Industrial port and administrative centre of the
département of Loire-Atlantique and the
Pays de la Loire region in western France, situated on the right bank of the River Loire, 50 km/31 mi from its mouth; population (1999) 270,300. Industries include oil, sugar refining, metal goods, textiles, soap, biscuits, and tobacco. The city has many splendid buildings, including a cathedral constructed between 1434 and 1884 and a castle founded in 938.
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