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Eure-et-Loir

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Eure-et-Loir
Department
Flag of Eure-et-Loir
Flag
Coat of arms of Eure-et-Loir
Coat of arms
Location of Eure-et-Loir in France
Location of Eure-et-Loir in France
CountryFrance
RegionCentre-Val de Loire
PrefectureChartres
SubprefecturesChâteaudun
Dreux
Nogent-le-Rotrou
Government
 • President of the General CouncilAlbéric de Montgolfier (UMP)
Area
1
 • Total5,880 km2 (2,270 sq mi)
Population
 (2013)
 • Total432,967
 • Rank55th
 • Density74/km2 (190/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number28
Arrondissements4
Cantons15
Communes391
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Eure-et-Loir (French pronunciation: [œ.r‿e.lwaʁ]) is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers.

History

Eure-et-Loir is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790 pursuant to the Act of December 22, 1789. It was created mainly from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais (Beauce) and Maine (Perche), but also parts of Île-de-France (Drouais, Thimerais, Valley of the Avre, Hurepoix).

The current department corresponds to the central part of the land of the Carnutes who had their capital at Autricum (Chartres). The Carnutes are known for their commitment, real or imagined, to the ancient Druidic religion. A holy place in the "Forest of the Carnutes" used to host the annual Druidic assembly. In the north of the department another pre-Roman people, the little-known Durocasses, had their capital at Dreux.

Geography

Eure-et-Loir comprises the main part of the region of Beauce, politically it belongs to the current region of Centre-Val de Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, Essonne, Yvelines, Eure, Orne, and Sarthe.

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called Euréliens.

Economy

The Eure-et-Loir is a department of agricultural tradition (Beauce), but also at the forefront in three economic sectors :

Agriculture

The department is a major economic player in the production of grain and oilseed in France.[1] Its agricultural economy is still heavily dependent on economic and regulatory environment of the markets for crops. The Eure-et-Loir region is the first grain producer of France. It is also the national leader in the production of rapeseed and peas. Wheat production is by far the most dominant in the area. Nearly 40% of all farmland is devoted to the cultivation of wheat, which has generated an average of 29% of the commercial agricultural production of the department over the last 5 years.

Agriculture in the department is also promoted by the "Pôle AgroDynamic", a groupment of subsidiaries providing added values in different sectors: agro-energy, agribusiness, agricultural materials, Agrohealth.

Industries

  • The Cosmetic Valley cluster, around Chartres, which is the most important centre of the French beauty and well-being (perfumes/cosmetics) industry, with big names such as Guerlain, Paco Rabanne, Lolita Lempicka, JC Castelbajac and Jean-Paul Gaultier. The Cosmetic Valley represents 2.5 billion euros of turnover, includes 200 companies, collaborates with the Universities of Orleans and Paris and employs more than 30,000 employees.
  • The pharmaceutical industry, around Dreux and the Polepharma cluster. Created in 2002 under the leadership of CODEL[2] Polepharma is a cluster of French pharmaceutical production which includes companies like Ipsen, Novo Nordisk, Laboratoires Expanscience, LEO Pharma, Ethypharm Famar, Norgine, Nypro, Synerlab / Sophartex and Seratec. The cluster represents 50% of drug production in France and 30,000 jobs. The Pharma cluster is also one of the creators of the inter-regional alliance "Pharma Valley" that has partner networks: Polepharma, CBS and Grepic. This alliance represents 60% of the production sites located in France and 2.5 billion euros of turnover.
  • the agri-food industry, promoted by Agrodynamic (rural center of excellence), with two major companies in the sector: Ebly at Chateaudun and an Andros at Auneau.
  • woodcraft and furniture industry around the association Perchebois.
  • the rubber and plastics industry, through the cluster Elastopole.
  • the elevator manufacturer Octé has its head office in Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais [3]

Energy

The department also has the lead in renewable energy. Already ranked second nationally in terms of power generation through its wind farms located in particular in the Beauce region of Eure-et-Loir in 2012 will be the largest producer of electricity with photovoltaic French original creation on the airbase NATO disused Crucey-Villages near Brezolles in the region's natural Thymerais, the largest photovoltaic park in France. Given in February 2011 by the General Council to the operator, EDF Energies Nouvelles, the park will cover 245 ha of the military base and produce the equivalent output of 160 wind turbines.

Politics

The President of the General Council is Albéric de Montgolfier of the Union for a Popular Movement.

Party seats
style="background-color: Template:Union for a Popular Movement/meta/color" |• Union for a Popular Movement 10
style="background-color: Template:Socialist Party (France)/meta/color" | Socialist Party 8
style="background-color: Template:Miscellaneous Left/meta/color" | Miscellaneous Left 1
style="background-color: Template:Miscellaneous Right/meta/color" |• Miscellaneous Right 7
style="background-color: Template:New Centre/meta/color" |• New Centre 2
style="background-color: Template:Left Radical Party/meta/color" | Left Radical Party 1
style="background-color: Template:Democratic Movement (France)/meta/color" |• MoDem 1

Tourism

  • The most important tourist attraction is the cathedral of Chartres, with its magnificent stained-glass windows.
  • Church: Saint-Pierre of Dreux, Saint-Denis (Toury)
  • Chapelle Royale of Dreux
  • Beffroi of Dreux
  • Abbaye Saint-Florentin (Bonneval)
  • Castle of Anet, of Chateaudun, of Maillebois, of Maintenon, of Montigny (Cloyes-sur-Loir), of Montigny-sur-Avre, of Charbonnières (Authon-du-Perche), Castle Saint-John (Nogent-le-Rotrou), Castle of Villepion (Orgères-en-Beauce), Castle of Reverseaux (Voves)
  • Regional parc of the Perche

Notable people

Middle Ages

Renaissance

19th and 20th century

Media

The media in Eure-et-Loir include the following:

See also

References

  1. ^ Agricultural chamber of Eure-et-Loir
  2. ^ Codel: Eure-et-Loir economic development board
  3. ^ http://www.octe.eu/presentation.aspx (french)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eure-et-Loir.
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