Sarthe

Sarthe
Department
Prefecture building of the Sarthe department, in Le Mans
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Sarthe in France
Coordinates: 48°17′N 0°13′E / 48.283°N 0.217°E / 48.283; 0.217
Country	France
Region	Pays de la Loire
Prefecture	Le Mans
Subprefectures	La Flèche Mamers
Government
• President of the Departmental Council	Dominique Le Mèner[1]
Area 1
• Total	6,206 km2 (2,396 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]
• Total	566,058
• Rank	46th
• Density	91/km2 (240/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number	72
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	21
Communes	354
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Sarthe (French pronunciation: [saʁt] ^ⓘ) is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the Grand-Ouest of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had a population of 566,412 in 2019.^[3]

In the late 18th century, before it was officially Sarthe, the nobility built their mansions and chateaux in this region, as an escape from Paris.

The department was created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790, pursuant to the law of 22 December 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine. The latter was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and Mayenne to the west.^[4]

In Roman times, this province contained the city of Mans, and many of its ruins are still standing. The Roman Thermal Bathhouse attracts many tourists, as does the Theater of Aubigné-Racan, both located on the outskirts of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine.

Marin Mersenne, perhaps the most important scientific figure in the early 17th century, was born in the vicinity of Sarthe.

The department of Sarthe is at the north end of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire. It is south of Normandy and on the southern edge of the Armorican Massif. It is bordered by the departments of Orne, Eure-et-Loir, Loir-et-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire and Mayenne.

The arrival of the railways in 1854 boosted trade for the local economy. A TGV connection was constructed in 1989, connecting the community to high-speed transport. In terms of road connections, the A11 autoroute, which was constructed to Le Mans from the east in 1978, enhances Sarthe's strategic position as the gateway to the French west.

The most populous commune is Le Mans, the prefecture. Approximately 370,000 people, comprising 65% of the department's population, live in the Le Mans urban area. The rest of the department retains a rural character, with agriculture as the chief part of the economy. As of 2019, there are 4 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:^[3]

Population development since 1801:

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1801 388,143 —     1806 410,380 +1.12% 1821 428,432 +0.29% 1831 457,372 +0.66% 1841 470,535 +0.28% 1851 473,071 +0.05% 1861 466,155 −0.15% 1872 446,603 −0.39% 1881 438,917 −0.19% 1891 429,737 −0.21% 1901 422,699 −0.16% 1911 419,370 −0.08% 1921 389,235 −0.74%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1931 384,619 −0.12% 1936 388,519 +0.20% 1946 412,214 +0.59% 1954 420,393 +0.25% 1962 443,019 +0.66% 1968 461,839 +0.70% 1975 490,385 +0.86% 1982 504,768 +0.41% 1990 513,654 +0.22% 1999 529,851 +0.35% 2006 553,484 +0.63% 2011 565,718 +0.44% 2016 567,561 +0.07%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
source:[5][6]

The department was the electoral base of former Prime Minister François Fillon, who since 2012 sits in the National Assembly of France for a constituency in central Paris. The president of the Departmental Council is Dominique Le Mèner, elected in 2015.

• 
  Gallo-Roman walls and Cathedral in Le Mans
• 
  Stained glass in Le Mans Cathedral
• 
  The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest continuing sports car race in endurance racing.^[11]
• 
  Church of La Ferté-Bernard
• 
  Château du Lude
• 
  Château de Courtanvaux

• Arrondissements of the Sarthe department
• Cantons of the Sarthe department
• Circuit de la Sarthe (cycling), an annual road cycling race
• Circuit de la Sarthe, a motor racing track
• Communes of the Sarthe department
• History of Le Lude
• Gallo-Roman enclosure of Le Mans

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Sarthe.

• Prefecture (in French)
• Departmental Council (in French)
• Sarthe information (in French)