vienne, Sarthe, and Loir. During severe floods the Loire Valley is submerged along the river’s middle and lower courses. As a result, dikes have been built along the channel (300-500 m wide). High water occurs in February and March, and low water in August and September. The mean flow rate in the lower course is 843 cu m sec; the maximum flow rate is 6,000-8,000 cu m sec. Below the city of Nantes the river is affected by ocean tides.
The Loire is navigable to Roanne; above Orleans it is navigable primarily via by-pass canals. It is accessible to ocean vessels as far as Nantes (53 km from the mouth) and is linked by canals with the Seine, Saone, and Rhine rivers. The cities of Roanne, Nevers, Orleans, Tours, and Nantes are on the Loire.
In the valley are numerous late Gothic and Renaissance chateaus from the late 15th and 16th centuries. Among these chateaus are those of Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Blois, Chambord, and Chenonceaux, which are noted for their complex yet rational composition, strict differentiation of the facade decoration, and meticulousness and refinement of some of the architectural forms.
a valley in western France in the basin of the middle and lower Loire. Its northeastern section is in the Paris Basin. Average elevation, approximately 100 m. In the west the valley is washed by the Bay of Biscay, which forms numerous bights. Composed primarily of Mesozoic limestones and sandstones it is often covered with mixtures of clay and sandstone and, in the east and south, with alluvial sands. In some places there are individual cuesta ridges and erosional hills; in the northeast is the flat Sologne depression with a large number of lakes. The climate is temperate and maritime, with average January temperatures of 2°-6°C and average July temperatures of 18°-20°C; the annual precipitation is 600-700 mm. There is a dense network of rivers. Soils are forest brown and podzolic. Beech, oak, and pine forests, as well as heaths and meadows, are found in the valley. Wheat and vegetables are cultivated, and the meadows are sown. Many areas in the Loire Valley have undergone melioration. There is livestock raising. The large cities are Orleans, Tours, Angers, and Nantes.