The department in France numbered 56 is Morbihan. Morbihan was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Brittany. Morbihan means 'little sea' in Breton, and gets its name from the gulf of morbihan, which is a large spanse of water dotted with small islands that opens out into the 'great sea' of the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the only department in Brittany to have a southern coastline, with a sub-tropical feel the climate is warmer than the rest of Brittany, especially near the 300 miles of coastline and estuaries such as the Vilaine.
With such a mild climate and hundreds of creeks, harbours and ports, Morbihan is the perfect destination for the sailing enthusiast as well as the migrating birds! As Morbihan has one of the highest concentrations of sea-birds along the whole Channel/North Atlantic coasts of France, with numbers varying annually from 60,000 to 100,000, including a huge wintering population of barnacle geese. At reserves in the Gulf, and on Belle-Ile and Groix, visitors can watch gulls, oystercatchers, cormorants as well as many other species.
Vannes is the capital of Morbihan, and it is a beautifully restored walled city with its port area that is full of yachts and al fresco cafes and restaurants it has a truly cosmopolitan feel to it.
Carnac at the foot of the Quiberon peninsula is famous as the site of more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones. The stones were hewn from local rock, and were erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany.
