Pays de la Loireball

Pays de la Loireball (Loire Countryball) is a administrative regionball of Franceball.

History
Pays de la Loireball is made up of the following historical provinceballs:
 * Part of Brittanyball, with its old capital Nantesball contained within the Loire-Atlantique department. This is only 20% of historical Brittany. The other 80% of historical Brittany makes up the region of Brittany
 * Anjou: is largely contained within the Maine-et-Loire department; the whole of the former province of Anjou is contained inside Pays de la Loire.
 * Maineball: is now divided between the Mayenne and Sarthe departments; the whole of the former province of Maine is contained inside Pays de la Loire.
 * Part of Poitouball: is contained within the Vendée department; most of the old province of Poitou is inside the Poitou-Charentesball region.
 * Part of Percheball: is within the northeast of Sarthe department; the rest of Perche is inside the Basse-Normandie and Centre regions.
 * Small part of Touraineball: southeast of Maine-et-Loire department; most of the former province of Touraine is inside the Centre-Val de Loireball region.

Thus the name of the region, chosen by the French central government, was not based on history, but purely on geographical references: Pays ("lands") de la Loire ("of the Loire"). The majority of the châteaux of the Loire Valley are located in the Centre-Val de Loire region, and not in Pays de la Loire.

The Pays de la Loire has numerous prominent monuments, such as the castles of Angers, Laval, and Mayenne, and the Nantes Château des Ducs de Bretagne, the Royal Fontevraud Abbey (the widest monastic ensemble in Europe), and the old city of Le Mans. In addition, it also has many natural parks such as the Brière and the Marsh of Poitou.

He loves Vendéeball Mogettes and he hosted the Grand Départ of the 105th Tour de France.