river, west-central France, a left-bank tributary of the Loire River. Rising on the northern flanks of the Massif Central, it flows 165 miles (265 km) northwestward through Indre and Indre-et-Loire départements, joining the Loire northwest of Chinon and draining a basin of about 5,200 square miles (13,500 square km). It flows exclusively through agricultural regions, crossing La Châtre, and passing near Nohant where George Sand (Sand, George), the French 19th-century novelist who described the countryside in her novels, resided. The river loops through Châteauroux, then flows through the gentle countryside of Touraine, below the medieval castle of Loches. At Montbazon, south of Tours, the Indre veers westward past woods and lush meadows, encircling the 16th-century château of Azay-le-Rideau and passing the 15th-century château of Ussé before joining the Loire River at the Avoine-Chinon nuclear power station.