BRITTANY, or BRETAGNE, a former province of France, a peninsula washed by the Atlantic on all sides except the east, where it joined Poitou, Anjou, Maine and Normandy. It now forms five departments, Finistere, COtes du-Nord, Morbihan, Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-In ferieure, containing nearly 3,327,000 inhabit ants on 13,130 square miles. It is supposed to have received its name from those Britons who were expelled from England and took refuge here at various periods between the 5th and 7th century. Before that time it bore the name of Armorica. It formed one of the duchies of France, and was held by sovereigns nearly independent and often at war with the French monarchs till it was united to the crown by the marriage of Louis XII with Anne of Brittany, the widow of Charles VIII, in 1499. It was given by Louis XII to Claude, Countess of Angouleme, who married Francis I, and was reunited to the crown in 1532. The prov
ince was divided into Upper and Lower Brit tany.. Agriculture in this territory is very back ward, and it is estimated that about one-half of the surface lies waste. Corn and wine are produced in small quantities. Flax and hemp, apples and pears are abundant and of good quality. Cider is the principal drink. Salt is made on the coast, and coal, lead and iron are found in various parts. There are manufac tures of hemp, flax and iron. The fisheries also employ many of the inhabitants. Brest, Nantes, Lorient, Quimper, Saint Brieuc and Saint Malo are important seaport towns. The people of Brittany still retain their ancient language, which is closely allied to Welsh, and is exclu sively used by the peasantry in the western part of the province. Many Celtic remains—mega lithic monuments — are found throughout the country.