Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during theFrench Revolution on 4 March 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of theformer province ofMaine. The southern third of Mayenne corresponds to the northern portion of the old province ofAnjou. The inhabitants of the department are calledMayennais. It had a population of 307,062 in 2019.[3]
Like 82 other departments, Mayenne was created on 4 March 1790 during the early stages of theFrench Revolution by order of theNational Constituent Assembly. The new departments were to be uniformly administered and approximately equal to one another in size and population. The former province of Maine was partitioned into two, Upper Maine, centred onLe Mans, became the new department of Sarthe, and Lower Maine, centred on Laval became the new department of Mayenne.Anjou, to the south, being too big to form a single department, was reduced in size and became Maine-et-Loire. In this partition, Sarthe received the region ofLa Flèche, and Mayenne receivedChâteau-Gontier andCraon.Flax was a feature of the Mayenne economy, and the southern limit for the cultivation of flax was used to determine the new border between Mayenne and Maine-et-Loire.
The American first army's 90th Infantry Division were tasked with capturing the town in 1944.[4]
Mayenne is a department in northwestern France and is part of the region ofPays de la Loire. The department does not have a sea coast, but about thirty kilometres to the northwest isMont Saint-Michel Bay. The capital and largest town isLaval in the centre of the department. To the north lies the department ofOrne, to the east liesSarthe, to the south liesMaine-et-Loire, to the west liesIlle-et-Vilaine and to the northwest liesManche. The department forms a roughly rectangular shape, being 90 km (56 mi) long by 77 km (48 mi) wide, with a total area of about 5,175 km2 (1,998 sq mi). The riverMayenne flows centrally through it from north to south, passing through the towns ofMayenne, Laval and Château-Gontier. After leaving the department, the river joins the riverSarthe to form theMaine which later joins theLoire.[5]
The department is varied intopography. Much of it is largely flat, but there are also hilly areas, some with steep-sided valleys and ravines. Of the total area of 516,189 hectares (1,275,532 acres), some 354,000 hectares (875,000 acres) are arable, 69,000 hectares (170,000 acres) are grassland, 26,000 hectares (65,000 acres) are forests and woodland and 50,000 acres (20,200 ha) are heathland and moorland.[6] To the north lies theArmorican Massif, a plateau that has been eroded over time, the highest summit of which, the Mont des Avaloirs, is the highest point in the department at 417 m (1,368 ft) above sea level. A branch range to the south of this plateau forms the ridge that divides the Mayenne Valley from theVilaine Valley.[6]
The department is subdivided into three arrondissements: Mayenne, Laval, and Château-Gontier; and is coincident with theRoman Catholic Diocese of Laval.
Mayenne has a diversity of habitat types such as forest, heathland, bog and farmland. Some 1445 species of plants, 63 species of mammals, 280 species of birds, 16 species of amphibians and 11 species of reptiles have been recorded, as well as thousands of species of invertebrates. The peat-lands and bogs are often fringed with woodlands of alder and ash, and in some places carnivorous plants such assundew andbutterwort flourish,fritillaries,marsh cinquefoil andcottongrass grow and butterflies, dragonflies and spiders abound.[13]
The department is largely rural with about 80% being used for agriculture, 8% being urban area and the remainder forest, heath and plantations.[14] Livestock farming predominates, with the breeding of cattle, horses and pigs, and also bee-keeping being important.[15] The soil is generally poor, but it is of better quality around Laval and Château-Gontier. In these parts corn is cultivated and there are plantings of hemp, flax, fruits and vines.There are many apple orchards and large quantities ofcider are made.[6] The department is rich in mineral resources; iron and coal are mined and there are quarries formarble,slate, building stone, limestone and flint; the white sand deposits are used in the manufacture of glass.[6]
Industries include the manufacture of linen, paper and hemp, and cider-making is traditionally carried on in the department.[15] Office furniture is manufactured in Château-Gontier,[16] and Laval is active in the industrial sector, with dairy products, electronics and chemicals in a modernscience park.
^"Le contexte Meyennais"(PDF) (in French). Préfecture de la Mayenne. 2009.Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved24 September 2015.
^abBozman, E.F. (1966).Everyman's Encyclopaedia: Volume 8. J.M. Dent and Sons. p. 301.
