Indre (department)

Indre is a department in the centre of France in the Centre-Val de Loire region. It is named after the Indre river, the most important river in the department.
Its prefecture is Châteauroux.
History.
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".
Geography.
Indre is part of the Centre-Val de Loire region. It has an area of .
The highest point of the department is "Terrior Randoin" (), in the "commune" of Pouligny-Notre-Dame, and that is above sea level.
The department is bordered by the 6 departments in 2 regions:
The main rivers are:
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 . The month with the most precipitation on average is May with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of .
The average temperature for the year in Châteauroux is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of .
Administration.
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:
Demographics.
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 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: