Cher (department)

Cher (/ʃɛər/; French: [ʃɛʁ]; Berrichon: Char) is a department in central France, part of the Centre-Val de Loire region. Named after the river Cher, its prefecture is Bourges. In 2019, it had a population of 302,306.[3]

Cher
Prefecture building in Bourges
Prefecture building in Bourges
Location of Cher in France
Location of Cher in France
Coordinates: 47°0′N 2°35′E
CountryFrance
RegionCentre-Val de Loire
PrefectureBourges
SubprefecturesSaint-Amand-Montrond
Vierzon
Government
  President of the Departmental CouncilJacques Fleury[1] (LR)
Area
  Total7,235 km2 (2,793 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
  Total300,933
  Rank76th
  Density42/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number18
Arrondissements3
Cantons19
Communes287
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2

History

Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. Most of it was created, along with the adjacent department of Indre from the former province of Berry. The southeastern corner of the department, however, was part of the Duchy of Bourbon.

Geography

The department is part of the current administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire. It is surrounded by the departments of Indre, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, Nièvre, Allier, and Creuse.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Bourges, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 8 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:[3]

Commune Population (2019)
Bourges 64,541
Vierzon 25,464
Saint-Doulchard 9,607
Saint-Amand-Montrond 9,488
Mehun-sur-Yèvre 6,555
Saint-Florent-sur-Cher 6,442
Aubigny-sur-Nère 5,502
Saint-Germain-du-Puy 5,041

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called Chériens or Berrichons after the former province of Berry.[4]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1791207,541    
1801217,785+0.48%
1806228,158+0.93%
1821239,561+0.33%
1831256,059+0.67%
1841273,645+0.67%
1851306,261+1.13%
1861323,393+0.55%
1872335,392+0.33%
1881351,405+0.52%
1891359,276+0.22%
1901345,543−0.39%
1911337,810−0.23%
1921304,800−1.02%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1931293,918−0.36%
1936288,695−0.36%
1946286,070−0.09%
1954284,376−0.07%
1962293,514+0.40%
1968304,601+0.62%
1975316,350+0.54%
1982320,174+0.17%
1990321,559+0.05%
1999314,428−0.25%
2006314,676+0.01%
2011311,694−0.19%
2016307,110−0.30%
Sources:[5][6]

Politics

The President of the General Council is Jacques Fleury of The Republicans, elected in July 2021.[7]

Partyseats
Union for a Popular Movement10
Socialist Party9
French Communist Party7
Miscellaneous Right5
Miscellaneous Left4

Current National Assembly representatives

ConstituencyMember[8]Party
1st François Cormier-Bouligeon La République En Marche!
2nd Nadia Essayan MoDem
3rd Loïc Kervran La République En Marche!

Tourism

The Bourges Cathedral of St. Étienne is a major tourist attraction.

Languages

The historical languages are Berrichon and the northern version of Bourbonnais. These are both dialects of French, or the Langues d'oïl. They are named respectively after the former Province of Berry and the former Duchy of Bourbon. Some 11 communes in the extreme South used to speak Occitan.

The old dialects were in widespread use until the middle decades of the twentieth century and incorporated major regional variations within the department, influenced by the dialects of adjacent regions near the departmental frontiers. During the twentieth century government educational policy promoted a more standardised version of the French language.

In the extreme south of the department influence from the southern Occitan language begins to appear, with "chambrat" being used in place of "grenier a foin" (hayloft), "betoulle" in place of "bouleau" (birch tree) and "aigue" in place of "eau" (water).

See also

References

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