Côtes-d'Armor

Category:Use dmy dates from March 2021

Category:Articles with short descriptionCategory:Short description is different from Wikidata
Côtes-d'Armor
Aodoù-an-ArvorCategory:Articles containing Breton-language text (Breton)
Department
The departmental council and prefectural building in Saint-Brieuc.
The departmental council and prefectural building in Saint-Brieuc.
Flag of Côtes-d'Armor
Flag
Coat of arms of Côtes-d'Armor
Coat of arms
Location of Côtes-d'Armor in France
Location of Côtes-d'Armor in France
Coordinates: 48°20′N 02°50′W / 48.333°N 2.833°W / 48.333; -2.833Category:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlasCategory:Coordinates on Wikidata
CountryFrance
RegionBrittany
PrefectureSaint-Brieuc
SubprefecturesDinan
Guingamp
Lannion
Government
 • President of the departmental councilChristian Coail[1] (PS)
Area
1
 • Total
6,878 km2 (2,656 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
 • Total
611,859
 • Rank42nd
 • Density88.96/km2 (230.4/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number22
Arrondissements4
Cantons27
Communes344
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

The Côtes-d'Armor (/koʊt dɑːrmər/ koht dar-mər, /-dɑːrmɔːr/ -⁠dar-mor; French pronunciation: [kot daʁmɔʁ] ⓘCategory:Pages with French IPACategory:Pages including recorded pronunciations; Breton: Aodoù-an-ArvorCategory:Articles containing Breton-language text, [ˈoːdu ãn ˈarvor]Category:Pages with Breton IPA), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 (Breton: Aodoù-an-HanternozCategory:Articles containing Breton-language text, [ˈoːdu ãn ˌhãntɛrˈnoːs]Category:Pages with Breton IPA), is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2023, it had a population of 611,859.[3]

History

French Revolution

Côtes-du-Nord was one of the original 83 departments created on 4 March 1790 following the French Revolution. It was made up from the near entirety of the ancient Pays de Saint-Brieuc, most of historical Trégor, the eastern half of Cornouaille, and the north-western part of the former diocese of Saint-Malo. The area had been part of the Province of Brittany before 1790.

World War II

During the Second World War, Côtes-d'Armor was occupied by the Nazis and was the site of French Resistance operations, such as Operation Samwest, around the time of the Normandy landings.[4]

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.[5]

Principal towns

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

Commune Population (2023)
Saint-Brieuc 44,364
Lannion 20,315
Lamballe-Armor 17,241
Dinan 14,764
Plérin 14,425
Ploufragan 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.

Party groupingsseats
Centre et droite républicaine32
Socialiste et républicain15
Communiste et républicain5
non-party2

Current National Assembly Representatives

ConstituencyMember[8]Party
Côtes-d'Armor's 1st constituency Mickaël Cosson MoDem
Côtes-d'Armor's 2nd constituency Hervé Berville Renaissance
Côtes-d'Armor's 3rd constituency Corentin Le Fur The Republicans
Côtes-d'Armor's 4th constituency Murielle Lepvraud La France insoumise
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.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.Category:CS1 French-language sources (fr)
  2. ↑ "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.Category:CS1 French-language sources (fr)
  3. 1 2 Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE
  4. ↑ "History of operation Samwest in June 1944 in Britanny". dday-overlord.com. 19 February 2016. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  5. ↑ Wikisource One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Côtes-du-Nord". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 249.Category:Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource referenceCategory:Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
  6. ↑ Populations de référence 2023: 22 Côtes-d'Armor, INSEE
  7. ↑ "Historique des Côtes-d'Armor". Le SPLAF.
  8. ↑ "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". assemblee-nationale.fr.
Category:Côtes-d'Armor#%20 Category:1790 establishments in France Category:Departments of Brittany Category:States and territories established in 1790
Category:1790 establishments in France Category:Articles containing Breton-language text Category:Articles with French-language sources (fr) Category:Articles with short description Category:CS1 French-language sources (fr) Category:Commons link from Wikidata Category:Coordinates on Wikidata Category:Côtes-d'Armor Category:Departments of Brittany Category:Pages including recorded pronunciations Category:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas Category:Pages using the Phonos extension Category:Pages with Breton IPA Category:Pages with French IPA Category:Short description is different from Wikidata Category:States and territories established in 1790 Category:Use dmy dates from March 2021 Category:Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference Category:Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica