Saint-Brieuc Sant-Brieg |
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Coordinates: 48°30′49″N 2°45′55″W / 48.5136°N 2.7653°WCoordinates: 48°30′49″N 2°45′55″W / 48.5136°N 2.7653°W | ||
Country | France | |
Region | Brittany | |
Department | Côtes-d'Armor | |
Arrondissement | Saint-Brieuc | |
Intercommunality | Saint-Brieuc | |
Government | ||
• Mayor (2014–2020) | Bruno Joncour (MoDem) | |
Area1 | 21.88 km2 (8.45 sq mi) | |
Population (2008)2 | 45,879 | |
• Density | 2,100/km2 (5,400/sq mi) | |
Demonym(s) | Briochin, Briochine | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
INSEE/Postal code | 22278 / 22000 | |
Elevation | 0–134 m (0–440 ft) | |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Saint-Brieuc ([sɛ̃.bʁi.jø], Breton: Sant-Brieg pronounced [sãnt ˈbriːɛk], Gallo: Saent-Berioec) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.
Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who Christianised the region in the 6th century and established an oratory there. Bro Sant-Brieg/Pays de Saint-Brieuc, one of the nine traditional bishoprics of Brittany which were used as administrative areas before the French Revolution, was named after Saint-Brieuc. It also dates from the Middle Ages when the "pays de Saint Brieuc," or Penteur, was established by Duke Arthur II of Brittany as one of his eight "battles" or administrative regions.
The town is located by the English Channel, on the Bay of Saint-Brieuc. Two rivers flow through Saint-Brieuc: the Goued/Gouët and the Gouedig/Gouédic.
Other towns of notable size in the département of Côtes d'Armor are Gwengamp/Guingamp, Dinan, and Lannuon/Lannion all sous-préfectures.
In 2009, large amounts of sea lettuce, a type of algae, washed up on many beaches of Brittany, and when it rotted it emitted dangerous levels of hydrogen sulphide. A horse and some dogs died and a council worker driving a truckload of it fell unconscious at the wheel and died. The beach at Saint-Brieuc suffered bad damage and had to be shut.