Finistère - Wikiwand

Finistère (/ˌfɪnɪˈstɛər/, French: [finistɛʁ] ^ⓘ; Breton: Penn-ar-Bed [ˌpɛnarˈbeːt]) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.^[3]

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Quick Facts Penn-ar-Bed (Breton), Country ...

Finistère Penn-ar-Bed (Breton)
Department
Prefecture building of the Finistère department, in Quimper
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Finistère in France
Coordinates: 48°15′N 04°00′W
Country	France
Region	Brittany
Prefecture	Quimper
Subprefectures	Brest Châteaulin Morlaix
Government
• President of the Departmental Council	Maël de Calan^[1] (DVD)
Area ¹
• Total	6,733 km² (2,600 sq mi)
Population (2022)^[2]
• Total	927,912
• Rank	24th
• Density	140/km² (360/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	FR-29
Department number	29
Largest city	Brest
Arrondissements	4
Cantons	27
Communes	277
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km²

History

The present department consists of the historical region of Léon and parts of Cornouaille and Trégor, both parts of pre-revolutionary Brittany.

The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth. In England, a similar area is called Land's End. The Breton name for Finistère, Penn ar Bed, translates as "Head/End of the World" and is similar to the Cornish name for Land's End, Pedn an Wlas (Head/End of the country), and also Penfro (English: Pembroke) in Wales (pen = end, bro = country). Finistère is not to be confused with Fisterra in Galicia, Spain, which shares the same etymology.

Geography

Summarize

Perspective

The largest population centre in Finistère is Brest. Other large towns in the department include Quimper (the capital), Concarneau, Morlaix, Carhaix, Quimperlé and Douarnenez. Finistère includes the island of Ushant (Eusa in Breton, Ouessant in French).

Finistère is the westernmost department of Metropolitan France and can also claim to be the "most coastal" department in Metropolitan France. Of its 277 communes, 117 are located on the coast. Its total coastline of approximately 1,250 km (776.71 mi) accounts for almost a quarter of the entire Brittany coast-line.

The abers, rugged fjord-like inlets on the north coast, are a notable feature of the landscape.

The westernmost point of continental France, known as the Pointe de Corsen, extends from the northwestern tip of Finistère. About 40 kilometres to the south (as the crow flies) is the slightly less westerly, but rugged and isolated, headland of Pointe du Raz.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Brest; the prefecture Quimper is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 15,000 inhabitants:^[3]

More information Commune, Population (2019) ...

Commune	Population (2019)
Brest	139,926
Quimper	63,283
Concarneau	19,816
Landerneau	15,918
Guipavas	15,050

Demographics

More information Year, Pop. ...

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1801	439,046	—
1821	483,095	+0.48%
1831	524,396	+0.82%
1841	576,068	+0.94%
1851	617,710	+0.70%
1861	627,304	+0.15%
1876	666,106	+0.40%
1881	681,564	+0.46%
1891	727,012	+0.65%
1901	773,014	+0.62%
1921	752,514	−0.13%
1936	757,000	+0.04%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1946	724,735	−0.43%
1954	727,847	+0.05%
1962	749,558	+0.37%
1968	769,000	+0.43%
1975	804,088	+0.64%
1982	829,865	+0.45%
1990	838,366	+0.13%
1999	852,273	+0.18%
2006	879,497	+0.45%
2011	899,870	+0.46%
2016	908,249	+0.19%

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source:^[4]^[5]

Economy

Agriculture, fisheries, food processing and various related industries occupy an important place in Finistère's economy.

The military presence in Finistère (Île Longue nuclear submarine base and the Naval Air base of Lanvéoc-Poulmic), as well as military-related industries, such as the Brest headquarters of DCNS, employ a significant number of the département's population.

The port of Roscoff links Brittany by ferry with Ireland and Great Britain.

Politics

Current National Assembly Representatives

More information Constituency, Member ...

	Member^[6]	Party
Finistère's 1st constituency	Annaïg Le Meur	La République En Marche!
Finistère's 2nd constituency	Jean-Charles Larsonneur	La République En Marche!
Finistère's 3rd constituency	Didier Le Gac	La République En Marche!
Finistère's 4th constituency	Sandrine Le Feur	La République En Marche!
Finistère's 5th constituency	Graziella Melchior	La République En Marche!
Finistère's 6th constituency	Mélanie Thomin	Parti Socialiste
Finistère's 7th constituency	Liliane Tanguy	La République En Marche!
Finistère's 8th constituency	Erwan Balanant	Mouvement démocrate

Culture

Finistère is the area where Breton survives most strongly as a spoken language. Breton-speaking schools are called Diwan, Divyezh and Dihun.

The Festival de Cornouaille, which takes place in Quimper, is a celebration of Breton music and traditions. One of the highlights of summer in Finistère is the "Festival des Vieilles Charrues" held in Carhaix-Plouguer. Major international stars attract tens of thousands of spectators.^[7]

The painter Raymond Wintz (1884–1956) featured many locations around Finistère.

Roland Doré was a sculptor who executed many of the calvaries in Finistère.