Pays de la loire

Pays de la Loire is one of the 26 régions of France. It is one of these régions of France created in the late 20th century to serve as an hinterland and zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" (métropoles d´équilibre)¹. Other examples of artificially created régions include Rhône-Alpes, which was created as the région for Lyon, and Midi-Pyrénées, which was created as the région for Toulouse.

The estuary has a healthy economy that has been undergoing radical change. Every industry within the service sector is established here, e.g. medicine, administration, finance, information technology and trade, which makes Nantes the second most important French city for the service industry. The estuary itself, the fourth most important industrial region in France, is home to an array of engineering companies (maritime, mechanical, electronics, I.T.) as well as the food and timber industries. In an environment which promotes get-up-and-go, talent and success stories can be found in abundance. A busy port, decentralised expansion facilitated by the TGV high-speed train links and a network of training and research centres made up of 2,000 researchers and 43,000 students all contribute to Nantes´ considerable reputation. Every year a thousand engineers graduate from the various tertiary industry institutions in the area.

Traditional cultural events are programmed in Nantes, often alongside some quite breathtaking creative innovations. This is only to be expected from the city that was the birthplace of Jules Vernes and the cradle of surrealism. Such eclecticism can be seen today through the harmonious co-existence of institutions such as the famous opera house, the Pays-de-Loire National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Loire-Atlantique cultural centre. Cultural events in the region´s calendar include: the Carnival in April, the Summer Festival in June where musicians from around the world come to perform, and the Erdre programme, which combines music and water sports in a unique natural setting.