LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE

dpartement, Pays de la Loire rgion, western France, on the Bay of Biscay astride the estuary of the Loire River. Two-thirds of its area lies north of the Loire, which flows east to west for 80 miles (130 km) across the dpartement. Until 1957 known as Loire-Infrieure, it was created from the southern part of the province of Brittany, including the historic district of Retz, south of the Loire. The climate is humid, mild, and more favourable than the soil for agriculture, which produces cereals, forage, vegetables, and fruits. Vineyards produce the popular dry white Muscadet wine. Industrybuilding materials, chemicals, metals, textiles, food processing, and tanningis concentrated largely in the regions of Nantes (q.v.), the capital, and its shipbuilding port, Saint-Nazaire. The Vilaine River follows the northern border for 20 miles (32 km) before entering the sea in neighbouring Morbihan dpartement. The Vilaine is linked by the Nantes-to-Brest Canal to the Erdre, a northern tributary flowing into the Loire at Nantes. The dpartement, most of which lies less than 150 feet (45 m) above sea level, has 85 miles (137 km) of rocky, sandy coastline broken by the Loire estuary. Saint-Nazaire at the mouth of the Loire contrasts sharply with La Baule-Escoublac, a fashionable seaside resort on a fine sweep of sand 10 miles (16 km) west. The marshlands to the north, dominated by the medieval fortified town of Gurande, have been drained for pasture, but farther inland La Grande-Brire marshes, noted for duck shooting, are still flooded in winter. Still farther inland beyond the Sillon de Bretagne, a line of hillocks running northwest from Nantes, the meadowland is used for mixed farming. The dpartement rises in the northeast to the hilly region of Chteaubriant, an ancient fortified town. South of the Loire the shallow Grande-Lieu Lake, surrounded by swamps, is a favourite fishing and hunting area. The Svre Nantaise River, which enters the dpartement in the southeast, joins the Loire at Nantes. The 17 miles (27 km) of coast south of the Loire estuary, known as the Cte de Jade because of the green colour of the sea, is dotted with resorts. It has four arrondissementsNantes, Ancenis, Chteaubriant, and Saint-Nazaireand is in the educational division of Nantes. Area 2,631 square miles (6,815 square km). Pop. (1990) 1,052,183.