Brittany


Brittany (Breton: Breizh pronounced /bʁejs/; French: Bretagne, pronounced /bʁətaɲ/ ; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent kingdom and duchy, and a province of France. Brittany is one of the six Celtic Nations. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the old province and independent duchy. It was at one time called "Lesser Britain".

The historical province of Brittany was split between two modern-day régions of France. 80% of Brittany has become the région of Bretagne, while the remaining 20% of Brittany (Loire-Atlantique département with its préfecture Nantes, one of the former capitals of the duchy of Brittany) has been grouped with other historical provinces (Anjou, Maine, and so on) to create the région of Pays-de-la-Loire (that is "lands of the Loire"). For the reasons behind the splitting-up of Brittany, and the current debate regarding reunification, see the Bretagne article.

Brittany occupies a large peninsula in the northwest of France, lying between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its land area is 34,034 km² (13,137 sq. mi). The region is divided into five departments: to the west is Finistere, Côtes-d'Armor lies to the North, Ille-et-Vilaine is in the north-east, Loire-Atlantique is to the south-east and Morbihan lies in the middle.

In January 2005 the population of Brittany was estimated at 4,271,000 inhabitants. 72% of these live in the Bretagne région, while 28% of these live in the Pays-de-la-Loire région. At the 1999 census, the largest metropolitan areas were Nantes (711,120 inhabitants), Rennes (521,188 inhabitants), and Brest (303,484 inhabitants).