Côtes
d'Armor
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| Douarnenez,
Finistère |
Vannes
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 The
region of Brittany
Brittany
is one of the 21 regions of continental France. With 3 million
inhabitants, it is the seventh most populated of the French regions,
and covers a surface area of 27,208 km². The regional capital
is the city of Rennes.
As it exists today, the Brittany region
only covers about 80% of the historic Duchy of Brittany. This stretched
right down beyond the mouth of the river Loire, and included an area
which is now the "department" of "Loire Atlantique". Ironically, this
department also includes the historic capital of the duchy of Brittany,
the city of Nantes; but when the modern French regions were created in
1941, it was decided that Nantes and Rennes should not be in the same
region, in order to avoid a historic rivalry between the two cities. |
The
departments of Brittany.
A French department
is the equivalent of a British county or a Swedish län.
Brittany is divided into four departments which are:
Finistère (56) in the west, Côtes d'Armor (22) in the north, Morbihan
(56) in the south, and Ille et Vilaine (35) in the east. Historic
Brittany also includes Loire Atlantique (44) in the south.
Finistère,
capital Quimper, is a rugged department, with a lot of granite
moorland; but thanks to its mild climate, it is also has a thriving
agriculture, growing early vegetables. The coast has a number of very
picturesque fishing ports such as Douarnenez and Concarneau. The
largest city in this department however is Brest (urban area population
about 300,000), one of France's most important naval ports.
Côtes
d'Armor, capital Saint Brieuc. Previously known as "Côtes
du Nord", this department is mainly low lying, and characterised by a
very pretty rocky coastline with many small islands. The most
attractive parts of the coast are the Emerald coast, and the Pink
Granite coast. The department is strongly agricultural, with
pig-farming and cereals among the main activities.
Morbihan,
capital Vannes. This department on the south coast of Brittany is
famous for its mild climate. The coast offers many sandy beaches and
small fishing ports. Fishing, boat-building and agriculture are among
the department's major industries, along with tourism.
Ille
et Vilaine, capital Rennes. The most easterly of the four
departments in today's Brittany, Ille & Vilaine is a heavily
agricultural department, with cereals, apple orchards and dairy
farming. In the past, the people in this eastern part of Brittany did
not speak the celtic Breton language, but a form of French.
Loire
Atlantique, capital Nantes. No longer officially part of
Brittany, the Loire Atlantique is a department surrounding the mouth of
the river Loire. It is today part of the Pays de Loire administrative
region. This region has two major seaports, Nantes and Saint Nazaire,
with petrochemicals and ship-building among the major industries. As
with much of the Loire valley, this department also has vineyards,
producing mostly dry white wines, and is the only wine-growing area in
Brittany
Main
towns in Brittany
 Rennes (photo )
, with over 200,000 inhabitants, is the
regional
capital and the largest city in Brittany. It is a major industrial
centre, with two universities, and is also the cultural capital of the
region. Situated in the east of the region, it is the hub through which
all main lines of communication between Brittany and the rest of France
pass. It is not one of the great historic cities of France, since most
of the city burned
down in 1720; but the centre was largely rebuilt in the eighteenth
century, and retains plenty of narrow streets and old buildings.
Brest,
population 150,000 is home to the French Atlantic fleet and is a major
naval port. It has a modern university. The old walled city was
fortified in the seventeenth century by the great military engineer
Vauban, though much of the old town was destroyed in 1944. Today the
city is an industrial centre and a popular sailing port. The city is
sited at the end of a large sea inlet, the Rade de Brest.
Lorient,
west of Vannes in the Morbihan department, now a fishing port
of about 60,000 inhabitants, was founded as a company town by
the French East India company in 1664 - hence its name, which means The
Orient.... or the port from which ships set sail for the Orient. Today
Lorient is most famous for its sailing and its annual Celtic festival.
St.
Malo, population about 50,000, is a magnificent island
walled city on the north coast of Brittany. Heavily damaged in World
War II, it has since been rebuilt virtually as it was, and is an
architectural gem. In a way, it is France's equivalent of Plymouth, the
seaport from which many merchants and adventurers set out in centuries
gone by, to seek their fortunes trading and privateering in distant
waters. The wealth that they brought back is reflected in the city's
magnificent architectural heritage.
Vannes,
population 50,000, is a port on Brittany's southern coast, with a
boatbuilding industry
Nantes,
population about 280,000, would be the largest city in Brittany if it
were still officially in the region. In the past it was the seat of the
Dukes of Brittany, located at the top of the tidal reaches of the
Loire. It is France's fourth largest port, and is a major economic and
cultural hub for the west of France. Its airport is convenient for
people travelling to the south of Brittany. |
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