Creuse

Creuse Occitan: Cruesa or Crosa
Department of France
Prefecture building of the Creuse department, in Guéret
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Creuse in France
Coordinates: 46°07′20″N 1°54′46″E / 46.12222°N 1.91278°E / 46.12222; 1.91278
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Prefecture	Guéret
Subprefectures	Aubusson
Government
• President of the Departmental Council	Valérie Simonet[1] (LR)
Area 1
• Total	5,565 km2 (2,149 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Total	115,702
• Rank	101st
• Density	21/km2 (54/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number	23
Arrondissements	2
Cantons	15
Communes	256
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Creuse (French pronunciation: [kʁøz] ^ⓘ; Occitan: Cruesa or Crosa) is a department in central France named after the river Creuse. After Lozère, it is the second least populated department in France. It is bordered by Indre and Cher to the north, Allier and Puy-de-Dôme to the east, Corrèze to the south, and Haute-Vienne to the west. In 2020, the population of this department is 115,995, while the official estimates in 2022 is 113,711.

Guéret, the Prefecture of Creuse has a population approximately 12,000, making it the largest settlement in the department. The next biggest town is La Souterraine and then Aubusson. The department is situated in the former Province of La Marche. Creuse is one of the most rural and sparsely populated departments in France, with a population density of 21/km² (56/sq mi), and a 2019 population of 116,617 - the second-smallest of any Departments in France.^[3] The land use is mostly agricultural and the department is well known for its chestnut and hazelnut production, and for the Charolais and Limousin cattle breeds.