St. Nazaire
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Avenue de la République
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 Saint-Nazaire
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Location within Pays de la Loire region
Saint-Nazaire
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| Coordinates: 47°16′50″N 2°12′31″W / 47.2806°N 2.2086°WCoordinates: 47°16′50″N 2°12′31″W / 47.2806°N 2.2086°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Pays de la Loire | |
| Department | Loire-Atlantique | |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Nazaire | |
| Canton | 3 cantons | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2001–2008) | Joël-Guy Batteux | |
| Area1 | 46.79 km2 (18.07 sq mi) | |
| Population (2006)2 | 71,373 | |
| • Density | 1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 44184 /44600 | |
| Elevation | 0–47 m (0–154 ft) (avg. 6 m or 20 ft) |
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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. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Saint-Nazaire (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃.na.zɛʁ]; Breton: Sant-Nazer/Señ Neñseir; Gallo: Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany.
The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière". Given its location, Saint-Nazaire has a long tradition of fishing and shipbuilding. The Chantiers de l'Atlantique, one of the largest shipyards in the world, has constructed iconic superliners such as the SS Normandie, SS France, RMS Queen Mary 2 and MS Harmony of the Seas, the largest passenger ship in the world as of 2016[update].
What was a small village until the industrial area became a large town in the second half of the 19th century, thanks to the construction of railways and the growth of the seaport. Saint-Nazaire progressively replaced Nantes as the main haven on the Loire estuary. The town was one of the most damaged ones in France during World War Two. Being a major marine base for the Nazis, it was subject to a British raid in 1942 and it was heavily bombed by the Allies until 1945. Being part of one of the Atlantic pockets, Saint-Nazaire was one of the last territories in Europe to be liberated from the Nazis, on 11 May 1945.
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