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Department of France From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Seine-Maritime (French pronunciation: [sɛn maʁitim] ) is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inférieure. It had a population of 1,255,633 in 2019.[3]
Seine-Maritime | |
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Prefecture building of the Seine-Maritime department, in Rouen | |
![]() Location of Seine-Maritime in France | |
Coordinates: 49°40′N 0°50′E | |
Country | France |
Region | Normandy |
Prefecture | Rouen |
Subprefectures | Dieppe Le Havre |
Government | |
• President of the Departmental Council | Bertrand Bellanger[1] |
Area | |
• Total | 6,278 km2 (2,424 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 1,255,918 |
• Rank | 16th |
• Density | 200/km2 (520/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
ISO 3166 code | FR-76 |
Department number | 76 |
Arrondissements | 3 |
Cantons | 35 |
Communes | 708 |
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 |
In 1955, the department's name was officially changed to Seine-Maritime.
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The arms of the departement Seine-Maritime are blazoned : Gules a fess wavy argent between two lions passant gardant or armed and langued azure.
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The department can be split into three main areas:[5]
The département was created in 1790 as Seine-Inférieure, one of five departements that replaced the former province of Normandy. In 1800 five arrondissements were created within the département, namely Rouen, Le Havre, Dieppe, Neufchatel and Yvetot, although the latter two were disbanded in 1926. On 18 January 1955 the name of the département was changed to Seine-Maritime, in order to provide a more positive-sounding name and in-keeping with changes made in a number of other French departements.
The most populous commune is Le Havre; the prefecture Rouen is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:[3]
Commune | Population (2019) |
---|---|
Le Havre | 168,290 |
Rouen | 112,321 |
Sotteville-lès-Rouen | 29,068 |
Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray | 28,352 |
Dieppe | 28,241 |
Le Grand-Quevilly | 25,963 |
Le Petit-Quevilly | 22,000 |
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source:[6][7] |
Previously lacking a demonym, the inhabitants of Seine-Maritime (as the department had been renamed in 1955) chose, following a public consultation, to be identified in official documents as "Seinomarins" [8] (males) and "Seinomarines" (females).
The president of the Departmental Council is Bertrand Bellanger, elected in 2019.
Election | Winning Candidate | Party | % | 2nd Place Candidate | Party | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Emmanuel Macron | LREM | 55.28 | Marine Le Pen | FN | 44.72 | |
2017[9] | Emmanuel Macron | LREM | 60.42 | Marine Le Pen | FN | 39.58 | |
2012 | François Hollande | PS | 54.94 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | 45.06 | |
2007 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | 50.20 | Ségolène Royal | PS | 49.80 | |
2002[9] | Jacques Chirac | RPR | 82.58 | Jean-Marie Le Pen | FN | 17.42 |
In 1843 the railway from Paris reached the region. The département is connected to the adjacent Eure department via the Tancarville and Pont de Normandie bridge crossings of the Seine.
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert is set in Seine Maritime.
The novel La Place by Annie Ernaux largely takes place in Seine-Maritime and describes events and changes that take place in relation to French society in the 20th century especially in relation to the rural population.
The first story of the long-running series Valérian and Laureline is set in Seine-Maritime, with the character Laureline originating from the area.
Cauchois is the dialect of the Pays de Caux, and is one of the most vibrant forms of the Norman language beyond Cotentinais.