Côtes d'Armor

Maritime département in the Brittany region of France, formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord; area 6,877 sq km/2,655 sq mi; population (1999 est) 542,400. Wheat, oats, flax, potatoes, apples, and plums are grown; the département is the nation's leading producer of pork and poultry; and there is horse breeding. Slate, lime, and china clay are found, and there are flour mills, tanneries, ironworks, and shipyards. The fishing industry is of great importance; scallions are caught in St-Brieuc bay. The administrative centre is St-Brieuc.

Côtes d'Armor consists of an undulating plateau with three ranges of hills in the south. Bréhat and other small islands lie off the steep, rocky coast. Other towns include Dinan, Guingamp, and Lannion. On the high lands the soil is poor, but along the coast it has been improved over many centuries using seaweed and sand.