Editing Cher (department)

{{short description|Department of France}}
{{For|the American singer|Cher}}
{{Expand French|Cher (département)|date=January 2009|topic=geo}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Cher
| native_name             = ''Char''
| native_name_lang        = fr<!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| type                    = [[Departments of France|Department]]
| image_skyline           = Bourges - Préfecture du Cher -013.jpg
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]] building in [[Bourges]]
| image_flag              = Drapeau fr département Cher.svg
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Blason département fr Cher.svg
| shield_link             = Coat of arms of Cher
| shield_alt              = 
| nickname                = 
| motto                   = 
| image_map               = Cher-Position.svg
| map_alt                 = 
| map_caption             = Location of Cher in France
| pushpin_map             = 
| pushpin_label_position  = 
| pushpin_map_alt         = 
| pushpin_map_caption     = 
| coordinates             = {{coord|47|0|N|2|35|E|region:FR_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint           = 
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = France
| subdivision_type1       = [[Regions of France|Region]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Centre-Val de Loire]]
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 
| founder                 = 
| seat_type               = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]]
| seat                    = [[Bourges]]
| parts_type              = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefectures]]
| parts_style             = para
| p1                      = [[Saint-Amand-Montrond]]<br>[[Vierzon]]
| government_footnotes    = 
| leader_party            = [[The Republicans (France)|LR]]
| leader_title            = [[List of presidents of departmental councils (France)|President of the Departmental Council]]
| leader_name             = Jacques Fleury<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/601ef073-d986-4582-8e1a-ed14dc857fba|website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=4 May 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
| unit_pref               = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_magnitude          = 
| area_footnotes          = {{ref|area|1}}
| area_total_km2          = 7235
| area_note               = 
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m             = 
| elevation_min_m         = 
| elevation_max_m         = 
| population_total        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_as_of        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population_footnotes    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes2}}
| population_rank         = [[List of French departments by population|76th]]
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_demonym      = 
| population_note         = 
| blank_name_sec1         = [[Departments of France|Department number]]
| blank_info_sec1         = 18
| blank_name_sec2         = [[Arrondissements of France|Arrondissements]]
| blank_info_sec2         = [[arrondissements of the Cher department|3]]
| blank1_name_sec2        = [[Cantons in France|Cantons]]
| blank1_info_sec2        = [[cantons of the Cher department|19]]
| blank2_name_sec2        = [[Communes in France|Communes]]
| blank2_info_sec2        = [[communes of the Cher department|287]]
| timezone1               = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1             = +1
| timezone1_DST           = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +2
| postal_code_type        = 
| postal_code             = 
| area_code_type          = 
| area_code               = 
| iso_code                = 
| website                 = 
| footnotes               = {{note|area|1}} French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
}}
'''Cher''' ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|ɛər}} {{respell|SHAIR}}; {{IPA|fr|ʃɛʁ|lang|fr-cher.ogg}}; [[Berrichon dialect|Berrichon]]: ''Char'') is a [[Departments of France|department]] in central France, part of the [[Centre-Val de Loire]] [[Regions of France|region]]. Named after the river [[Cher (river)|Cher]], its [[Prefectures in France|prefecture]] is [[Bourges]]. In 2019, it had a population of 302,306.<ref name=pop2019>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep18.pdf Populations légales 2019: 18 Cher], INSEE</ref>

==History==
Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the [[French Revolution]] on 4 March 1790. Most of it was created, along with the adjacent department of [[Indre]] from the former province of [[Berry (province)|Berry]]. The southeastern corner of the department, however, was part of the [[Bourbonnais|Duchy of Bourbon]].

==Geography==
The department is part of the current [[regions of France|administrative region]] of [[Centre-Val de Loire]]. It is surrounded by the departments of [[Indre]], [[Loir-et-Cher]], [[Loiret]], [[Nièvre]], [[Allier]], and [[Creuse]].

