Mayenne () is a landlocked
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in northwest France named after the river
Mayenne
Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ille-et ...
. Mayenne is part of the
administrative region
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
of
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" ().
...
and is surrounded by the departments of
Manche,
Orne,
Sarthe,
Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-e ...
, and
Ille-et-Vilaine
Ille-et-Vilaine (; br, Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named after the two rivers of the Ille and the Vilaine. It had a population of 1,079,498 in 2019. .
Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
on 4 March 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of the
former province of
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
. The southern third of Mayenne corresponds to the northern portion of the old province of
Anjou Anjou may refer to:
Geography and titles France
*County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou
**Count of Anjou, title of nobility
*Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France
**Duke ...
. The inhabitants of the department are called ''Mayennais''. It had a population of 307,062 in 2019.
[Populations légales 2019: 53 Mayenne]
INSEE
History
Like 82 other departments, Mayenne was created on 4 March 1790 during the early stages of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
by order of the
National Constituent Assembly. The new departments were to be uniformly administered and approximately equal to one another in size and population. The former province of Maine was partitioned into two, Upper Maine, centred on
Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
, became the new department of Sarthe, and Lower Maine, centred on Laval became the new department of Mayenne.
Anjou Anjou may refer to:
Geography and titles France
*County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou
**Count of Anjou, title of nobility
*Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France
**Duke ...
, to the south, being too big to form a single department, was reduced in size and became Maine-et-Loire. In this partition, Sarthe received the region of
La Flèche
La Flèche () is a town and commune in the French department of Sarthe, in the Pays de la Loire region in the Loire Valley. It is the sub-prefecture of the South-Sarthe, the chief district and the chief city of a canton, and the second most po ...
, and Mayenne received
Château-Gontier and
Craon.
Flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
was a feature of the Mayenne economy, and the southern limit for the cultivation of flax was used to determine the new border between Mayenne and Maine-et-Loire.
The American first army's 90th Infantry Division were tasked with capturing the town in 1944.
Geography
Mayenne is a department in northwestern France and is part of the region of
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" ().
...
. The department does not have a sea coast, but about thirty kilometres to the northwest is
Mont Saint-Michel Bay. The capital and largest town is
Laval
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...
in the centre of the department. To the north lies the department of
Orne, to the east lies
Sarthe, to the south lies
Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-e ...
, to the west lies
Ille-et-Vilaine
Ille-et-Vilaine (; br, Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named after the two rivers of the Ille and the Vilaine. It had a population of 1,079,498 in 2019. and to the northwest lies
Manche. The department forms a roughly rectangular shape, being long by wide, with a total area of about . The river
Mayenne
Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ille-et ...
flows centrally through it from north to south, passing through the towns of
Mayenne
Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ille-et ...
, Laval and Château-Gontier. After leaving the department, the river joins the river
Sarthe to form the
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
which later joins the
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
.
The department is varied in
topography
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps.
Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...
. Much of it is largely flat, but there are also hilly areas, some with steep-sided valleys and ravines. Of the total area of , some are arable, are grassland, are forests and woodland and are heathland and moorland.
To the north lies the
Armorican Massif, a plateau that has been eroded over time, the highest summit of which, the Mont des Avaloirs, is the highest point in the department at above sea level. A branch range to the south of this plateau forms the ridge that divides the Mayenne Valley from the
Vilaine
The Vilaine (; br, Gwilen) is a river in Brittany, in the west of France. The river's source is in the Mayenne ''département'' (53), and it flows out into the Atlantic Ocean at Pénestin in the Morbihan ''département'' (56). It is 218 km ...
Valley.
[
The department is subdivided into three arrondissements: Mayenne, Laval, and Château-Gontier; and is coincident with the ]Roman Catholic Diocese of Laval
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Laval (Latin: ''Dioecesis Valleguidonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Laval'') is a Roman Catholic Latin Rite diocese in France. The episcopal see is Laval Cathedral in the city of Laval. Created in June 1855, the dioc ...
.
Principal towns
The most populous commune is Laval
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...
, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 7,000 inhabitants:[
]
Demographics
Population development since 1801:
Politics
The president of the Departmental Council is Olivier Richefou, elected in 2014.
Presidential elections 2nd round
Current National Assembly Representatives
Flora and fauna
Mayenne has a diversity of habitat types such as forest, heathland, bog and farmland. Some 1445 species of plants, 63 species of mammals, 280 species of birds, 16 species of amphibians and 11 species of reptiles have been recorded, as well as thousands of species of invertebrates. The peat-lands and bogs are often fringed with woodlands of alder and ash, and in some places carnivorous plants such as sundew and butterwort
''Pinguicula'', commonly known as the butterworts, is a genus of carnivorous flowering plants in the family Lentibulariaceae. They use sticky, glandular leaves to lure, trap, and digest insects in order to supplement the poor mineral nutrition ...
flourish, fritillaries
''Fritillaria'' (fritillaries) is a genus of spring flowering herbaceous bulbous perennial plants in the lily family (Liliaceae). The type species, ''Fritillaria meleagris'', was first described in Europe in 1571, while other species from the ...
, marsh cinquefoil
''Comarum palustre'' ( syn. ''Potentilla palustris''), known by the common names purple marshlocks, swamp cinquefoil and marsh cinquefoil, is a common waterside shrub. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring throughout North America, Europe ...
and cottongrass
''Eriophorum'' (cottongrass, cotton-grass or cottonsedge) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cyperaceae, the sedge family. They are found throughout the arctic, subarctic, and temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere in acid bog h ...
grow and butterflies, dragonflies and spiders abound.
