Indre-et-Loire

Indre-et-Loire, a department of France, formed chiefly out of the ancient province of Touraine, is crossed by the Loire from NE. to SW. Area, 2360 sq. m.; pop. (1872) 317,027; (1886) 340,921; (1891) 337,298. It is watered by the Loire and its tributaries, the Cher, Indre, and Vienne, all of them navigable. The valley of the Loire is very fertile, studded with orchards and gardens and vineyards; it is called the 'garden of France.' South of this lies the monotonous but productive plateau of St Maure, north of it the sterile region of Gâtine. The products include grain, wine (about 22,000,000 gallons annually), fruits (especially plums), and hemp. The industry has never recovered from the blow struck by the Edict of Nantes. The chief manufactures are powder, files, cloth, paper, and leather. The department is divided into the three arrondissements of Tours, Chinon, and Loches; capital, Tours.