Title: Loire (department) Content: Loire  is a French department in the east-central part of France in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and named after the Loire river. Its prefecture is the city of Saint-Étienne. ==History== Rhône-et-Loire was one French departments made during the French revolution, on 4 March 1790. The department was divided in two departments in 1793: Rhône and Loire. The department of Loire had three districts: Montbrison, Roanne and Saint-Étienne. The capital was Feurs but in 1795 the capital was moved to Montbrison. With the creation of the arrondissements, the three districts became three arrondissements: Montbrison, Roanne and Saint-Étienne. After the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the department was occupied by troops from Austria from June 1815 to November 1818. The capital was moved from Montbrison to Saint-Étienne in 1855. ==Geography== Loire is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in east- central France, with an area of . From north to south, it is long but from east to west it is only wide. The department borders with 7 other departments in 2 regions: * Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region ** Saône-et-Loire (north) * Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region ** Rhône (east) ** Isère (southeast) ** Ardèche (southeast) ** Haute-Loire (south) ** Puy-de-Dôme (west) ** Allier (northwest) The department is in eastern Massif Central and there are several mountain chains; some of the chains and mountains are: * Monts du Forez, to the west of the department. Here is the highest mountain of the department: Pierre-sur- Haute ; it is high,; and is on the border with the Puy-de-Dôme department. * Monts de la Madeleine, to the north of the Monts du Forez and form the limit between the Loire and the Allier departments. * Monts du Lyonnais form the eastern limit of the Loire department. * Pilat, a short chain that is in the Loire department but borders with other 4 departments: Rhône, Isère, Ardèche and Haute-Loire. The main rivers of Loire are: * Loire, that gives its name to the department and flows through the department from southwest to northeast for a distance of . * Rhône, in the southeast of the department. ===Climate=== The climate of the Loire department, in the city of Andrézieux-Bouthéon (near Saint-Étienne and where is the Saint-Étienne-Loire Airport), is an oceanic climate, Cfb (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature for the year in Andrézieux-Bouthéon, at an altitude of , 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 . The average amount of precipitation for the year in Andrézieux-Bouthéon is . The month with the most precipitation on average is December with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is April with an average of . ==Administration== Loire is part of the region of Auvergne- Rhône-Alpes. The department is managed by the Departamental Council of the Loire in Saint-Étienne. ===Administrative divisions=== There are 3 arrondissements (districts), 21 cantons and 326 communes (municipalities) in Loire.  ==Gallery== File:Tour de la Droguerie1.jpg|Saint-Étienne. File:Chateau La Roche St Priest.jpg|Château de La Roche, Saint-Priest-la-Roche. File:Chateau de Grangent.jpg|Château de Grangent, Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert. File:Champdieu prieure.jpg|Church of Champdieu. File:Ste Croix en Jarez-1a Façade Sud.jpg|Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez. ==Related pages== * Arrondissements of the Loire department * Communes of the Loire department