The woodlands are mostly small with the deciduous trees dominated by oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
. Here roe deer
The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...
, badger, fire salamander, Aesculapian snake, middle spotted woodpecker
The middle spotted woodpecker (''Dendrocoptes medius'') is a European woodpecker belonging to the genus '' Dendrocoptes''.
Taxonomy
The middle spotted woodpecker was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the ...
, little owl
The little owl (''Athene noctua''), also known as the owl of Athena or owl of Minerva, is a bird that inhabits much of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, the Palearctic east to Korea, and North Africa. It was introduced into Britain at ...
and white admiral can be found and uncommon plants present including European columbine and wild russet apple
Russet apples are varieties and cultivars of apples that regularly exhibit russeting, partial or complete coverage with rough patches of greenish-brown to yellowish-brown colour. While russeting is generally an undesirable trait in modern cultivar ...
.[
The dry grasslands, which cover the limestone and sandstone soils, are also rich in fauna and flora. They house the snake '']Vipera aspis
''Vipera aspis'' is a viper species found in southwestern Europe.
Its common names include asp, asp viper,Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Krieger Publishing Company, Malaba ...
'', the Large blue
The large blue (''Phengaris arion'') is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The species was first defined in 1758 and first recorded in Britain in 1795. In 1979 the species became mostly extinct in Britain but has been successfully ...
butterfly, the blue-winged grasshopper and the bee orchid Bee orchid is a common name for several orchids and may refer to:
*'' Cottonia peduncularis'', a species of orchid from India and Sri Lanka
*'' Diuris carinata'', a species of orchid from the south-west of Western Australia
*'' Ida barringtoniae'', ...
. The heathland in the north of Mayenne is populated by dwarf gorse
''Ulex minor'', the dwarf furze or dwarf gorse is an evergreen dwarf shrub in the family Fabaceae, native to eastern England, France, Spain and Portugal. It is restricted to lowland heathland habitats.
It normally grows about tall, although i ...
and cross-leaved heath
''Erica tetralix'', the cross-leaved heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to western Europe, from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europe ...
and there are plenty of spiders, nightjars
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk ta ...
and warbler
Various Passeriformes (perching birds) are commonly referred to as warblers. They are not necessarily closely related to one another, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal, and insectivorous.
Sylvioid warblers
Th ...
s. The old quarries are the refuge of bats, amphibians, the shining cranesbill and greater butterfly orchid
''Platanthera chlorantha'', commonly known as greater butterfly-orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus ''Platanthera''. It can be found throughout Europe and Morocco. The name ''Platanthera'' is derived from Greek, meaning "broad anthers", ...
. Rivers and ponds are home to eel, northern crested newt
The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to ...
, European otter
The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of th ...
, kingfisher, grass snake, common moorhen and plants such as spearwort, yellow flag, arrowhead and ''Isopyrum thalictroides
''Isopyrum thalictroides'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Ranunculaceae.
Its native range is Europe.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13268229
Ranunculaceae ...
'', a small poisonous plant.[
]
Economy
The department is largely rural with about 80% being used for agriculture, 8% being urban area and the remainder forest, heath and plantations. Livestock farming predominates, with the breeding of cattle, horses and pigs, and also bee-keeping being important.[ The soil is generally poor, but it is of better quality around Laval and Château-Gontier. In these parts corn is cultivated and there are plantings of hemp, flax, fruits and vines.
There are many apple orchards and large quantities of ]cider
Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...
are made.[ The department is rich in mineral resources; iron and coal are mined and there are quarries for ]marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
, slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
, building stone, limestone and flint; the white sand deposits are used in the manufacture of glass.[
Industries include the manufacture of linen, paper and hemp, and cider-making is traditionally carried on in the department.] Office furniture is manufactured in Château-Gontier, and Laval is active in the industrial sector, with dairy products, electronics and chemicals in a modern science park
A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park”, "technopark", “technopole", or a "science and technology park" (STP)) is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growt ...
.
Tourism
File:Château de Laval 43.JPG, Laval
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...
File:Paysage Coëvrons.JPG, View from the Armorican Massif
File:Couvent des Ursulines - Château-Gontier 15.JPG, Abbey in Château-Gontier
File:Chateau Ste-Suzanne 53.jpg, Château de Sainte-Suzanne
File:Château de Lassay 13.JPG, Chateau de Lassay
See also
* Cantons of the Mayenne department The following is a list of the 17 cantons of the Mayenne department, in France, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:
* Bonchamp-lès-Laval
* Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne-1
* Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne ...
* Communes of the Mayenne department
* Arrondissements of the Mayenne department
The 3 arrondissements of the Mayenne department are:
# Arrondissement of Château-Gontier, (subprefecture: Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne) with 76 communes. The population of the arrondissement was 73,186 in 2014.
# Arrondissement of Laval, (prefect ...
* Duke of Mayenne
Duke of Mayenne (duc de Mayenne) is a title created for a cadet branch of the House of Guise. It subsequently passed by marriage to the Gonzaga in 1621. They sold it to Cardinal Mazarin in 1654; he bestowed it on his niece, Hortense Mancini in 1 ...
* Departmental Council of Mayenne
References
External links
*
Prefecture website
*
Departmental council website
{{Authority control
1790 establishments in France
Departments of Pays de la Loire
States and territories established in 1790