Maine-et-Loire

Maine-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790, mostly out of the southern portion of the former province of Anjou.^[4] Originally it was called Mayenne-et-Loire, but its name was changed to Maine-et-Loire in 1791. Its present name is drawn from the rivers Maine and Loire, which meet within the department.

Maine-et-Loire is part of the current region of Pays de la Loire. The principal city is Angers, the seat of a bishopric and of a court of appeal.^[4]

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 at 210 m (690 ft). Part of the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site lies in Maine-et-Loire.^[5]

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

The inhabitants of Maine-et-Loire have no official qualifier. They are sometimes known as Angevins, from the former province of Anjou, or Mainéligériens, from the name of the department.^[7]

Population development since 1801:

More information Year, Pop. ...

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1801 375,544 —     1806 404,134 +1.48% 1821 442,859 +0.61% 1831 467,871 +0.55% 1841 488,472 +0.43% 1851 515,452 +0.54% 1861 526,012 +0.20% 1872 518,471 −0.13% 1881 523,491 +0.11% 1891 518,589 −0.09% 1901 514,658 −0.08% 1911 508,149 −0.13% 1921 474,786 −0.68% 1931 475,991 +0.03%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1936 477,690 +0.07% 1946 496,068 +0.38% 1954 518,241 +0.55% 1962 556,272 +0.89% 1968 584,933 +0.84% 1975 629,466 +1.05% 1982 674,997 +1.00% 1990 705,599 +0.56% 1999 732,657 +0.42% 2007 770,608 +0.63% 2012 795,405 +0.64% 2017 813,493 +0.45% 2023 833,776 +0.41%
Sources:[8][3]

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The president of the Departmental Council is Florence Dabin, elected in July 2021.

Châteaux of the Loire Valley

• Château de Montsoreau.^[10][11]
• Royal Abbey of Fontevraud.
• Château de Brissac.
• Château de Saumur.
• Château d'Angers.
• Château de Brézé.

Anjou traditions

• The largest vineyard of the Loire Valley.
• The boule de fort, the traditional boules game in Anjou

Angers and around:

• The Angers castle and the Apocalypse Tapestry, the largest tapestry in the world.
• The Cointreau museum, in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou
• The Château de Brissac, the tallest castle of the Loire Valley.
• The crooked spires in Baugé region.

Saumur and around:

• The Cadre Noir, one of the most famous horsemanship school in the world.
• Montsoreau Flea Market is the largest Flea Market in the Loire Valley taking place every second Sunday of the month.^[12][13][14]
• Château de Montsoreau-Museum of contemporary art, featuring the Philippe Méaille Collection, largest collection of works by the British conceptual artists, Art & Language.^[15][16][17]
• The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud and the graves of the House of Plantagenet, including Richard I of England.
• The Tank museum of Saumur, which display the largest tank collection in France.
• Around Saumur, the largest concentration of troglodyte house in Europe.

Cholet and around:

• The textile museum of Cholet, and the creation of the famous red and white handkerchief.
• The Château de Touvois
• The Parc Oriental de Maulévrier, the largest Japanese garden of France

Segré and around:

• The fortified city of Pouancé and its medieval castle.
• The Blue Mine, a slate mine, with a funicular which goes 130 meters under the surface.
• The National stud of Le Lion-d'Angers, which host every year Le Mondial du Lion
• The Château de Challain-la-Potherie

• 
  Château d'Angers
• 
  Saumur
• 
  Cadre Noir
• 
  Fontevraud Abbey
• 
  Montreuil-Bellay
• 
  Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art

• Cantons of the Maine-et-Loire department
• Communes of the Maine-et-Loire department
• Arrondissements of the Maine-et-Loire department
• Anjou wine
• Château de Challain-la-Potherie
• Owen Franklin Aldis, an American lawyer, died in Louvaines (Segré-en-Anjou Bleu)