Loire
Details
Information
Number	42
Region	Rhône-Alpes
Prefecture	Saint-Étienne
Subprefectures	Montbrison Roanne
Population  - Total (1999)  - Density	Ranked 27th 728,524 152 /km²
Area	4,781 km²
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	40
Communes	327
President of the general council	Pascal Clément
Location

Loire is a département in the central-eastern region of Rhône-Alpes in France, occupying the Loire river's upper reaches.

This département is named after the Loire River and it is located to the east of the Loire Valley region.

The industrial city of Saint-Étienne with its suburbs contains some 290,000 of the area's 725,000 inhabitants. It is the préfecture (capital) of the département.