Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer (Gallo)
Sant-Nazer/Señ Neñseir (Breton)
Avenue de la République
Avenue de la République
Flag of Saint-Nazaire
Coat of arms of Saint-Nazaire
Location of Saint-Nazaire
Map
Saint-Nazaire is located in France
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire is located in Pays de la Loire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Coordinates: 47°16′25″N 02°12′50″W / 47.27361°N 2.21389°W / 47.27361; -2.21389
CountryFrance
RegionPays de la Loire
DepartmentLoire-Atlantique
ArrondissementSaint-Nazaire
CantonSaint-Nazaire-1 and 2
IntercommunalityCA 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
 • Density1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
 (2018[3])
186,760
 • Urban density400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
 • Metro
 (2018[3])
213,675
 • Metro density290/km2 (750/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
44184 /44600
Elevation0–47 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.

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference compar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ INSEE commune file