LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE INFORMATION
LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE Geography
Loire-Atlantique is part of the current region of Pays-de-la-Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Maine-et-Loire and Vendée, in the region of Brittany by the departments of Morbihan and Ille-et-Vilaine and with the Atlantic on the west
Loire-Atlantique (formerly Loire-Inférieure) is a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.
LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE History
Loire-Atlantique is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally, it was named Loire-Inférieure, but its name was changed in 1957 to Loire-Atlantique.
The area was originally part of Brittany, and contains what many people still consider to be Brittany's capital, Nantes. This department was separated from Brittany in 1941 by the Vichy government. There is a popular campaign to have it reintegrated in Brittany.
LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE Culture
Eastern Brittany's indignous language is Gallo, a romance language related to French. The number of Gallo language speakers has been in steady decline since the early 20th century. The language is neither official nor taught in primary or secondary education. Breton language, a Celtic language, native to western Brittany, was spoken in the western area of Loire-Atlantique (up to 1920 in Batz-sur-Mer) . This area (Guérande, Le Croisic, La Baule...) has a rather Breton toponymy : for instance, Guérande originates from Breton Gwenn Rann (=white or pure place).
The folklore and musical traditions of eastern Brittany are generally similar to those of western Brittany.
LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE Transport
The department operates the Lila network of interurban buses, which link its villages, towns and cities. The urban areas of Nantes and Saint-Nazaire operate their own urban transport networks, known as Tan and Stran respectively.
By rail, the regional trains and buses of the TER Pays de la Loire link major towns and cities of the Pays de la Loire and adjoining regions, including those of the département. Nantes is on the TGV network, with high speed trains running to Paris by the LGV Atlantique in just over 2 hours.
Nantes Atlantique Airport, located 8 km to the southwest of the city of Nantes, serves the département and surrounding areas. It is the biggest airport in northwestern France, linking with several French and European cities, as well as Montreal in Canada. It is currently planned that this airport will be replaced by a new Aéroport du Grand Ouest, situated 30 km to the north-west of Nantes in the commune of Notre-Dame-des-Landes. The €580 million project was approved in February 2008, with construction expected to start in 2012 and an opening date in 2015.
LOIRE River
The Loire is the longest river in France. With a length of 1,013 kilometres (629 mi), it drains an area of 117,000 km2 (45,000 sq mi), which represents more than a fifth of France's land area. It rises in the Cévennes in the département of Ardèche at 1,350 m (4,430 ft) near Mont Gerbier de Jonc, and flows for over 1,000 km (620 mi) north through Nevers to Orléans, then west through Tours and Nantes until it reaches the Bay of Biscay at St Nazaire. Its main tributaries include the Maine, Nièvre and the Erdre rivers on its right bank, and the Allier, Cher, Indre, Vienne, and the Sèvre Nantaise rivers on the left bank. The Loire gives its name to six départements: Loire, Haute-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire, and Saône-et-Loire in the Burgundy region. The central part of the Loire Valley was added to the World Heritage Sites list of UNESCO on December 2, 2000. The banks are characterized by vineyards and chateaux in the Loire Valley.
LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE Administration
Region : Pays-de-la-Loire
Prefecture : Nantes
Subprefectures : Ancenis, Châteaubriant, Saint-Nazaire
Arrondissements : 4
Cantons : 59
Communes : 221
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