Brittany

This article is about the cultural region in the northwest of France. For the current French administrative region, see Brittany (administrative region). For the given name, see Brittany (name). For other uses, see Brittany (disambiguation).

Brittany
Bretagne (French)
Breizh (Breton)
Bertaèyn/Bertègn (Gallo)
Historical province
Flag of Brittany
Flag
Coat of arms of Brittany
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
None (de jure)
Historical: Kentoc'h mervel eget bezañ saotret
Rather death than dishonour (de facto)
Anthem: "Bro Gozh ma Zadoù"
Location of Brittany
Coordinates: 48°00′N 3°00′W / 48.000°N 3.000°W / 48.000; -3.000
CountryFrance
Largest settlements
List
Area
 • Total
34,023 km2 (13,136 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total
4,829,968
DemonymBretons
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeFR-E
PersonBreton (Breizhad)
PeopleBretons (Breizhiz)
LanguageBreton (Brezhoneg)
CountryBrittany (Breizh)

Brittany (/ˈbrɪtəni/ BRIT-ən-ee; French: Bretagne, pronounced [bʁətaɲ] ⓘ; Breton: Breizh, pronounced [bʁɛjs, bʁɛx];[1][dubious – discuss] Gallo: Bertaèyn or Bertègn, pronounced [bəʁtaɛɲ]) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an independent kingdom and then a duchy before being united with the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province governed as a separate nation under the crown. Brittany is the traditional homeland of the Breton people and is one of the six Celtic nations,[2][3][4][5] retaining a distinct cultural identity that reflects its history.

Brittany has also been referred to as Little Britain (as opposed to Great Britain, with which it shares an etymology).[6] It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, Normandy to the northeast, eastern Pays de la Loire to the southeast, the Bay of Biscay to the south, and the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its land area is 34,023 km2 (13,136 sq mi).

Brittany is the site of some of the world's oldest standing architecture, home to the Cairn of Barnenez, the Tumulus Saint-Michel and others, which date to the early 5th millennium BC.[7][8] Today, the historical province of Brittany is split among five French departments: Finistère in the west, Côtes-d'Armor in the north, Ille-et-Vilaine in the northeast, Morbihan in the south and Loire-Atlantique in the southeast. Loire-Atlantique now belongs to the Pays de la Loire region while the other four departments make up the Brittany region.

At the 2010 census, the population of historic Brittany was estimated to be 4,475,295. In 2017, the largest metropolitan areas were Nantes (934,165 inhabitants), Rennes (733,320 inhabitants), and Brest (321,364 inhabitants).[9] Brittany is the traditional homeland of the Breton people and is one of the six Celtic nations,[10][11][12][13] retaining a distinct cultural identity that reflects its history. A nationalist movement seeks greater autonomy within the French Republic, or independence from it.[14][15] The reunification of Brittany is supported by half of the inhabitants of Brittany and of Loire-Atlantique, and is considered a prerequisite to further autonomy.[16][17]

  1. ^ Henriette Walter (2013). L'aventure des langues en Occident: Leur origine, leur histoire, leur géographie. Robert Laffont. p. 113.
  2. ^ "The Celtic League". The Celtic League. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Festival Interceltique de Lorient 2010". Festival Interceltique de Lorient. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  4. ^ "Official website of the French Government Tourist Office: Brittany". Us.franceguide.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  5. ^ Price, Glanville (30 March 1986). The Celtic connection. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-86140-248-9. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  6. ^ Payne, Malcolm; Shardlow, Steven (2002). Social Work in the British Isles. UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 247. ISBN 978-1-8530-2833-5.
  7. ^ "Saint-Michel tumulus". www.megalithes-morbihan.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  8. ^ "The world's 10 oldest ruins". The Telegraph. 4 February 2016. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  9. ^ "Tableaux de l'économie française, Édition 2020, Villes et communes de France". INSEE. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  10. ^ "The Celtic League". The Celtic League. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  11. ^ "Festival Interceltique de Lorient 2010". Festival Interceltique de Lorient. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  12. ^ "Official website of the French Government Tourist Office: Brittany". Us.franceguide.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  13. ^ Price, Glanville (30 March 1986). The Celtic connection. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-86140-248-9. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  14. ^ Sharif Gemie (2007). Brittany 1750–1950 – The Invisible Nation. University of Wales Press.
  15. ^ "Why Independence ?". emgann.chez.com. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  16. ^ "La moitié des habitants de la Bretagne à 5 favorable à un rattachement de la Loire-Atlantique" [Half of the inhabitants of the 5 Breton departments in favour of integrating Loire-Atlantique]. archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Brittany lays claim to autonomy, in Corsica's footsteps". Le Monde.fr. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.