Country France Subprefectures DinanGuingampLannion Department number 22 Area 6,878 km² Population 597,085 (2013) | Time zone CET (UTC+1) Arrondissements 4 Capital Saint-Brieuc | |
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Points of interest Cap Fréhel, Côte de Granit Rose, Fort‑la‑Latte, Tréguier Cathedral, Jentilez Destinations | ||
Côtes-d'Armor ([kot.daʁ.mɔʁ]; Breton: Aodoù-an-Arvor), formerly named Côtes-du-Nord, is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France.
Contents
Map of C%C3%B4tes-d'Armor, France
History
Côtes-du-Nord was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Brittany. Its name was changed in 1990 to Côtes-d'Armor (ar mor meaning "the sea" in Breton and Côtes meaning "coast" in French). The name also has a historical connotation recalling the Roman province of Armorica.
The present department corresponds to most of historical Trégor, part of Cornouaille, and most of Saint-Brieuc.
Geography
Côtes-d'Armor is part of the current administrative region of Brittany and is surrounded by the departments of Finistère, Morbihan, and Ille-et-Vilaine, with the English Channel to the north.
Demographics
The inhabitants of the department are called Costarmoricains.
Politics
The Côtes-d'Armor has usually been a left-wing holdout in a historically strongly clerical and right-wing Brittany, due to the department's more anti-clerical nature, especially in the inland area around Guingamp, a former Communist stronghold.
The President of the General Council is Claudy Lebreton of the Socialist Party.
Culture
The western part of the département is part of the traditionally Breton-speaking "Lower Brittany" (Breizh-Izel in Breton). The boundary runs from Plouha to Mûr-de-Bretagne. The Breton language has become an intense issue in many parts of Brittany, and many Breton-speakers advocate for bilingual schools. Gallo is also spoken in the east and is offered as a language in the schools and on the baccalaureat exams.
Notable people
The English born poet Robert William Service (1874–1958) known as the "Bard of the Yukon" is buried in Lancieux.