BRITTANY
The region of Bretagne or Brittany in the North East of France is made up of 80% of the former duchy and province of Brittany. The remaining 20% of Brittany is the Department of the Loire Atlantic which lies inside the region of the Pays-de-la-Loire with its capital Nantes. Nantes was also the historical capital of the duchy of Brittany. Although Nantes had been the main capital of the duchy of Brittany until the 16th century, Rennes had been the seat of the supreme court of justice of Brittany between 1560 and 1789 and is today the administrative capital.
There are four Departments in the Brittany region, namely Cotes-d'Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan. The major cities include Brest, Concarneau, Lorient, Ploemeur, St Malo, Quimper, Rennes. In the western part of Brittany the local dialect is still spoken (Breton). This is very much like Welsh. Modern French administration now allows for Breton and Gallo to be used by the region and its communes, in road signs and names of towns and cities, along with the French version. Breton and Gallo are also taught at school, and many folklore associations and clubs try to re-introduce these languages.
The surface area of Brittany is 27,208km².
There are several airports in Brittany serving destinations within France and the UK. There are good train services linking the region with Paris, Lyon and Lille and there are ferry services carrying passengers, and freight to the UK, Channel Islands and Ireland.
DEPTS IN REGION
These departments are in this region, click on the department name to
explore.
Cote-d Armor
Finistère
Ille-et-Vilaine
Morbihan