Loire-Atlantique (Department, France)

Last modified: 2005-06-03 by ivan sache
Keywords: loire-atlantique | pays de la loire | brittany | general council |
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by Jaume Ollé

Flag of the General Council

• Administrative data
• Use of the Breton flag by the General Council

See also:

• France
• France: Metropolitan departments
• Clickable map of France (departments)
• Loire-Atlantique (Department, France): Municipal flags
  • Nantes
  • La Chapelle-sur-Erdre
  • Donges
  • Guérande
  • Rezé
  • Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine
  • Saint-Nazaire
  • Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire
  • Sucé-sur-Erdre
• Loire-Atlantique (Department, France): Yacht clubs
• Loire-Atlantique (Department, France): Sport flags
• Loire-Atlantique (Department, France): Cultural flags

Administrative data

Code: 44
Region: Pays de la Loire
Traditional provinces: Bretagne (traditional Breton province of Nantes, traditional districts of Pays de Retz and Pays de Brière)
Bordering departments: Ille-et-Vilaine, Maine-et-Loire, Morbihan, Vendée

Area: 6,815 km²
Population (1995): 1,089,400 inhabitants

Préfecture: Nantes
Sous-préfectures: Ancenis, Châteaubriand, Saint-Nazaire
Subdivisions: 4 arrondissements, 59 cantons, 221 communes.

The department is named after the river Loire (1,020 km) and Atlantic Ocean.
Until 3 September 1957, the department was named Loire-Inférieure (Lower-Loire); it was then renamed Loire-Atlantique (Atlantic-Loire) to avoid the negative connotations of Inférieure (lower or inferior).

Use of the Breton flag by the General Council

The General Council of Loire-Atlantique has a specific flag, but the newly elected President of the General Council, Patrick Mareschal, has decided to hoist the traditional flag of Brittany on the building of the General Council.

The hoisting of the flag is a political statement. Since the creation of the French regions by the French State in 1941, the department of Loire-Atlantique is incorporated to the region of Pays de la Loire, whereas most of the department historically belongs