LOIRE, a department of central France, made up in 1793 of the old district of Forez and portions of Beaujolais and Lyonnais, all formerly included in the province of Lyonnais. Pop. (1931) 664,822. Area 1,852 square miles. It is bounded north by the department of Saone-et-Loire, east by those of Rhone and Isere, south by Ardeche and Haute-Loire, and west by Puy-de-DOme and Allier. From 1790 to 1793 it constituted, along with that of RhOne, a single department (RhOne-et-Loire). The river Loire rises in the department of Haute Loire to the south but traverses the department of Loire from south to north, and that depart ment reaches west to the Mts. du Forez and east to the hills edging the Rhone valley, going beyond these to reach that river just south of Vienne. The valley floor in the south is the basin of Forez, an ancient lake floored by Tertiary strata, and the Loire, of ter subsequently passing through narrow defiles, enters the smaller basin of Roanne, also an old lake basin similarly floored. The hill frame is mainly formed of Archaean and Carboniferous rocks set in north-east to south-west lines to form the Mt. Pilat (4,705 ft.), Mts. du Lyonnais, Mts. du Beaujolais and Mts. du Charolais on the east, and the Mts. du Forez (Pierre sur Haute, 5,381 ft.) on the west. The climate on the heights is cold and healthy, it is unwholesome in the marshy plain of Forez, mild in the valley of the Rhone. The annual rainfall varies from 39 to 48 in. on the Forez mountains, but only reaches 20 to 24 in. in the vicinity of Montbrison. The plains of Forez and Roanne produce wheat and rye, and some oats, barley and colza. The vine is cultivated in the valley of the Rhone, on the lower slopes of the Forez mountains and on the hills west of the plain of Roanne. The forests of Mt. Pilat and the Forez chain yield good-sized pines and wood for mining purposes. The so-called Lyon chest nuts are to a large extent obtained from Forez; the woods and pasture lands of Mt. Pilat yield medicinal plants, such as mint. The pasture lands of the plain and mountains of Forez support live stock, notably the famous Charolais oxen. Poultry-rearing and bee-keeping are considerable industries. The department is rich in mineral . springs, the waters of St. Galmier, Sail-sous
Couzan, St. Romain-le-Puy and St. Alban being largely exported. The chief wealth of the department lies in the coal deposits of the basin of St. Etienne (q.v.), the second in importance in France ; quarrying is also active. Metal-working industries are centred in the south-east of the department, where are the great manufacturing towns of St. Etienne, Rive-de-Gier, St. Chamond and Firminy. At St. Etienne there is a national factory of arms, in which as many as 1 o,000 have been employed; it makes cycles, motorcars, dynamos and accessories for electric lighting, appara tus for making acetylene gas, locks, edge-tools, common cutlery, chain cables for the mines, files, rails, etc. The glass industry is carried on at Rive-de-Gier and St. Galmier. St. Etienne and St. Chamond are centres for the fabrication of silk ribbons, elastic ribbons and laces, and the dressing of raw silks. The arrondisse ment of Roanne manufactures cotton stuffs, muslins and the like. That of Montbrison produces table linen. The department has numerous dye-works, flour-mills, paper works, tanyards, brick works, silk-spinning works and hat factories. It is served by the P.L.M. railway, Roanne being the junction of important lines from Paris to Lyon and St. Etienne. Within the department the Loire is hardly used for commercial navigation ; there are canals from Roanne to Digoin (13 m. in the department), and from Givors to Rive-de-Gier (7 m.) and the Rhone (7 m.).
Loire comprises three arrondissements—St. Etienne, Mont brison and Roanne—with 32 cantons and 338 communes. It is in the region of the XIII. army corps (Clermont-Ferrand) and the diocese and academie (educational division) of Lyon, where also is its court of appeal. St. Etienne is the capital, other leading towns being Roanne, Montbrison, Rive-de-Gier, St. Chamond, Firminy and Le Chambon. St. Bonnet-le-Château, besides old houses, has a church of the 15th and 16th centuries, containing paintings of the 15th century; St. Rambert and St. Romain-le-Puy have priory churches of the 11th century; and at Charlieu there are remains of a Benedictine abbey founded in the 9th century, including a porch decorated with fine Romanesque carving, old houses, etc.