Sarthe

Sarthe, department (1990 pop. 514,600), NW France. Le Mans is the capital.

Sarthe (saʁt) is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.

History

The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22 1789, starting from a part of province of Maine which divided into two departments, Sarthe and Mayenne.

In Roman Times, this provence contained the city of Mans, and many ruins are still left standing. The Thermal Bathhouse attracts many tourists, as does the theater of Aubigné-Racan, both located on the limits of Anjoue, Maine, and Touraine

Geography

The department of Sarthe is at the north end of the administrative region of Pays-de-la-Loire. This places it south of Basse-Normandie and on the south edge of the Armorican Massif. It is bordered by the departments of Orne, Eure-et-Loir, Loir-et-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire and Mayenne.

Economy

Dyes and Chemical Synthesis are the two main industries in Sarthe. Over 100 countries have plants and factories in Sarthe, making it one of the largest production centers in France. More than 13,000 employees work at these plants, and produce roughly 1.83 billion euros per year.

See also

• Cantons of the Sarthe department
• Communes of the Sarthe department
• Arrondissements of the Sarthe department
• Circuit de la Sarthe Race circuit for car races
• Circuit de la Sarthe (cycling) Annual road cycling race

References

External links

• Sarthe essential information in English from FrenchEntrée
• Prefecture
• General Council
• Sarthe information
• Sarthe on Wikitravel
• Physical and climatic properties of Sarthe