Maine-et-Loire

Maine-et-Loire is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-et-Loire to the east, Vienne and Deux-Sèvres to the south, Vendée to the south-west, and Ille-et-Vilaine to the north-west. It also borders Ille-et-Vilaine in the north for just 19 m, France's shortest department boundary. Its prefecture is Angers; its subprefectures are Cholet, Saumur and Segré-en-Anjou Bleu. Maine-et-Loire had a population of 818,273 in 2019.

History
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. 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.

Geography
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.

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. Part of the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site lies in Maine-et-Loire.

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

Principal towns
The most populous commune is Angers, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 6 communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:

Demographics
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.

Population development since 1801:

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

Tourism
Châteaux of the Loire Valley Anjou traditions
 * Château de Montsoreau.
 * Royal Abbey of Fontevraud.
 * Château de Brissac.
 * Château de Saumur.
 * Château d'Angers.
 * Château de Brézé.
 * 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.
 * Château de Montsoreau-Museum of contemporary art, featuring the Philippe Méaille Collection, largest collection of works by the British conceptual artists, Art & Language.
 * 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