Back وادي اللوار Arabic Luara vadisi Azerbaijani Долина на Лоара Bulgarian Traoñ al Liger Breton Vall del Loira Catalan Val de Loire CEB Loiredalen Danish Tal der Loire German Κοιλάδα του Λίγηρα Greek Valle del Loira Spanish
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | France |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iv |
| Reference | 933bis |
| Inscription | 2000 (24th Session) |
| Area | 86,021 ha |
| Buffer zone | 213,481 ha |
  1 2 | |
The Loire Valley (French: Vallée de la Loire, pronounced [vale də la lwaʁ]), spanning 280 kilometres (170 mi),[1] is a valley located in the middle stretch of the Loire river in central France, in both the administrative regions Pays de la Loire and Centre-Val de Loire. The area of the Loire Valley comprises about 800 square kilometres (310 sq mi).[2] It is referred to as the Cradle of the French and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards (such as cherries), and artichoke, and asparagus fields, which line the banks of the river.[3] Notable for its historic towns, architecture, and wines, the valley has been inhabited since the Middle Palaeolithic period.[2] In 2000, UNESCO added the central part of the Loire River valley to its list of World Heritage Sites.
- ^ "Whc.unesco.org".
- ^ a b Tockner, Klement; Uehlinger, Urs; Robinson, Christopher T. (2009). Rivers of Europe. Academic Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-12-369449-2. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ Williams, Nicola; Boone, Virginie (1 May 2002). The Loire. Lonely Planet. pp. 7–10. ISBN 978-1-86450-358-6. Retrieved 12 April 2011.