Côtes-du-Nord

Côtes-du-Nord ('northern coasts'), a French department forming part of Brittany, and bounded N. by the English Channel, in which are several small islands belonging to Côtes-du-Nord. Area, 2659 sq. m.; pop. (1872) 622,295; (1891) 618,652. The Menez Mountains, 16 miles broad, and 1115 feet high, cross the department from east to west, and chiefly consist of granite and clay-slate. There are several short but navigable rivers. Though a great portion of the south and the higher plains is occupied by heath and woods, there are also fertile tracts. The cultivation of flax and hemp, with pasturage and iron-mining, supply employment in the hill-districts; while in the sheltered valleys and on the coast-levels grain, pears, apples, &c. are produced. The department is divided into the five arrondissements of St Brieuc, Dinan, Loudéac, Lannion, and Guingamp. The chief town is St Brieuc.