Côtes-d'Armor (Department, France)

Last modified: 2009-12-12 by ivan sache
Keywords: cotes-d'armor | bretagne | ermines: 6 (black) |
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Flag of the department of Côtes-d'Armor - Image by Jorge Candeias, 8 September 2002

• Administrative data
• Flag of the department
• Municipal flags
  • Bégard (Bear)
  • Binic (Binig)
  • Bréhat (Vriad)
  • Dinan
  • Erquy (Erge-ar-Mor)
  • Évran (Evrann)
  • Guingamp (Gwengamp)
  • Merdrignac (Merdrigneg)
  • Perros-Guirec (Perroz-Gireg)
  • Plestin-les-Grèves (Plistin)
  • Pontrieux (Pontrev)
  • Rostrenen (Rostren)
  • Saint-Quay-Portrieux (Sant-Ke-Porz-Olued)
• Yacht clubs
• Sports flags
• Cultural associations

See also:

• France
• France: Metropolitan departments
• Clickable map of France (departments)

Administrative data

Code: 22
Region: Bretagne
Traditional provinces: Brittany (traditional Breton provinces of Goëllo-Penthièvre and Trégor)
Bordering departments: Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan

Area: 6,878 km²
Population (2006): 570,861 inhabitants

Préfecture: Saint-Brieuc
Sous-préfectures: Dinan, Guingamp, Lannion
Subdivisions: 4 arrondissements, 52 cantons, 373 communes.

As requested by the General Council in 1962, the department changed on 27 February 1790 its name from Côtes-du-Nord (North Coasts) to Côtes-d'Armor. In Breton, armor, "the sea", was used to name all parts of Brittany close to the coasts, as opposed to argoat, "the land", used to name the inner parts of the country.

Ivan Sache, 11 November 2009

Flag of the department

In 1985, the Agency Alexandre created a rectangular logo, which was adopted as the flag of the department of Côtes-du-Nord the same year. Blue symbolizes sea while green symbolizes land, the white "stripe" representing a stylized seagull and also the outline of the coast. The flag is always used without letterings.
When the name of the departement changed in 1990, the flag remained unchanged, a car sticker was offerred to all electors of the department, and every town hall was granted a 1.20 x 1.80 m flag. The flag has been very successful and is now seen all over the departement.

Former, non official flag of the department - Image by Jaume Ollé, 8 September 2002

In the 1960s, a flag of the department of Côtes-du-Nord was designed by Mr. Morvan, the Head of the Technical Center of the municipality of Saint-Brieuc. The flag has a yellow border and is horizontally divided blue-white by a zigzag line. The line represents the coast of the department, the central triangle symbolizing Bay of Saint-Brieuc. The six ermine spots placed in the white field symbolize Brittany.

Manufactured in 2 m x 2.50 m size, the width of the yellow border being 10 cm, the flag was used, unofficially, only in Saint-Brieuc, in public places. Its main use was associated with the Foire des Côtes-du-Nord, a fair organized each year in September. The flag was seen there for the last time in 1994.

Source: Les drapeaux bretons de 1188 à nos jours [rau98]

Ivan Sache, 8 September 2002