Location: Ille-et-Vilaine, France
Surnames/tags: French_Roots France
Ille-et-Vilaine (Breton: Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country.
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History
Ille-et-Vilaine is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Brittany.
Geography and Demographics
Ille-et-Vilaine is a part of the current region of Brittany and is bordered by the departments of Manche to the north-east, Mayenne to the east, Maine-et-Loire to the south-east, Loire-Atlantique to the south, Morbihan to the south-west, and Côtes-d'Armor to the west and north-west. Also the English Channel (la Manche in French) borders the department to the north.
The department is named after its two main rivers, the Ille and the Vilaine, whose confluence is in Rennes, the capital of the department and of the region.
Culture and Sites of Interest
Gallo is a historic minority language spoken in eastern Brittany. Gallo and Breton are both studied at the University of Rennes.
Historically, the Breton language was little spoken in the eastern part of Brittany, and this was one of the first regions where the language disappeared such that Breton was not spoken for many centuries.
Notable sites in the Department include: Château de Fougères.
Notable People
Genealogical Resources
Sources
Wikipedia page for Department of Ille-et-Vilaine
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