Country France Subprefectures Lorient
Pontivy Department number 56 Area 6,823 km² Population 737,778 (2013) | Region Brittany Time zone CET (UTC+1) Arrondissements 3 Prefecture Vannes Capital Vannes | |
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Colleges and Universities École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, École nationale supérieure d'ingénieurs de Bretagne sud Points of interest Zoo and Botanical Garden of, Zoo de Pont Scorff, Château de Suscinio, Vannes Cathedral, Lake Guerlédan Destinations Lorient, Vannes, Carnac, Belle Île, Auray | ||
Morbihan france is an ideal european retirement destination
Morbihan ([mɔʁbi.ɑ̃]; Breton: Mor-Bihan, [morˈbiˑãn]) is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (small sea in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline. It is noted for its Carnac stones, which predate and are more extensive than the more familiar Stonehenge.
Contents
- Morbihan france is an ideal european retirement destination
- Map of Morbihan France
- History
- Geography
- Art and culture
- Governance
- Tourism
- References
Map of Morbihan, France
History
Morbihan is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from a part of the Duchy of Brittany.
Geography
Morbihan is part of the current region of Brittany and is surrounded by the departments of Finistère, Côtes-d'Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Loire-Atlantique, and the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest.
The Gulf of Morbihan has many islands: 365 according to legend, but, in reality, between 30 and 40, depending on how they are counted. There are also many islets which are too small to be built on. Of these islands, all but two are private: l'Île-aux-Moines and l'Île-d'Arz. The others are privately owned, some by movie stars or fashion designers.
In the department of Morbihan, but outside the Gulf, there are four inhabited islands:
The largest towns in Morbihan are Vannes and Lorient.
Art and culture
The Breton language is an important issue, with many advocating bilingual education.
The painter Raymond Wintz (1884–1956) depicted locations around the Gulf of Morbihan.
Governance
As of 2014, the préfet of Morbihan is Jean-François Savy, previously head of the Prefectures of Ardennes and of Hautes-Alpes.