Saint-Nazaire
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|---|---|
Subprefecture and commune | |
 Avenue de la République | |
 Flag _v2.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Saint-Nazaire  | |
  Saint-Nazaire  Saint-Nazaire | |
| Coordinates: 47°16′25″N 02°12′50″W / 47.27361°N 2.21389°W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Pays de la Loire |
| Department | Loire-Atlantique |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Nazaire |
| Canton | Saint-Nazaire-1 and 2 |
| Intercommunality | CA Région Nazairienne et Estuaire |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | David Samzun[1] (PS) |
| Area 1 | 46.79 km2 (18.07 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 472.2 km2 (182.3 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 741 km2 (286 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 72,057 |
| • Density | 1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi) |
| • Urban (2018[3]) | 186,760 |
| • Urban density | 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi) |
| • Metro (2018[3]) | 213,675 |
| • Metro density | 290/km2 (750/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 44184 /44600 |
| Elevation | 0–47 m (0–154 ft) (avg. 6 m or 20 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Saint-Nazaire (French: [sɛ̃ nazɛːʁ] ; Breton: Sant-Nazer/Señ Neñseir; Gallo: Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France,[4] in traditional Brittany.
The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière". Given its location, Saint-Nazaire has a long tradition of fishing and shipbuilding. The Chantiers de l'Atlantique, one of the largest shipyards in the world, constructed notable ocean liners such as SS Normandie, SS France, RMS Queen Mary 2 and the cruise ship MS Symphony of the Seas, the largest passenger ship in the world until 2022.
Saint-Nazaire was a small village until the Industrial Revolution but became a large town in the second half of the 19th century, thanks to the construction of railways and the growth of the seaport. Saint-Nazaire progressively replaced upstream Nantes as the main haven on the Loire estuary.
As a major submarine base for the Kriegsmarine, Saint-Nazaire was subject to a successful British raid in 1942 and was heavily bombed by the Allies until 1945. Being one of the Atlantic pockets, Saint-Nazaire was one of the last territories in Europe to be liberated from German occupation, on 11 May 1945. The town was one of the most damaged in France during World War II.
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
comparwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ INSEE commune file