Loiret (/lwɑːˈreɪ/;[3] French: [lwaʁɛ]) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France.

Loiret is one of the original 83 departments that was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, by order of the National Constituent Assembly.

[5] The Loire Valley was occupied in Palaeolithic times as attested by numerous archaeological sites in the department.

[9] The river Loiret, after which the department is named, is 12 km (7 mi) long and joins the Loire southwest of Orléans.

Large parts of the land are used for agriculture, and these are separated by low wooded hills and some forested areas.

[10] The northwestern part of the department is in the wheat-growing region known as Beauce, an undulating plateau with some of France's best agricultural land.

[11] The part of the department south of the Loire is known as the Sologne and is an area of heathland and marshland, interspersed by hills where vines are grown.

The soil is in general fertile and productive; the Beauce is the main wheat-growing region, oats are widely cultivated and rye is also grown.

[10] Loiret has little industrial development, and commerce is centred about the sale of corn, timber, cattle, chestnuts, cider, honey, flour, fruits, fish, salt, saffron and wool.