Sarthe

Department of France

This article is about the department. For the river, see Sarthe (river).

Department in Pays de la Loire, France

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

• Total

| 6,206 km2 (2,396 sq mi)
Population

(2022)[2]

• Total

| 566,129
• 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
The Château de Boisclaireau, residence of the Gueroust family, Counts of Boisclaireau, in Sarthe.

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]

## History

[edit]

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.

## Geography

[edit]

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.

### Principal towns

[edit]

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]

Commune  | Population (2019)

|

Le Mans | 143,847
La Flèche | 14,858
Sablé-sur-Sarthe | 12,125
Allonnes | 11,167

## Demographics

[edit]

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%

This graph was using the legacy Graph extension, which is no longer supported. It needs to be converted to the new Chart extension.

|

source:[5][6]

## Politics

[edit]

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.

### Presidential elections 2nd round

[edit]

Election | Winning Candidate | Party | % | 2nd Place Candidate | Party | %

|
|
|
|
|
|

| 2022[7] | Emmanuel Macron | LREM | 55.41  | Marine Le Pen | FN | 44.59
| 2017[8] | Emmanuel Macron | LREM | 63.33  | Marine Le Pen | FN | 36.67
| 2012 | François Hollande | PS | 52.67  | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | 47.33
| 2007 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | 50.42  | Ségolène Royal | PS | 49.58
| 2002[8] | Jacques Chirac | RPR | 84.43  | Jean-Marie Le Pen | FN | 15.57
| 1995[9] | Lionel Jospin | PS | 50.79  | Jacques Chirac | RPR | 49.21

### Current National Assembly Representatives

[edit]

Constituency | Member[10] | Party

|
|

| Sarthe's 1st constituency | Julie Delpech | Renaissance
| Sarthe's 2nd constituency | Marietta Karamanli | Socialist Party
| Sarthe's 3rd constituency | Éric Martineau | MoDem
| Sarthe's 4th constituency | Élise Leboucher | La France Insoumise
| Sarthe's 5th constituency | Jean-Carles Grelier | Renaissance

## Tourism

[edit]

* 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

## See also

[edit]

* 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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
2. ^ "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
3. ^ a b Populations légales 2019: 72 Sarthe, INSEE
4. ^ "The Sarthe region". Archived from the original on 2016-07-14. Retrieved 2006-05-06.
5. ^ "Historique de la Sarthe". Le SPLAF.
6. ^ "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
7. ^ "Les résultats du second tour de l'élection présidentielle". 19 April 2022.
8. ^ a b "Présidentielles".
9. ^ "Résultats de l'élection présidentielle de 1995 par département - Politiquemania".
10. ^ Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale.
11. ^ "Weekly auto agenda: Le Mans". The Independent. 11 June 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2011.

## External links

[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Sarthe.

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

* v
* t
* e

Sarthe, Department of France

Religious buildings|

* Le Mans Cathedral
* Notre Dame de Sainte Croix
* Notre-Dame de la Couture
* Saint-Martin de Luché Church
* Solesmes Abbey
* St. Cecilia's Abbey

Châteaux|

* Château de Ballon
* Château de Boisclaireau
* Château du Lude
* Château de Coulans
* Château de Bonnétable
* Château de Juigné
* Château de Launay
* Manoir de Vrigné
* Château of Moulinvieux
* Château de Sablé
* Château de Sourches
* Château de Vaulogé
* Château de Verdelles

Politicians|

* Joseph Caillaux
* Jacques Marie Eugène Godefroy Cavaignac
* Julie Delpech
* Pascale Fontenel-Personne
* Étienne Joseph Louis Garnier-Pagès
* Éric Martineau
* Christian Pineau
* Narcisse-Achille de Salvandy
* List of senators of Sarthe

Sportspeople|

* Dominique Chauvelier
* Nicolas Edet
* Ernest Granier
* Marcel Haëntjens
* Joël Hauvieux
* André Jousseaume
* Roger Legeay
* Guylaine Marchand
* Pierre Roger
* Amandine Tissier

Structures|

* Dunlop Bridge
* Prytanée national militaire
* Transmitter Le Mans-Mayet
* Zoo de la Flèche

* v
* t
* e

Departments of France

Metropolitan|

* 01 Ain
* 02 Aisne
* 03 Allier
* 04 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
* 05 Hautes-Alpes
* 06 Alpes-Maritimes
* 07 Ardèche
* 08 Ardennes
* 09 Ariège
* 10 Aube
* 11 Aude
* 12 Aveyron
* 13 Bouches-du-Rhône
* 14 Calvados
* 15 Cantal
* 16 Charente
* 17 Charente-Maritime
* 18 Cher
* 19 Corrèze
* 2A Corse-du-Sud
* 2B Haute-Corse
* 21 Côte-d'Or
* 22 Côtes-d'Armor
* 23 Creuse
* 24 Dordogne
* 25 Doubs
* 26 Drôme
* 27 Eure
* 28 Eure-et-Loir
* 29 Finistère
* 30 Gard
* 31 Haute-Garonne
* 32 Gers
* 33 Gironde
* 34 Hérault
* 35 Ille-et-Vilaine
* 36 Indre
* 37 Indre-et-Loire
* 38 Isère
* 39 Jura
* 40 Landes
* 41 Loir-et-Cher
* 42 Loire
* 43 Haute-Loire
* 44 Loire-Atlantique
* 45 Loiret
* 46 Lot
* 47 Lot-et-Garonne
* 48 Lozère
* 49 Maine-et-Loire
* 50 Manche
* 51 Marne
* 52 Haute-Marne
* 53 Mayenne
* 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle
* 55 Meuse
* 56 Morbihan
* 57 Moselle
* 58 Nièvre
* 59 Nord
* 60 Oise
* 61 Orne
* 62 Pas-de-Calais
* 63 Puy-de-Dôme
* 64 Pyrénées-Atlantiques
* 65 Hautes-Pyrénées
* 66 Pyrénées-Orientales
* 67 Bas-Rhin
* 68 Haut-Rhin
* 69D Rhône
* 70 Haute-Saône
* 71 Saône-et-Loire
* 72 Sarthe
* 73 Savoie
* 74 Haute-Savoie
* 76 Seine-Maritime
* 77 Seine-et-Marne
* 78 Yvelines
* 79 Deux-Sèvres
* 80 Somme
* 81 Tarn
* 82 Tarn-et-Garonne
* 83 Var
* 84 Vaucluse
* 85 Vendée
* 86 Vienne
* 87 Haute-Vienne
* 88 Vosges
* 89 Yonne
* 90 Territoire de Belfort
* 91 Essonne
* 92 Hauts-de-Seine
* 93 Seine-Saint-Denis
* 94 Val-de-Marne
* 95 Val-d'Oise

Overseas|

* 971 Guadeloupe
* 972 Martinique (territorial collectivity)
* 973 French Guiana (territorial collectivity)
* 974 Réunion
* 976 Mayotte

Special|

* 69M Lyon (collectivity with special status)
* 75 Paris (collectivity with special status)

Former|

* 975 Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Overseas collectivity)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

Other|

* IdRef
* Yale LUX

*[Pop.]: Population
*[±% p.a.]: Per annum growth rate
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