Map of Bretagne
Bretagne is a first-level division of France. Its largest mapped city is Rennes, with about 209,375 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Bretagne, and the tables list its 4 mapped cities along with the ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 4
- Largest City
- Rennes
- Country
- France
Interactive Map of Bretagne
About Bretagne
Brittany (French: Bretagne [bʁətaɲ] ) is an administrative region of Metropolitan France, comprising the departments of Côtes-d'Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Morbihan. Its capital and largest city is Rennes.
Bordered by the English Channel to the north, the Celtic Sea to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) to the south, Brittany's neighbouring regions are Normandy to the northeast and Pays de la Loire to the southeast. It is one of two regions in Metropolitan France where all departments have direct access to the sea, the other being Corsica.
The region of Brittany is sometimes referred to as "administrative Brittany" in contrast to "historical Brittany" or "cultural Brittany", which also includes the Loire-Atlantique and whose potential reunification with the administrative region has been a subject of debate for decades.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Brittany (administrative region) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Bretagne in Depth
History
Brittany, located in the west-northwest corner of France, is one of the historic provinces of France. The most Atlantic of France's regions, Brittany is noted for its Celtic heritage, which sets it apart from the rest of France. It enjoys a mild climate somewhat warmer though not necessarily drier than the climate of the Cornish peninsula in southwest Britain.
The name "Brittany" derives from the Britons, an Insular Celtic (Brythonic) people who inhabited most of Great Britain during the Roman and Sub-Roman periods. During the migration period of the Early Middle Ages the Britons were displaced from most of what is now England by the Anglo-Saxon invasions, leading many to settle in western Armorica, present-day Brittany.
Geography
The region of Brittany was created in 1941 from four of the five departments constituting the territory of traditional Brittany. The other is Loire-Atlantique, which is included in the region of Pays de la Loire, whose capital, Nantes, was a historical capital of the Duchy of Brittany.
The capital of the administrative region is Rennes, although Nantes is considered the capital of historic Brittany and is located in Loire-Atlantique. The reunification of Brittany is supported by a majority of Loire-Atlantique and is considered a prerequisite to further autonomy of Brittany as a whole.
Part of the reason Brittany was split between two present-day regions was to avoid the rivalry between Rennes and Nantes.
Economy
The gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 99.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 4.2% of French economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 26,700 euros or 89% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 100% of the EU average.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Brittany (administrative region) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Bretagne: Key Facts
| Population | 3,449,370 (2023) |
|---|---|
| Area | 27,208 km² |
| Capital | Rennes |
| Head of government | Loïg Chesnais-Girard |
| Highest point | Roc'h Ruz |
| Established | 4 June 1960 |
Facts from Wikidata Q12130 (CC0).
History of Bretagne: Empires and States
The atlas records 29 polities whose mapped territory included part of Bretagne, from Roman Republic in 50 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Roman Republic | 50–32 BCE |
| The Roman Empire | 31 BCE – 475 CE |
| Gallic Empire | 261–282 CE |
| Western Roman Empire | 395–475 CE |
| Brythonic Kingdoms | 439–586 CE |
| Brythons | 439–586 CE |
| Kingdom of Soissons | 476–489 CE |
| Salian Franks | 490–509 CE |
| Merovingian Empire | 490–717 CE |
| Kingdom of the Franks | 510–849 CE |
| Breton Kingdoms | 587–824 CE |
| Burgundian Kingdom | 602–660 CE |
| Aquitaine | 661–673 CE |
| Carolingian Empire | 718–859 CE |
| Kingdom of Neustria | 724–731 CE |
| Kingdom of Brittany | 825–921 CE |
| West Franks | 850–859 CE |
| Viking settlements | 922–946 CE |
| Duchy of Brittany | 947–1491 CE |
| Kingdom of France | 990–1791 CE |
| Angevin Empire | 1188–1205 CE |
| Kingdom of England | 1188–1439 CE |
| The French Colonial Empire | 1534–1939 CE |
| First French Empire | 1805–1814 CE |
| Bourbon Kingdom of France | 1815–1847 CE |
| Second French Empire | 1853–1870 CE |
| French Third Republic | 1871–1939 CE |
| French Fourth Republic | 1945–1957 CE |
| French Fifth Republic | 1958–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Bretagne
Bretagne on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Bretagne
4 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rennes | 209,375 | Bretagne | Admin-1 region capital |
| 2 | Brest | 144,899 | Bretagne | Populated place |
| 3 | Lorient | 84,952 | Bretagne | Populated place |
| 4 | St.-Brieuc | 53,223 | Bretagne | Populated place |
Ports in Bretagne
14 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pontrieux | 56.7 m | Very Small | English Channel | medium vessels |
| 2 | Saint-Malo | 53 m | Small | English Channel | medium vessels |
| 3 | Treguier | 53 m | Very Small | English Channel | medium vessels |
| 4 | Port de Roscoff-Bloscon | 49.4 m | Very Small | English Channel | medium vessels |
| 5 | Concarneau | 49.4 m | Very Small | Bay of Biscay & Atlantic Iberia | medium vessels |
| 6 | Lorient | 42.1 m | Minor | Bay of Biscay & Atlantic Iberia | medium vessels |
| 7 | Montoir | 31.1 m | Minor | Bay of Biscay & Atlantic Iberia | point_of_interest |
| 8 | St Nazaire | 31.1 m | Minor | Bay of Biscay & Atlantic Iberia | large vessels |
| 9 | Rade de Brest | 31.1 m | Major | Irish Sea & Celtic Sea | medium vessels |
| 10 | Donges | 27.4 m | Small | Bay of Biscay & Atlantic Iberia | large vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bretagne
2 World Heritage Sites mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay | 1979 | Cultural | (i) (iii) (vi) |
| 2 | Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan | 2025 | Cultural | (i) (iv) |
Bretagne: Quick Answers
- Where is Bretagne?
- Bretagne is a first-level division of France, in Europe. Its mapped cities centre on 48.1894° N, 3.0787° W.
- What is the largest city in Bretagne?
- Rennes is the largest city mapped in Bretagne, with a metropolitan population of about 209,375.
- How many cities are in Bretagne?
- YearMaps maps 4 cities and towns in Bretagne, with a combined metropolitan population of about 492,449. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.