Department number 58 Cantons 17 Population 215,221 (2013) | Time zone CET (UTC+1) Arrondissements 4 Area 6,817 km² Canton 17 | |
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Points of interest Morvan, Nevers Cathedral, Lac de Pannecière, Lac de Saint‑Agnan, Lac de Chaumeçon Destinations | ||
Nièvre ([njɛvʁ]) is a department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in the centre of France named after the River Nièvre.
Contents
Map of Ni%C3%A8vre, France
History
Nièvre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province of Nivernais.
Geography
Nièvre is part of the current region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, although historically it was not part of the province of Burgundy. It is surrounded by the departments of Yonne, Côte-d'Or, Saône-et-Loire, Allier, Cher, and Loiret. The département is crossed by the river Loire, the longest river in France.
Demography
Nièvre is a rural department with about 32 inhabitants / km². The main cities are : Nevers, Cosne-sur-Loire, Varennes-Vauzelles, Marzy, Decize, Imphy, Clamecy and La Charité. Only three cities reach 10 000 inhabitants. It indicates the characteristic of the département, which is predominantly rural.
Wines
Nièvre is also well known for its white wine, Pouilly Fumé. The vineyards are scattered around villages including Pouilly-Sur-Loire, which lends its name to the appellation, Tracy sur Loire, Boisgibault, Saint Andelain. The word fumé is French for "smoky", and it is said the name comes from the smoky or flinty quality of these wines. The only grape allowed in the Pouilly-Fumé AC is Sauvignon blanc, which produces wines that are generally crisp, tart, and somewhat grassy.
Politics
In common with most French wine-producing departments, Nièvre is traditionally a left-wing department. The results of the second round of voting in presidential elections reflect this consistently:
Nièvre's best-known political representative was François Mitterrand who served as a Senator and a Deputy for the department, and as mayor of Chateau-Chinon for 22 years before his election to the presidency in 1981.