Cher ( ; ; Berrichon: Char) is a department in central France, part of the Centre-Val de Loire region. Named after the river Cher, its prefecture is Bourges. In 2023, it had a population of 298,660.
{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2023)
|-
| Bourges
| style="text-align: center;" | 64,186
|-
| Vierzon
| style="text-align: center;" | 25,068
|-
| Saint-Amand-Montrond
| style="text-align: center;" | 9,899
|-
| Saint-Doulchard
| style="text-align: center;" | 9,647
|-
| Saint-Florent-sur-Cher
| style="text-align: center;" | 6,463
|-
| Mehun-sur-Yèvre
| style="text-align: center;" | 6,380
|-
| Aubigny-sur-Nère
| style="text-align: center;" | 5,451
|}
Demographics
The inhabitants of the department are called Chériens or Berrichons in French after the former province of Berry.
Politics
The President of the General Council is Jacques Fleury of The Republicans, elected in July 2021.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!colspan=2| Party || seats
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|Union for a Popular Movement ||align="right"| 10
|-
! style="background-color: " |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|Socialist Party ||align="right"| 9
|-
! style="background-color: " |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|French Communist Party ||align="right"| 7
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|Miscellaneous Right ||align="right"| 5
|-
! style="background-color: " |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|Miscellaneous Left ||align="right"| 4
|-
|}
Current National Assembly representatives
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member!!Party
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 1st
| François Cormier-Bouligeon
| Renaissance
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 2nd
| Nicolas Sansu
| PCF
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 3rd
| Loïc Kervran
| Horizons
|}
Tourism
The Bourges Cathedral of St. Étienne is a major tourist attraction.
<gallery>
File:Bourges - 002 - Low Res.jpg|Bourges Cathedral
File:Jacques Coeur Palace main tower.JPG|Bourges
File:Apremont sur Allier.jpg|Apremont-sur-Allier
File:Noirlac abbey facade east.jpg|Noirlac Abbey
File:Meillant 01 2009.jpg|Château de Meillant
</gallery>
Languages
The historical languages are Berrichon and the northern version of Bourbonnais. These are both dialects of French, or the Langues d'oïl. They are named respectively after the former Province of Berry and the former Duchy of Bourbon.
Some 11 communes in the extreme South used to speak Occitan.
The old dialects were in widespread use until the middle decades of the twentieth century and incorporated major regional variations within the department, influenced by the dialects of adjacent regions near the departmental frontiers. During the twentieth century government educational policy promoted a more standardised version of the French language.
In the extreme south of the department influence from the southern Occitan language begins to appear, with "chambrat" being used in place of "grenier a foin" (hayloft), "betoulle" in place of "bouleau" (birch tree) and "aigue" in place of "eau" (water).
See also
- Cantons of the Cher department
- Communes of the Cher department
- Arrondissements of the Cher department
References
External links
- Departmental Council of Cher
- Prefecture of Cher