The Côtes-d'Armor ( , ; ; , ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 (, ), is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2023, it had a population of 611,859.

Post-War

On 27 February 1990, the name was changed to Côtes-d'Armor; the name is a portmanteau of the French word côtes means "coasts" and ar mor is "the sea" in Breton. The name also recalls that of the Roman province of Armorica ("the coastal region").

Geography

Côtes-d'Armor is part of the current administrative region of Brittany and is bounded by the departments of Ille-et-Vilaine to the east, Morbihan to the south, and Finistère to the west, and by the English Channel to the north.

The region is an undulating plateau including three well-marked ranges of hills in the south. A granitoid chain, the Monts du Méné, starting in the south-east of the department runs in a north-westerly direction, forming the watershed between the rivers running respectively to the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. Towards its western extremity this chain bifurcates to form the Montagnes Noires in the south-west and the Monts d'Arrée in the west of the department. Off the coast, which is steep, rocky and much indented, are the Jentilez, Bréhat and other small islands. The principal bays are those of Saint-Malo and Saint-Brieuc.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Saint-Brieuc, the prefecture. As of 2023, there are 6 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:

{| class=wikitable

! Commune

! Population (2023)

|-

| Saint-Brieuc

| style="text-align: center;" | 44,364

|-

| Lannion

| style="text-align: center;" | 20,315

|-

| Lamballe-Armor

| style="text-align: center;" | 17,241

|-

| Dinan

| style="text-align: center;" | 14,764

|-

| Plérin

| style="text-align: center;" | 14,425

|-

| Ploufragan

| style="text-align: center;" | 11,507

|}

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are known in French as Costarmoricains.

Politics

Côtes-d'Armor's long tradition of anti-clericalism, especially in the interior around Guingamp (a former Communist stronghold), has often led to the department's being seen as an area of left-wing exceptionalism in a region that historically was otherwise strongly Catholic and right-wing. The current president of the departmental council, Christian Coail, is a member of the Socialist Party.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"

!colspan=2| Party groupings || seats

|-

! style="background-color: " |

|Centre et droite républicaine||align="right"| 32

|-

! style="background-color: " |

|Socialiste et républicain||align="right"| 15

|-

! style="background-color: " |

|Communiste et républicain||align="right"| 5

|-

! style="background-color: white" |

|non-party||align="right"| 2

|-

|}

Current National Assembly Representatives

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member!!Party

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Côtes-d'Armor's 1st constituency

| Mickaël Cosson

| MoDem

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Côtes-d'Armor's 2nd constituency

| Hervé Berville

| Renaissance

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Côtes-d'Armor's 3rd constituency

| Corentin Le Fur

| The Republicans

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Côtes-d'Armor's 4th constituency

| Murielle Lepvraud

| La France insoumise

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Côtes-d'Armor's 5th constituency

| Éric Bothorel

| Renaissance

|}

Culture

The western part of the department 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.

<gallery>

File:Paimpol Hafen 9305.jpg|Paimpol

File:PSIMG 4112.JPG|Perros-Guirec

File:200707 Fort La Latte 03.JPG|Fort-la-Latte

File:CapFrehelLightHouse.jpg|Cap Fréhel

File:Castel Meur.JPG|Castel Meur house in Plougrescant

File:Du Guesclin Dinan.jpg|Statue of Bertrand du Guesclin in Dinan

File:La Manche en Côtes-d'Armor.jpg|Seen from a hiking trail

File:Fous de bassan sur l'île Rouzic en Bretagne 3.jpg|Gannets on Rouzic Island

File:Petit port à marée haute en Côte d'Armor près de PLOUGUERNEAU.jpg|Small harbour at high tide

File:La Mer en en Côtes-d'Armor.jpg|The coast

</gallery>

Notable people

  • Anne Beaumanoir (1923–2022), one of the Righteous Among the Nations, was born in Guildo.
  • Bernadette Cattanéo (1899–1963), trade unionist and militant communist
  • English-born poet Robert William Service (1874–1958), known as the "Bard of the Yukon", is buried in Lancieux.

See also

  • Cantons of the Côtes-d'Armor department
  • Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department
  • Arrondissements of the Côtes-d'Armor department
  • Chemin de fer des Côtes-du-Nord, former railway in this region

References

  • Prefecture website
  • Departmental Council website
  • Tourist board website