The administrative Region of Centre lies in the Paris Basin and covers much of north central and central France, including the central part of the Loire Valley.  It is boardered by the regions of Haute-Normandie and Ile-de-France to the north, Bourgogne to the east, Auvergne to the southeast, Limousin to the south, Poitou-Charentes to the southwest, Pays de la Loire [Western Loire] to the west and Basse-Normandie [Lower Normandy] to the northwest. The Centre Region is composed of six départements: Eure-et-Loire is its most northern département; Loiret is in the northeast corner of the region; Cher is positioned in the region’s southeast corner; Indre is in the south; Indre-et-Loire is in the southwest and Loir-et-Cher is in the northwest, between Loiret and Indre-et-Loire.  The region’s capital is Orléans, which is about 75 miles south of Paris. Powerful people, known as the Cenomanni, inhabited the Loire Valley during the Iron Age.