===Principal towns===

The most populous commune is [[Bourges]], the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 8 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:<ref name=pop2019/>

{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2019)
|-
| [[Bourges]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 64,541
|-
| [[Vierzon]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 25,464
|-
| [[Saint-Doulchard]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 9,607
|-
| [[Saint-Amand-Montrond]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 9,488
|-
| [[Mehun-sur-Yèvre]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 6,555
|-
| [[Saint-Florent-sur-Cher]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 6,442
|-
| [[Aubigny-sur-Nère]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 5,502
|-
| [[Saint-Germain-du-Puy]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 5,041
|}

==Demographics==

The inhabitants of the department are called ''Chériens'' or ''Berrichons'' after the former province of [[Berry (province)|Berry]].<ref>[https://www.habitants.fr/cher-18 Cher], habitants.fr</ref>
{{historical populations|cols=2|align=none|percentages=pagr|footnote=Sources:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://splaf.free.fr/18his.html|title=Historique du Cher|website=Le SPLAF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4176909?geo=DEP-18|title=Évolution et structure de la population en 2016|publisher=INSEE}}</ref>|graph-pos=bottom
|11=1791|12=207,541|13=1801|14=217,785|15=1806|16=228,158|17=1821|18=239,561|19=1831|20=256,059|21=1841|22=273,645|23=1851|24=306,261|25=1861|26=323,393|27=1872|28=335,392|29=1881|30=351,405|31=1891|32=359,276|33=1901|34=345,543|35=1911|36=337,810|37=1921|38=304,800|39=1931|40=293,918|41=1936|42=288,695|43=1946|44=286,070|45=1954|46=284,376|47=1962|48=293,514|49=1968|50=304,601|51=1975|52=316,350|53=1982|54=320,174|55=1990|56=321,559|57=1999|58=314,428|59=2006|60=314,676|61=2011|62=311,694|63=2016|64=307,110}}

==Politics==

The President of the General Council is [[Jacques Fleury]] of [[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]], elected in July 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Frank|last=Simon|date=2021-07-01|title=Politique - Jacques Fleury, élu président du conseil départemental du Cher|url=https://www.leberry.fr/bourges-18000/actualites/jacques-fleury-elu-president-du-conseil-departemental-du-cher_13977226/|access-date=7 July 2022|website=leberry.fr|language=fr}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
!colspan=2| Party || seats
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Union for a Popular Movement}}" |
|[[Union for a Popular Movement]] ||align="right"| 10
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Socialist Party (France)}}" |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|[[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]] ||align="right"| 9
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|French Communist Party}}" |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|[[French Communist Party]] ||align="right"| 7
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Miscellaneous Right}}" |
|[[Miscellaneous Right]] ||align="right"| 5
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Miscellaneous Left}}" |<span style="color:white; font-size:190%;">•</span>
|[[Miscellaneous Left]] ||align="right"| 4
|-
|}

===Current National Assembly representatives===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/|title=Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français|first=Assemblée|last=Nationale|website=Assemblée nationale}}</ref>!!Party
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|La République En Marche!}}" |
| [[Cher's 1st constituency|1st]]
| [[François Cormier-Bouligeon]]
| [[La République En Marche!]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|Democratic Movement (France)}}" |
| [[Cher's 2nd constituency|2nd]]
| [[Nadia Essayan]]
| [[Democratic Movement (France)|MoDem]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|En Marche!}}" |
| [[Cher's 3rd constituency|3rd]]
| [[Loïc Kervran]]
| [[La République En Marche!]]
|}

==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 dialects|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 language|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 [[Language policy in France#Third Republic|standardised version]] of the French language.

In the extreme south of the department influence from the southern [[Langue d'oc|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==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{in lang|fr}} [https://www.departement18.fr/ Departmental Council of Cher]
* {{in lang|fr}} [https://www.cher.gouv.fr/ Prefecture of Cher]
{{Departments of France}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cher (Department)}}
[[Category:Cher (department)| ]]
[[Category:1790 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Departments of Centre-Val de Loire]]
[[Category:Centre region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1790]]