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

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

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

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

and the

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) 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 rises in the so ...

. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-et-Loire to the east, Vienne and

Deux-Sèvres Deux-Sèvres (, Poitevin-Saintongese: ''Deùs Saevres'') 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 ...

to the south, Vendée to the south-west, and

Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Ill-e-Vilaenn'', ) is a departments of France, department of France, located in the regions of France, region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named a ...

to the north-west. It also borders

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

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

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

; its subprefectures are Cholet, Saumur and Segré-en-Anjou Bleu. 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 on 4 March 1790, mostly out of the southern portion of the former province of Anjou. 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 lies in Maine-et-Loire. The area has many navigable rivers such as the Loire, Sarthe, Mayenne,

Loir The Loir is a long river in western France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe. Its source is in the Eure-et-Loir department, north of Illiers-Combray. It joins the river Sarthe in Briollay, north of the city of Angers. It is indirectly ...

, 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. * Royal Abbey of Fontevraud. * Château de Brissac. * Château de Saumur. * Château d'Angers. * Château de Brézé. Anjou traditions * The largest vineyard of the Loire Valley. * The boule de fort, the traditional boules game in Anjou

and around: * The Angers castle and the Apocalypse Tapestry, the largest tapestry in the world. * The Cointreau museum, in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou * The Château de Brissac, the tallest castle of the Loire Valley. * The crooked spires in Baugé region. Saumur and around: * The Cadre Noir, 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, featuring the Philippe Méaille Collection, largest collection of works by the British conceptual artists,

Art & Language Art & Language is an English conceptual artists' collaboration that has undergone many changes since it was created around 1967. The group was founded by artists who shared a common desire to combine intellectual ideas and concerns with the cre ...

. * The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud and the graves of the

House of Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet (Help:IPA/English, /plænˈtædʒənət/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal house which originated from the Medieval France, French county of Anjou. The name Plantagenet is used by mo ...

, including

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

. * 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 battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

museum of Saumur, which display the largest tank collection in France. * Around Saumur, the largest concentration of troglodyte house in Europe. Cholet and around: * The textile museum of Cholet, and the creation of the famous red and white handkerchief. * 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 desig ...

of France Segré and around: * The fortified city of Pouancé and its medieval castle. * 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 grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...

which goes 130 meters under the surface. * The National stud 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, Cadre Noir File:Fontevraud3.jpg, Fontevraud Abbey File:Montreuil-Bellay castle, aerial view - Retouched.jpg, Montreuil-Bellay File:Château de Montsoreau(Maine-et-Loire).jpg, Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art

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