Loire-Atlantique (Department, France)

Last modified: 2003-07-05 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

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.
It was formerly named Loire-Inférieure (Lower-Loire), and was renamed Loire-Atlantique (Atlantic-Loire) because Inférieure was regarded as derogatory by the inhabitants of the department.