France - Pays-de-la-Loire - 72 Sarthe - Le Mans

Le Mans (Sarthe)
Saint Julien Cathedral

Sent by Svitlana from Le Mans, France.

Le Mans (pronounced: [lə mɑ̃]) is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.

Its inhabitants are called Manceaux and Mancelles. It has been host to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race since 1923. (read further)

France - Pays-de-la-Loire - 44 Loire-Atlantique - Mapcard

Loire-Atlantique (44)

Sent by Aline, a postcrosser from Châteaubriant, France.

Loire-Atlantique (French pronunciation: ​[lwa.ʁat.lɑ̃.tik]; formerly Loire-Inférieure) is a department on the west coast of Francenamed after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.

Loire-Atlantique is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally, it was named Loire-Inférieure, but its name was changed in 1957 to Loire-Atlantique.

The area is part of the historical Duchy of Brittany, and contains what many people still consider to be Brittany's capital, Nantes. However, when the system of French Regions was created, the department was excluded from the Region of Brittany and included in the newly-created Pays de la Loire Region. There is a campaign to have it reintegrated into Brittany. (read further)

France - Pays-de-la-Loire - 49 Maine-Et-Loire - Mapcard

LE MAINE-ET-LOIRE (49)

Sent by Agnès, a postcrosser from France.

This is from Wikipedia : Maine-et-Loire (French pronunciation: [mɛn.e.lwaʁ]) is a department in west-central France, in the Pays de la Loire region.

Maine-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally it was called Mayenne-et-Loire, but its name was changed to Maine-et-Loire in 1791. It was created from part of the former province of Anjou. Its present name is drawn from the former province of Maine and the Loire River, which runs through it.

Maine-et-Loire is part of the current region of Pays-de-la-Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Ille-et-Vilaine, Mayenne, Sarthe, Indre-et-Loire, Vienne, Deux-Sèvres, Vendée, and Loire-Atlantique.

It has a varied landscape, with forested ranges of hills in the south and north separated by the valley of the Loire. The highest point is Colline des Gardes (689 feet/210m).

The area has many navigable rivers such as the Loire, Sarthe, Mayenne, Loir, and Authion.

The inhabitants of Maine-et-Loire are called Angevins, from the former province of Anjou.

France - Pays-de-la-Loire - 44 Loire-Atlantique - Mapcard

A map and images of Loire-Atlantique.

Sent by Aline from France.

This is from Wikipedia : Loire-Atlantique (formerly Loire-Inférieure) is a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.

Loire-Atlantique is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally, it was named Loire-Inférieure, but its name was changed in 1957 to Loire-Atlantique.

The area was originally part of Brittany, and contains what many people still consider to be Brittany's capital, Nantes. This department was separated from Brittany in 1941 by the Vichy government. There is a popular campaign to have it reintegrated in Brittany.

Loire-Atlantique is part of the current region of Pays-de-la-Loire and is surrounded by the department of Morbihan, Ille-et-Vilaine, Maine-et-Loire, and Vendée, with the Atlantic on the west.

France - Pay-de-la-Loire - 53 Mayenne - Laval

LAVAL

Sent by Lynnie from Laval in France.

This is from Wikipedia : Laval is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.

It lies on the threshold of Brittany and on the border between Normandy and Anjou. Its citizens are called Lavallois.