Editing Allier (section)

== Geography ==
[[File:Château de Billy.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Château de Billy]]]]

Allier department is composed of almost all of the former [[Duchy of Bourbonnais]]. It is part of the [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]] and it was part of the historical, cultural and administrative region of [[Auvergne (administrative region)|Auvergne]] until 2016.

===Principal communes===

The most populous commune is [[Montluçon]]; the prefecture [[Moulins, Allier|Moulins]] is the third-most populous. As of 2021, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:<ref name=pop2021/>

{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2021)
|-
| [[Montluçon]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 33,342
|-
| [[Vichy]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 25,789
|-
| [[Moulins, Allier|Moulins]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 19,343
|-
| [[Cusset]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 12,909
|-
| [[Yzeure]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 12,598
|}

The department also includes the spa towns [[Bourbon-l'Archambault]], [[Néris-les-Bains]] and Vichy.

=== Relief ===
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.

;The Bourbonnais Bocage
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 [[Forest of Tronçais]] but also the forests of Moladier Bagnolet, Civrais, Soulongis, Grosbois, Dreuille, Lespinasse and Suave.

Almost all of the southern area consists of Combrailles which is sometimes called High Bourbonnais, in an area that goes beyond the departmental boundaries of Creuse and Puy-de-Dôme. This area of the department rises to 778 metres at Bosse. The rivers [[Sioule]], [[Bouble]], and [[Cher (river)|Cher]] have carved the most picturesque gorges in Allier.

;The Bourbonnais Sologne
To the east, between the Val d'Allier and the borders of Nièvre and Saône-et-Loire, the Bourbonnais Sologne has a nice balance between pastures, crops, woods and ponds: the balance between agriculture and semi-wilderness constituting a very favorable setting for fauna and flora.

;The Bourbonnais Mountains
In its southern extension, the Bourbonnais Mountain rises from the Puy Saint-Ambroise (442 metres) near [[Saint-Léon, Allier|Saint-Léon]] and then extends to the massif of Assise and the Black Woods at the edge of [[Puy-de-Dôme]] and [[Loire (department)|Loire]] which is marked by the Puy de Montoncel (1,287 metres) – the highest point in Allier.

;The Bourbonnais Limagne
Commonly grouped under the name of ''Val d'Allier'', the [[Limagne]] and Forterre extend on both sides of the river between [[Vichy]] and [[Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule]] with an essential quality of fertility. Limogne, together with Sioule and Allier, is part of the Gannat / Escurolles / Saint-Pourçain triangle while Forterre covers the Canton of [[Varennes-sur-Allier]] ending near Jaligny.

=== Hydrography ===

;Watercourses:
* to the west: the [[Cher (river)|Cher]]
* in the centre: the [[Allier (river)|Allier]] and its tributary the [[Sioule]]
* to the east the [[Loire]] and its tributary the [[Besbre]]

=== Climate ===
A transition zone in the middle of the country, Allier is actually a free zone between north and south. The department is wide open to Atlantic influences and enjoys a mild and humid climate dominated by westerly winds which helps a little to differentiate it from other parts of Auvergne. The weather variances coincide with the diversity of Bourbonnais territory such as: flat regions, low altitude Bourbonnais Sologne and large floodplains, the hill country, the average altitude of 300 to 600 metres, the central part of the department, and the semi-mountainous southern townships bordering the Combraille and Forez between 700 and 1,200 metres.

There are two periods of maximum precipitation in June and October and a minimum in January and February with average of 694 millimetres in [[Montluçon]] (altitude 207 metres), 763&nbsp;mm in [[Moulins, Allier|Moulins]] (245&nbsp;m), 778&nbsp;mm in [[Vichy]] (251&nbsp;m), 791&nbsp;mm in [[Lapalisse]] (285&nbsp;m) and nearly 1,200&nbsp;mm in Assisi (1,050&nbsp;m). As noted Atlantic winds are dominant from the west, northwest, or southwest. The influence of topography, especially in the valleys of Cher and Allier, also contributes to the south and north variance.

{{Meteo France
|Town=Vichy<ref>[http://www.lameteo.org/index.php/climatologie/1665-normales-climatiques-1981-2010-vichy Data from the Station at Vichy] from 1981 to 2010 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
|Sunshine=1,862
|Rain=780
|Snow=18
|Storm=26
|Fog=35
}}

{{Weather box
|location = Vichy
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan high C = 7.4
|Feb high C = 9.0
|Mar high C = 13.0
|Apr high C = 15.8
|May high C = 20.0
|Jun high C = 23.5
|Jul high C = 26.4
|Aug high C = 26.1
|Sep high C = 22.2
|Oct high C = 17.6
|Nov high C = 11.2
|Dec high C = 7.8
|year high C = 16.7
|Jan mean C = 3.5
|Feb mean C = 4.4
|Mar mean C = 7.5
|Apr mean C = 9.9
|May mean C = 14.1
|Jun mean C = 17.4
|Jul mean C = 19.9
|Aug mean C = 19.5
|Sep mean C = 16.0
|Oct mean C = 12.5
|Nov mean C = 7.0
|Dec mean C = 4.1
|year mean C = 11.3
|Jan low C = -0.4
|Feb low C = -0.2
|Mar low C = 1.9
|Apr low C = 3.9
|May low C = 8.1
|Jun low C = 11.2
|Jul low C = 13.3
|Aug low C = 12.9
|Sep low C = 9.8
|Oct low C = 7.3
|Nov low C = 2.8
|Dec low C = 0.4
|year low C = 5.9
|Jan precipitation mm = 46.8
|Feb precipitation mm = 39.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 44.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 69.3
|May precipitation mm = 98.2
|Jun precipitation mm = 78.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 71.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 74.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 75.4
|Oct precipitation mm = 68.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 63.3
|Dec precipitation mm = 50.5
|year precipitation mm = 779.5
|Jan precipitation days = 9.8
|Feb precipitation days = 8.3
|Mar precipitation days = 8.4
|Apr precipitation days = 9.8
|May precipitation days = 11.6
|Jun precipitation days = 8.7
|Jul precipitation days = 7.6
|Aug precipitation days = 8.6
|Sep precipitation days = 8.3
|Oct precipitation days = 9.6
|Nov precipitation days = 10.0
|Dec precipitation days = 9.0
|year precipitation days = 109.7
|unit precipitation days = 1&nbsp;mm
|Jan sun = 78
|Feb sun = 95
|Mar sun = 154
|Apr sun = 175
|May sun = 203
|Jun sun = 225
|Jul sun = 249
|Aug sun = 238
|Sep sun = 184
|Oct sun = 128
|Nov sun = 77
|Dec sun = 56
|year sun = 1862
|source 1 = [http://www.lameteo.org/index.php/climatologie/1665-normales-climatiques-1981-2010-vichy Meteorological data for Vichy – 249&nbsp;m altitude, from 1981 to 2010] January 2015 {{in lang|fr}}
}}