Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the extreme west of

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.Populations légales 2019: 29 Finistère
INSEE

History

The present department consists of the historical region of

Léon Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

and parts of

Cornouaille Cornouaille (; br, Kernev, Kerne) is a historical region on the west coast of Brittany in West France. The name is cognate with Cornwall in neighbouring Great Britain. This can be explained by the settlement of Cornouaille by migrant princ ...

and

Trégor Trégor (; br, Treger, ), officially the Land of Trégor (french: pays du Trégor, link=no; br, Bro-Dreger, link=no, ) is one of the nine traditional provinces of Brittany, in its northwestern area. It comprises the western part of the Côte ...

, both parts of pre-revolutionary

. The name ''Finistère'' derives from the Latin ''Finis Terræ'', meaning ''end of the earth.'' In England, a similar area is called

Land's End Land's End ( kw, Penn an Wlas or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...

. The Breton name for Finistère, ''Penn ar Bed,'' translates as "Head/End of the World" and is similar to the Cornish name for Land's End, ''Pedn-an-Wlas'' (Head/End of the country), and also Penfro (English: Pembroke) in Wales (pen = end, bro = country). Finistère is not to be confused with Finisterre in Galicia,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, which shares the same etymology.

Geography

The largest population centre in Finistère is

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

. Other large towns in the department include

Quimper Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department. Geography Th ...

(the capital), Concarneau,

Morlaix Morlaix (; br, Montroulez) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Leisure and tourism The old quarter of the town has winding streets of cobbled stones and overha ...

Carhaix Carhaix-Plouguer (; br, Karaez-Plougêr ), commonly known as just Carhaix (), is a commune in the French department of Finistère, region of Brittany, France.Quimperlé Quimperlé (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Geography Quimperlé is in the southeast of Finistère, 20 km to the west of Lorient and 44 km to the east of Quimper. Historically, it belo ...

and

Douarnenez Douarnenez (, ; meaning ''douar'' (land) ''an enez'' (the island) or land of the island), is a commune in the French department of Finistère, region of Brittany, northwestern France. It is located at the mouth of the Pouldavid River, an estua ...

. Finistèrre includes the island of

Ushant Ushant (; br, Eusa, ; french: Ouessant, ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and, in medieval terms, Léon. In lower tiers of govern ...

(''Eusa'' in

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

, ''Ouessant'' in French). Finistère is the westernmost department of

Metropolitan France Metropolitan France (french: France métropolitaine or ''la Métropole''), also known as European France (french: Territoire européen de la France) is the area of France which is geographically in Europe. This collective name for the European ...

and can also claim to be the "most coastal" department in Metropolitan France. Of its 277 communes, 117 are located on the coast. Its total coastline of approximately accounts for almost a quarter of the entire Brittany coast-line. Carteroute29

The ''abers'', rugged fjord-like inlets on the north coast, are a notable feature of the landscape. The westernmost point of continental France, known as the

Pointe de Corsen The Pointe de Corsen is the westernmost point of continental France, located west of Brest in the Plouarzel Commune, Finistère, Brittany. The nearest village is Ruscumunoc. A CROSS sea monitoring site is located at the point. Pointe de Corsen ...

, extends from the northwestern tip of Finistère. About 40 kilometres to the south (as the crow flies) is the slightly less westerly, but rugged and isolated, headland of

Pointe du Raz The Pointe du Raz is a promontory that extends into the Atlantic from western Brittany, in France. The local Breton name is ''Beg ar Raz''. It is the western point of the ''commune'' of Plogoff, Finistère. It is named after the ''Raz de Sein' ...

Principal towns

The most populous commune is

; the prefecture

is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 15,000 inhabitants:

Demographics

Economy

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, food processing and various related industries occupy an important place in Finistère's economy. The military presence in Finistère (

Île Longue Île Longue ( French for "Long Island") is a peninsula of the roadstead of Brest in the department of Finistère in the Brittany region. It is the base of the SNLE, the French ballistic missile submarines, and as such one of the most secretive ...

nuclear submarine A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines. Nuclear propulsion, ...

base and the Naval Air base of Lanvéoc-Poulmic), as well as military-related industries, such as the Brest headquarters of DCNS, employ a significant number of the ''départements population. The

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

Roscoff Roscoff (; br, Rosko) is a commune in the Finistère département of Brittany in northwestern France. Roscoff is renowned for its picturesque architecture, labelled (small town of character) since 2009. Roscoff is also a traditional departure ...

links Brittany by ferry with

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Politics

Current National Assembly Representatives

Culture

Finistère is the area where

survives most strongly as a spoken language. Breton-speaking schools are called Diwan, Divyezh and Dihun. The Festival de

, which takes place in Quimper, is a celebration of

Breton music Since the early 1970s, Brittany has experienced a tremendous revival of its folk music. Along with flourishing traditional forms such as the bombard- biniou pair and fest-noz ensembles incorporating other additional instruments, it has also branched ...

and traditions. One of the highlights of summer in Finistère is the " Festival des Vieilles Charrues" held in Carhaix-Plouguer. Major international stars attract tens of thousands of spectators."Vieilles Charrues Festival"
, official website The painter

Raymond Wintz Raymond Wintz (Joseph Raimond Wintz) (1884–1956) was a Paris-born painter and engraver whose most famous paintings were of marine and coastal views in Brittany. He is best known for his painting ''The Blue Door'', which is still widely ava ...

(1884–1956) featured many locations around Finistère. Roland Doré was a sculptor who executed many of the calvaries in Finistère.

Tourism

File:Quimper2011.png,

File:Ouessant DSC02641.jpg, Granite rocks in

Ouessant Ushant (; br, Eusa, ; french: Ouessant, ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and, in medieval terms, Léon. In lower tiers of govern ...

File:Phare de Pontusval 4490.jpg, Pontusval lighthouse near Brignogan-Plages File:ND de Tronoën Chapelle et calvaire 2.jpg, Calvary in

Saint-Jean-Trolimon Saint-Jean-Trolimon (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Population Inhabitants of Saint-Jean-Trolimon are called in French ''Trolimonais''. Breton language The municipality launched a linguistic p ...

File:29 - Locronan.jpg,

Locronan Locronan (; br, Lokorn) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France, with a population of 800. Locronan is a member of the ''Les Plus Beaux Villages de France'' ("The most beautiful villages of France") associa ...

File:Concarneau - la ville close à marée basse.jpg, Concarneau File:Finis Terrae Finistère.jpg, Pointe du Chateau, Plougrescant File:20110824 Pointe de Pen-Hir (10).jpg, Pointe de Pen-Hir

References

External links

*
Departmental Council website
*
Prefecture website
* *
Finistère Tourisme, agence de développement touristique du Finistère
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finistere Departments of Brittany Brittany region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia