Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, 50 km (31 mi) from the Atlantic coast.The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.
Nantes is the capital city of the Pays de la Loire region and Loire - Atlantique department. Together with Vannes, Rennes and Carhaix, it was one of the major cities of the historic province of Brittany, and the ancient Duchy of Brittany. Though officially separated from Brittany over 60 years ago, Nantes is culturally Breton and still widely regarded as its capital city.
In 2004, Time described Nantes as "the most liveable city in Europe". In 2010, Nantes was named a hub city for innovation in the Innovation Cities Index by innovation agency, 2thinknow.The city was ranked 36th globally from 289 cities and 4th overall in France, behind Paris, Lyonand Strasbourg for innovation across multiple sectors of the economy
