Description:

Loire-Atlantique is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution. Originally, it was named Loire-Inférieure, but its name was changed in 1957 to Loire-Atlantique.

Until the French Revolution, Loire-Atlantique had been part of the ancient province of Brittany. What many people still consider to be Brittany's capital, Nantes, is now the prefecture and administrative centre of Loire-Atlantique.

The inclusion of the Loire-Atlantique department in the region of Pays de la Loire, when the French regions came into being in the late 20th century, was a source of controversy and, to this day, there is a popular campaign to have Loire-Atlantique reintegrated into what is now the region of Brittany.

Geography

Bordering the Atlantic on the west, Loire-Atlantique is a department which is dominated by the influence of water.  The Atlantic coast of Loire-Atlantique extends to 130 kms. The river Loire dissects the department. Major tributaries of the Loire comprise, to the north the Erdre, the Chézine and the Gesvres, and to the south the Sèvre-nantaise. In the interior of Loire-Atlantique are the extensive salt marshes around the town of Guérande, the tranquil nature reserve of La Grande Brière traversed by tiny canals and, to the south of Nantes, Lac de Grand-lieu is one of the largest lakes in France.

Loire-Atlantique is a department of infinite contrasts with Nantes, a city of art and history, at its centre. To the west are the industrial shipyards of Saint Nazaire, on the coast the seaside resorts of La Baule,  Pornichet, Le Pouliguen and Pornic and fishing ports such as Le Croisic and La Turballe. Bordering the Loire are the vineyards of Muscadet and Gros Plant.

Climate

The climate of Loire-Atlantique is heavily influenced by its proximity to the sea. Mild winters and warm summers are the norm although summer can be hot. Average winter temperature is about 6°C whilst the summer average daytime temperature is about 24°C. Average annual hours of sunshine is just under 1800.

Demographics

Although Loire-Atlantique is ranked the 12th largest of the French departments in terms of population, for the most part it presents a rural character since 60% of the population lives in the Nantes-Saint Nazaire corridor. The Nantes-Saint Nazaire metropolitan area has a population of about 925,000 and is the fifth largest conurbation in France. Apart from Nantes and Saint Nazaire the two largest towns are of relatively modest size, namely Châteaubriant (pop. 23,562) and Clisson (pop. 16,496).

Economy

Loire-Atlantique has a well diversified economy. In rural areas agriculture, principally beef and dairy farming but including winegrowing, predominates with about 18000 employees spread across 5500 businesses.

In the Nantes-Saint Nazaire conurbation, the principal industries are aeronautics, shipbuilding, food manufacture and processing, engineering and research and development.

Across the department, three out of four inhabitants are employed in a range of service industries such as information technology, financial services and the tourist industry. Construction is also a significant employer with roughly 37000 employees.

Nantes, being a university city plays host to a large student population.

Tourism

The coastline of Loire-Atlantique, with its 68km of beaches along the Bay of Biscay, is peppered with a variety of coastal resorts from chic La Baule-Escoublac, Pornic, Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, to fishing ports such as Piriac and Le Croisic. In summer there is a very significant population increase as the many holiday homes fill up. Many of the Loire-atlantique beaches are popular with surfers. Detailed surf reports on Loire-atlantique and Vendée can be found on our surf reports page.

Away from the bustle of the coast, there are many more laid-back attractions in the hinterland. The medieval city of Guérande and the Château de la Bretesche at Missillac give an insight into the department’s historical heritage. Nature abounds in areas such as the salt marshes near Guérande, the Forest of Gâvre, or the marshes of the Brière. The city of Saint-Nazaire is famous for the World War II submarine pens but is keen to promote its industrial heritage to tourists and visitors.Part of the Airbus engineering works at Saint Nazaire is open to the public.

In Nantes the  historical centre and the Château des Ducs de Bretagne are not to be missed but there are also now major attractions on  the island of Nantes on the river Loire  comprising Les Machines de l’Ile (the Machines of the Island) – an exhibition of breathtaking (working) inventions and imaginary contraptions of  Jules Verne and Leonardo da Vinci. Perhaps the most famous is Le Grand Éléphant – a huge tourist carrying mechanical elephant (capacity 35 passengers).

South west of Nantes can be found Planète Sauvage, a massive safari park spread over 100 hectares containing over 2000 animals in semi-liberty. There are zoological gardens at la Boissiere du Doré.

Transport

Loire-Atlantique is well served by road, rail and air links. The principal autoroute from Paris is the A10/A11. The autoroute A83 heads south of Nantes towards Bordeaux. Dual-carriageway (Voie Express) National (N) routes proceed north and north west from Nantes heading towards Rennes and Lorient respectively.

By rail, the regional trains of TER link major towns and cities of Loire-Atlantique, the rest of the Pays de la Loire and adjoining regions. Nantes is on the TGV network. High speed trains run to Paris in just over 2 hours and there are many routes, both direct and interconnecting, to other major cities.

Nantes Atlantique International Airport is the biggest airport in northwest France and is located 8 km southwest of Nantes. It has routes to several French and European cities and some North Atlantic routes. A number of low-cost carriers operate services to Nantes-Atlantique. In 2010, the contract for the new Aéroport du Grand Ouest-Notre Dame des Landes was concluded. The new airport will be situated 30 km north-west of Nantes. The €580 million construction project and subsequent 55 year operating concession was awarded to Vinci.  Construction is expected to start in 2012. The projected completion date is in 2015.

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