Loire-Atlantique [SEP] named after
Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique (, ; formerly "Loire-Inférieure") is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.
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 is part of the historical Duchy of Brittany, and
east, Mayenne to the east, Maine-et-Loire to the south-east, Loire-Atlantique to the south, Morbihan to the south-west, and Côtes-d'Armor to the west and north-west. Also the English Channel ("la Manche" in French) borders the department to the north.
The department is named after its two main rivers, the Ille and the Vilaine, whose confluence is in Rennes, the capital of the department and of the region. Other important rivers include