is a
Department in west-central
France .
Maine-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the
French Revolution on
March 4 ,
1790 . Originally it was called , but its name was changed to Maine-et-Loire in 1791. It was created from part of the former province of
Anjou . Its present name is drawn from the former province of
Maine and the
Loire River , which runs through it.
Maine-et-Loire is part of the current region of
Pays-de-la-Loire and is surrounded by the departments of
Ille-et-Vilaine ,
Mayenne ,
Sarthe ,
Indre-et-Loire ,
Vienne ,
Deux-Sèvres ,
Vendée , and
Loire-Atlantique .
It has a varied landscape, with forested ranges of hills in the south and north separated by the valley of the
Loire . The highest point is Colline des Gardes (689 feet/210m).
The area has many navigable rivers such as the Loire,
Sarthe ,
Mayenne ,
Loir , and
Authion .
The inhabitants of Maine-et-Loire are called ''Angevins'', from the former province of Anjou.
The horsemen of the
Cadre Noir in
Saumur , the
Chateaux of the Loire valley, and the royal abbey at
Fontevraud with its
Plantagenet tombs are all major attractions.
