Regional information for Loire-Atlantique, Pays De La Loire

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.

Major towns and cities include

Nantes

The city is the sixth largest in France, while its metropolitan area is the eighth with 711,120 inhabitants at the 1999 census, and 804,833 inhabitants at a 2008 estimate. It is located on the banks of the Loire River, at the confluence of the Erdre and the Sèvre Nantaise, 55 km (35 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean.

Nantes is the capital of the Loire-Atlantique and not without good reason! It is a dynamic centre with Art-Nouveau squares, churches & museums and chic bars and restaurants.