Deux-Sèvres

Deux-Sèvres is a department in western France, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
"Deux-Sèvres" means literally "Two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise; these are two rivers which flow through the department.
History.
Deux-Sèvres is one of the 83 French departments made during the French revolution, on 4 March 1790.
The new department had six districts: Melle, Niort, Saint-Maixent, Parthenay, Thouars and Châtillon (today Mauléon). The capital (now prefecture) was Niort alternating Saint-Maixent and Parthenay but soon only Niort was the only capital.
In 1800, with the creation of the "arrondissements" in France, the six districts were changed into four "arrondissements": Melle, Niort, Parthenay and Thouars. Thouars was changed by Bressuire in 1804.
On 10 September 1926, the "arrondissements" of Bressuire and Melle were eliminated. On 1 June 1942, Bressuire was again an "arrondissement".
The borders of the department were changed in 1973 when the inhabitants of the little commune of "Puy-Saint-Bonnet" joined the commune of Cholet in the neighbouring department of Maine-et-Loire.
Geography.
Deux-Sèvres is part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It has an area of .
The highest point of the department is "Terrier de Saint-Martin", high, in the "commune" of Saint-Martin-du-Fouilloux.
The department is bordered by the departments: Maine-et-Loire, Vienne, Charente, Charente-Maritime and Vendée.
The main rivers in the department are:
Climate.
The climate of Niort is an oceanic climate with template summers, Cfb (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification.
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Niort is . The month with the most precipitation on average is September with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is July with an average of .
The average temperature for the year in Niort 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 "Departamental Council of the Deux-Sèvres" in Niort. Deux-Sèvres is part of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Administrative divisions.
There are 3 "arrondissements" (districts), 17 "cantons" and 293 "communes" (municipalities) in Deux-Sèvres.
The following is a list of the 17 cantons of the Deux-Sèvres department, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:
Demographics.
The inhabitants of Deux-Sèvres are known, in French, as "Deux-Sévriens" (women: "Deux-Sévriennes").
Deux-Sèvres has a population, in 2014, of 373,553, for a population density of inhabitants/km2. The "arrondissement" of Niort, with 212,425 inhabitants, is by far the largest. The other two, Bressuire and Parthenay, have respectively 96,703 and 64,425 inhabitants.
Evolution of the population in Deux-Sèvres
The 10 main cities in the department are:
Economy.
The department is still a very rural area, with a large proportion of the land of the department used for farming. Wheat and oats are the main products grown, as well as potatoes, apples, and walnuts. There are many vineyards in the north.