Centre is one of
the 26 regions of France, located towards the northwest of
the actual centre of the country, around the Loire Valley.
Its capital is Orléans, although its largest city is Tours.
The main feature of Centre is the
Loire Valley. It includes the rich, fertile valleys of the
Loire River and its tributaries: Cher, Indre, Loiret, etc.
Centre contains the famous châteaux of the Loire Valley,
which attract many tourists to the region.
The name Centre was chosen by the
French central government based purely on geography, as
Centre is composed of too many historical provinces to use a
historical name. However, Centre is not in the geographical
centre of France, and the name has been criticized as being
overly dull and nondescript.
It has been proposed to rename the
region Val de Loire (i.e. "Valley of the Loire"), which
would give more character to the name of the region. Val de
Loire is a name associated with positive images of the Loire
Valley, such as the chateaux, the gentle and refined
lifestyle, wine, the mild and temperate climate. The name
change has not yet been adopted, but the term is sometimes
juxtaposed with the region's name, as in Centre - Val de
Loire.