History
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.
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