About the Mayenne & Properties for Sale in this Area of the Loire

Mayenne is a department in northwest France named after the Mayenne River, it is part of the Pays de la Loire region and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ille-et-Vilaine. Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution in 4 March 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of the former province of Maine. The southern third of Mayenne corresponds to the northern portion of the old province of Anjou.  Mayenne does not have a sea coast, but about thirty kilometres to the northwest is Mont Saint-Michel Bay. The capital and largest town is Laval in its centre. To the north lies the department of Orne (in Normandy), to the east lies Sarthe, to the south lies Maine-et-Loire, to the west lies Ille-et-Vilaine and to the northwest lies Manche.

The department forms a roughly rectangular shape, being 90 km (56 mi) long by 77 km (48 mi) wide, with a total area of about 5,175 km2. The River Mayenne flows centrally through it from north to south, passing through the towns of Mayenne, Laval and Château-Gontier. After leaving the department, the Mayenne joins the River Sarthe to form the River Maine which later joins the River Loire.

The Armorican Massif, a plateau that has been eroded over time, is the highest summit of which, the Mont des Avaloirs, is the highest point in the department at 417 m above sea level. A branch range to the south of this plateau forms the ridge that divides the Mayenne Valley from the Vilaine Valley. The department is subdivided into three arrondissements; they are Mayenne, Laval and Château-Gontier. You can learn more about this french department on wikipedia.