Finistere and coastline
Photo by alainlm
Finistere is one of the 4 departments that forms Brittany. Not only is it the most westerly department of Brittany, but also of all the French departments (excluding overseas territories).
Finistere Coastline
The coastline around Finistere accounts for nearly a quarter of all the French coastline with around 1250km of coast. Brittany property on the coast is more expensive but prices drop as you move inland.
Several large towns are located within Finistere including Brest, Morlaix, Carhaix and Douarnenez.
Brest has a miliatry port and was used extensively by the Germans in the Second World War as a base for their U Boats
Much of the city had to be rebuilt after the Second World War. Brest is now a popular university city and is home to the French Naval Accademy.
For travellers there is an airport located at Brest and a ferry port at Roscoff served by Brittany Ferries and Irish Ferries.
The capital of this department is Quimper. Quimper has a Winter Festival, ‘Les Hivernautes’
Morlaix has one of the tallest lighthouses in France, the Phare de L’ile Vierge, and in the old part of town you will find cobbled streets and stone and timber houses.
The Regional Parc d’Armorique is situated within Finistere
The landscape in this area is diverse with the Mounts d’Arrée, sandy beaches and rivers. The Monts D ‘Arrée hills are infact one of the oldest geological formations, older than the Alps.
Finistere – the end of the earth. This is quite literally the Latin meaning of Finistere
The most westerly tip of Finistere is known as the Point de Corsen
The main industries within this area are Agriculture and Food Processing
