Eure-et-Loir | |||
---|---|---|---|
Department | |||
|
|||
Location of Eure-et-Loir in France |
|||
Coordinates: 48°20′N 01°25′E / 48.333°N 1.417°ECoordinates: 48°20′N 01°25′E / 48.333°N 1.417°E | |||
Country | France | ||
Region | Centre-Val de Loire | ||
Prefecture | Chartres | ||
Subprefectures |
Châteaudun Dreux Nogent-le-Rotrou |
||
Government | |||
• President of the General Council | Albéric de Montgolfier (UMP) | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 5,880 km2 (2,270 sq mi) | ||
Population (2013) | |||
• Total | 432,967 | ||
• Rank | 55th | ||
• Density | 74/km2 (190/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Department number | 28 | ||
Arrondissements | 4 | ||
Cantons | 15 | ||
Communes | 391 | ||
^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.
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.
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.
The inhabitants of the department are called Euréliens.