Allier (département)
| Allier | |||
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| Department | |||
Prefecture building of the Allier department, in Moulins
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 Location of Allier in France |
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| Coordinates: 46°20′N 3°10′E / 46.333°N 3.167°ECoordinates: 46°20′N 3°10′E / 46.333°N 3.167°E | |||
| Country | France | ||
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | ||
| Prefecture | Moulins | ||
| Subprefectures |
Montluçon Vichy |
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| Government | |||
| • President of the General Council | Gérard Dériot (UMP) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 7,340 km2 (2,830 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2013) | |||
| • Total | 343,431 | ||
| • Rank | 68th | ||
| • Density | 47/km2 (120/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Department number | 03 | ||
| Arrondissements | 3 | ||
| Cantons | 19 | ||
| Communes | 318 | ||
| ^1 French Land Register data, which excludes estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 | |||
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Allier (French pronunciation: [aˈlje]; is a French department located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France named after the river Allier. Moulins is the prefecture and the INSEE and Post Code is 03.
The inhabitants of the department are known as Elavérins or Elavérines
Allier department is composed of almost all of the former Duchy of Bourbonnais. It is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and borders the departments of Cher, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, Loire, Puy-de-Dome, and Creuse.
The department also includes three spa towns:
Neris-les-Bains is the only town in the department with more than 10% of second homes: 504 out of 1,800 homes in 1999.
Bourbonnais bocage covers most of the western and central parts of the department (including the Forest of Tronçais), followed by the Bourbonnais Sologne in the east north-east, the Bourbonnais Mountain (near Vichy) which is the highest point of Bourbonnais together with Montoncel (peaking at 1,287 metres), and finally in the south of the department, the Bourbonnais Limagne, which extends from Varennes to Gannat, and is the breadbasket of the department.
To the north and just over 500 metres above sea level, the Bourbonnais Bocage occupies one-third of the department, with two parts: the centre and the west (for the part between the Val de Cher and western boundaries of the territory). The bocage is especially remarkable for its rich forests and woodlands including the famous Forest of Tronçais but also the forests of Moladier Bagnolet, Civrais, Soulongis, Grosbois, Dreuille, Lespinasse and Suave.
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