Vendée Administration History Geography Economy Demographics

Vendée
Details
Information
Number	85
Region	Pays de la Loire
Prefecture	La Roche-sur-Yon
Subprefecture	Fontenay-le-Comte Les Sables-d'Olonne
Population - Total ( 1999) - Density	Ranked 45th 539,664 80 /km²
Area	6,720 km²
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	31
Communes	282List of the 282 communes of the Vendee departement in France by alphabetic order, with their respective INSEE and postal codes. INSEE CodePostal CodeCommune 8500185460 L'Aiguillon-sur-Mer 8500285220 L'Aiguillon-sur-Vie 8500385190 Aizenay 8500485750 Angles
President of the general councilOverview In France, the President of the General Council is the locally-elected head of the Conseil General the assembly governing a departement a county-level territory. The position is elected by the General Councillors from among their number. If there	Philippe de VilliersPhilippe de Villiers (born March 25, 1949 as viscount Philippe le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon is a French conservative politician. Born in Boulogne in the departement of Vendee, he is, as of 2004, deputy to the French National Assembly for the departe
Location

Vendée is a département in west central FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents., on the AtlanticFor other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation The Atlantic Ocean is Earth's second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. The ocean's name, derived from Greek mythology, means the " Sea of Atlas". This ocean occupies an elongated,'s Bay of BiscayNot to be confused with the North American Biscayne Bay. The Bay of Biscay (French: Golfe de Gascogne Spanish: Mar Cantabrico is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée riverVendee is a small river in western France, tributary to the river Sevre Niortaise. Its source is in the east of the departement Vendee. It flows through the city Fontenay-le-Comte. For a few km it forms the border between the departements Vendee and Chare which runs through the south-eastern part of the département.

1 Administration

2 History

Originally known as the Bas-Poitou, the village of Nieul-sur-l'Autise is believed to be the birthplace of Eleanor of AquitaineEleanor of Aquitaine (about 1122 April 1, 1204) was one of the most powerful people of the Middle Ages and the richest and most powerful woman in Europe during her lifetime. She was married first to the French King Louis VII and then to the English King H ( 1122- 1204) and was part of her Kingdom. Eleanor's son, Richard I of England (the Lionhearted) often based himself in Talmont . The Hundred Years' War ( 1337- 1453) turned much of the Vendée into a battleground.

Since the Vendée held a considerable number of influential Protestants, including control by Jeanne d'Albret, the region was also greatly marked by the 36-year French Wars of Religion which broke out in 1562. Eventually King Henri IV, issued the Edict of Nantes and the Wars came to an end. When the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685, it caused many Huguenots to flee from the Vendée.

It is also remembered as the place where the peasants revolted against the Revolutionary government in 1793. The bloody conflict, in support of the Monarchy and against the changes imposed on the Roman Catholic Church erupted in defiance of the Revolutionary government's military conscription. A guerrilla war, led by an underground faction known as the Chouans (screech owls), the revolt became known as the Wars of the Vendée and would cost more than 100,000 lives until it ended in 1796.

In 1850, British author, Anthony Trollope, published his book "La Vendee" detailing the history of the region and the war.

3 Geography

Vendée's highest point is Mont Mercure (935 feet/285 m).

4 Economy

The economy of the Vendée is centred around tourism, with the seaside resorts of Les Sables, Les Tranches and La Faute being popular with both foreign and domestic tourists. Agriculture, food processing and light manufacturing are also important.

5 Demographics

Vendée's inhabitants are referred to as Vendeans ( French Vendéens).

6 Culture

With more than 100 miles of sandy beaches edged with dunes and pine woods, and a very mild climate, Vendée is today a popular tourist destination. It boasts many churches and abbeys, museums, and - for nature lovers - there are thousands of marked footpaths, a signposted bicycle route running along the coastal mudflats, and marshes that attract unusual birds. Fishing is popular in the ocean or in the Vendée's rivers and lakes.

7 Miscellaneous topics

8 External link

Conseil Général's website (in French)

French départements
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Départements d'outre-mer: 971| 972| 973| 974

Départements of France

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