Orléans is located on the Loire River where the river curves south towards the Massif Central. Orléans belongs to the vallée de la Loire sector between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire, which was in 2000 inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The city of New Orleans (in French, La Nouvelle-Orléans), in the United States is named after the commune of Orléans.