Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Morbihan

MORBIHAN (mor-bē-ong′), a maritime department of France, formed out of ancient Brittany, bounded by the Atlantic on the S. and Finistere on the W.; area, 2,738 square miles; pop. about 600,000. The largest island is Belle Isle. The department forms a plateau, partly cultivated, partly occupied by tracts of heath and marsh. Morbihan is divided into the four arrondissements of Vannes, L'Orient, Floërmel, and Pontivy. The chief town is Vannes, but the most populous is L'Orient. Many ancient customs still prevail; communal proprietorship survives there, and in some of the islands the priest, assisted by a council of notables, governs the people.