Online Encyclopedia

FINISTERE, or FINISTERRE

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V10, Page 383 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

FINISTERE, or FINISTERRE  , the most western department of France, formed from
See also:
part of the old province of
See also:
Brittany . Pop . (1906) 795,103 .
See also:
Area, 2713 sq. m . It is bounded W. and S. by the
See also:
Atlantic Ocean, E. by the departments of Cotes-du-
See also:
Nord and
See also:
Morbihan, and N. by the
See also:
English Channel . Two converging chains of hills run from the west towards the east of the department and
See also:
divide it into three zones conveying the waters in three different directions . North of the Arree, or more
See also:
northern of the two chains, the waters of the Douron, Penze and Fleche flow northward to the sea . The Elorn, however, after a short northerly course, turns westward and empties into the
See also:
Brest roads . South of the Montagnes Noires, the Odet, Aven, Isoleand EIie flow southward; while the waters of the Aulne, flowing through a region enclosed by the two chains with a westward declination, discharge into the Brest roads . The rivers are all small, and none of the hills attain a height of 1300 ft . The coast is generally steep and rocky and at some points dangerous, notably off Cape Raz and the tie de Sein; it is indented with numerous bays and inlets, the chief of which—the roadstead of Brest and the Bays of
See also:
Douarnenez and Audierne—are on ,he west . The
See also:
principal harbours are those of Brest,
See also:
Concarneau,
See also:
Morlaix, Landerneau,
See also:
Quimper and Douarnenez .

Off the coast

lie a number of islands and rocks, the principal of which are Ushant (q.v.)N.W. of Cape St Mathieu, and Batz off
See also:
Roscoff . The
See also:
climate is temperate and equable, but humid; the prevailing winds are the W., S.W. and N.W . Though more than a third of the department is covered by heath, waste
See also:
land and
See also:
forest, it produces oats, wheat,
See also:
buckwheat,
See also:
rye and barley in quantities more than sufficient for its population . In the extreme north the neighbourhood of Roscoff, and farther south the
See also:
borders of the Brest roadstead, are extremely fertile and yield large quantities of
See also:
asparagus, artichokes and onions, besides melons and other fruits . The cider apple is abundant and furnishes the chief drink of the inhabitants . Hemp and
See also:
flax are also grown . The
See also:
farm and
See also:
dairy produce is plentiful, and
See also:
great attention is paid to the breeding and feeding of cattle and horses . The production of honey and
See also:
wax is considerable . The
See also:
fisheries of the coast, particularly the pilchard fishery, employ a great many hands and render this department an excellent nursery of seamen for the French
See also:
navy .
See also:
Coal, though found in Finistere, is not
See also:
mined; there are quarries of granite, slate, potter's clay, &c . The lead mines of Poullaouen and Huelgoat, which for several centuries yielded a considerable quantity of
See also:
silver, are no longer worked . The preparation of sardines is carried on on a large scale at several of the coast-towns .

The manufactures include linens, woollens,

See also:
sail-
See also:
cloth, ropes, agricultural implements, paper, leather, earthenware, soda,
See also:
soap, candles, and fertilizers and chemicals derived from seaweed . Brest has important foundries and
See also:
engineering
See also:
works; and
See also:
shipbuilding is carried on there and at other seaports . Brest and Morlaix are the most important commercial ports . Trade is in fish, vegetables and fruit . Coal is the chief import . The department is served by the Orleans and Western
See also:
railways . The canal from Nantes to Brest has 51 M. of its length in the department . The Aulne is navigable for 17 m., and many of the smaller rivers for short distances . Finistere is divided into the arrondissements of
See also:
Quimperle, Brest, Chateaulin, Morlaix and Quimper (43 cantons, 294 communes), the
See also:
town of Quimper being the capital of the department and the seat of a bishopric . The department belongs to the region of the XI. army corps and to the archiepiscopal province and
See also:
academic (educational division) of
See also:
Rennes, where its court of
See also:
appeal is also situated . The more important places are Quimper, Brest, Morlaix, Quimperle, St Poi-de-Leon, Douarnenez, Concarneau, Roscoff, Penmarc'h and Pont-l'Abbe . Finistere abounds in menhirs and other megalithic monuments, of which those of Penmarc'h, Plouarzal and Crozon are noted .

The two religious structures characteristic of Brittany—calvaries and charnel-houses—are frequently met with . The calvaries of Plougastel-Daoulas, Pleyben, St Thegonnec, Lampaul-Guimiliau, which date from the 17th

century, and that of Guimiliau (16th century), and the charnel-houses of Sizun and St Thegonnec With century) and of Guimiliau (17th century) may be instanced as the most remarkable . Daoulas has the remains of a
See also:
fine church and cloister in the Romanesque style . The
See also:
chapel of St Herbot (16th century) near Loqueffret, the churches of St
See also:
Jean-du-Doigt and Locronan, which belong to the 15th and 16th centuries, those of Ploare, Roscoff, Penmarc'h and Pleyben of the 16th century, that of Le Folgoet (14th and 16th centuries), and the huge chateau of Kerjean (r6th century) are of architectural
See also:
interest . Religious festivals, and processions known as " pardons," are held in many places, notably at Locronan, St Jean-du-Doigt, St Herbot and Le Faou .

End of Article: FINISTERE, or FINISTERRE
[back]
FINISHING
[next]
FINLAND (Finnish, Suomi or Suomenmaa)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.