Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in Western France. It is named after the two rivers,

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 ...

and 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 ...

. It borders

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 Ill ...

and

Sarthe Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the '' Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It ha ...

to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west,

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Deux-Sèvres Deux-Sèvres () is a French department. ''Deux-Sèvres'' literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department. It had a population of 374,878 in 2019.

to the south,

Vendée Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.

to the south-west, 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.

to the north-west. It also borders

in the north for just , France's shortest department boundary. Its prefecture is

Angers Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the pr ...

; its subprefectures are

Cholet Cholet (, , probably from Latin language, Latin ''cauletum'', "cabbage") is a Communes of France, commune of western France in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department. With 54,307 inhabitants (2019), it is the second most populous c ...

, Saumur and

Segré-en-Anjou Bleu Segré-en-Anjou Bleu (, literally ''Segré in Blue Anjou'') is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department of western France. The municipality was established on 15 December 2016 and consists of the former communes of Aviré, Le Bourg-d'Iré, ...

. Maine-et-Loire had a population of 818,273 in 2019.Populations légales 2019: 49 Maine-et-Loire
INSEE

History

Maine-et-Loire 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 coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

on 4 March 1790, mostly out of the southern portion of the former 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 **Duk ...

. Originally it was called Mayenne-et-Loire, but its name was changed to Maine-et-Loire in 1791. Its present name is drawn from the rivers

and

, which meet within the department.

Geography

Maine-et-Loire is part of the current region of Pays de la Loire. The principal city is

, the seat of a bishopric and of a court of appeal. It has a varied landscape, with forested ranges of hills in the south and north separated by the valley of the

. The highest point is Colline des Gardes at . Part of the Loire Valley

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

lies in Maine-et-Loire. The area has many navigable rivers such as the Loire,

, Loir, and Authion.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is

, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 6 communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:

Demographics

The inhabitants of Maine-et-Loire have no official qualifier. They are sometimes known as ''Angevins'', from the former province of Anjou, or ''Mainéligériens'', from the name of the department. Population development since 1801:

Politics

The president of the Departmental Council is Florence Dabin, elected in July 2021.

Current National Assembly Representatives

Tourism

Châteaux of the Loire Valley *

Château de Montsoreau The Château de Montsoreau is a Flamboyant Gothic castle in the Loire Valley, directly built in the Loire riverbed. It is located in the small market town of Montsoreau, in the Maine-et-Loire ''Departments of France, département'' of France, ...

. * Royal Abbey of Fontevraud. *

Château de Brissac The Château de Brissac is a French château in the Brissac-Quincé area of the commune of Brissac Loire Aubance, located in the department of Maine-et-Loire, France. The property is owned by the Cossé-Brissac family, whose head bears the F ...

. *

Château de Saumur A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

. * Château d'Angers. * Château de Brézé.

traditions * The largest vineyard of the Loire Valley. * The boule de fort, the traditional

boules ''Boules'' () is a collective name for a wide range of games similar to bowls and bocce (In French: jeu or jeux, in Croatian: boćanje and in Italian: gioco or giochi) in which the objective is to throw or roll heavy balls (called in France, ...

game in Anjou

and around: * The Angers castle and the

Apocalypse Tapestry The ''Apocalypse Tapestry'' is a large medieval set of tapestries commissioned by Louis I, the Duke of Anjou, and woven in Paris between 1377 and 1382. It depicts the story of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation by Saint John the Divine in ...

, the largest tapestry in the world. * The

Cointreau Cointreau (, , ) is a brand of orange-flavoured triple sec liqueur produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France. It is consumed as an apéritif and digestif, and is a component of several well-known cocktails. It was originally called Curaça ...

museum, in

Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou (, literally ''Saint-Barthélemy of Anjou'') is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It is known as the place where Cointreau orange liqueur is produced. Cointreau was invented and previously pr ...

* The

, the tallest castle of the Loire Valley. * The crooked spires in

Baugé Baugé () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire ''département'' in western France. On 1 January 2013, it was merged with the former communes of Montpollin, Pontigné, Saint-Martin-d'Arcé and Le Vieil-Baugé to create the commune of Baugé ...

region. Saumur and around: * The

Cadre Noir The Cadre Noir (; en, Black Cadre) is a corps of ecuyers, or instructors, at the French military riding academy École Nationale d'Équitation at Saumur in western France, founded in 1828. It also performs as an equestrian display team. Its na ...

, one of the most famous horsemanship school in the world. * Montsoreau Flea Market is the largest Flea Market in the Loire Valley taking place every second Sunday of the month. *

Château de Montsoreau-Museum of contemporary art The Château de Montsoreau-Museum Contemporary Art is a private museum open to the public in Montsoreau, France. It opened 8 April 2016. The permanent collection exhibited at Château de Montsoreau consists of Philippe Méaille's collection of w ...

, featuring the Philippe Méaille Collection, largest collection of works by the British

conceptual art Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called insta ...

ists, Art & Language. * The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud and the graves of the House of Plantagenet, including

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

. * The

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...

museum of Saumur, which display the largest tank collection in France. * Around Saumur, the largest concentration of troglodyte house in Europe.

and around: * The textile museum of

, and the creation of the famous red and white

handkerchief A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as wi ...

. * The Château de Touvois * The Parc Oriental de Maulévrier, the largest

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desi ...

of France

Segré Segré () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2016, it was merged into the new commune Segré-en-Anjou Bleu.Pouancé Pouancé () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2016, it was merged into the new commune Ombrée d'Anjou. It is located on the border of 4 French departements: Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne in the n ...

and its

medieval castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified ...

. * The Blue Mine, a slate mine, with a

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

which goes 130 meters under the surface. * The National

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

of Le Lion-d'Angers, which host every year Le Mondial du Lion * The Château de Challain-la-Potherie File:Loire Maine Angers2 tango7174.jpg, Château d'Angers File:Saumur.JPG, Saumur File:Cadre noir - cabriole à la main.jpg,

File:Fontevraud3.jpg,

Fontevraud Abbey The Royal Abbey of Our Lady of Fontevraud or Fontevrault (in French: ''abbaye de Fontevraud'') was a monastery in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in the former French duchy of Anjou. It was founded in 1101 by the itinerant preache ...

File:Montreuil-Bellay castle, aerial view - Retouched.jpg,

Montreuil-Bellay Montreuil-Bellay () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It is located approximately 15 km to the south of Saumur, and is famous for the Château de Montreuil-Bellay, which is situated in the town. Montreuil-Be ...

File:Château de Montsoreau(Maine-et-Loire).jpg,

Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art The Château de Montsoreau-Museum Contemporary Art is a private museum open to the public in Montsoreau, France. It opened 8 April 2016. The permanent collection exhibited at Château de Montsoreau consists of Philippe Méaille's collection of w ...

References

External links

*
Prefecture website
*
Departmental Council website
*
Anjou Tourism Board website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maine-Et-Loire 1790 establishments in France Departments of Pays de la Loire States and territories established in 1790