Seine-Maritime

Coordinates: 49°40′N 0°50′E / 49.667°N 0.833°E / 49.667; 0.833
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Seine-Maritime
Prefecture building of the Seine-Maritime department, in Rouen
Prefecture building of the Seine-Maritime department, in Rouen
Flag of Seine-Maritime
Coat of arms of Seine-Maritime
Location of Seine-Maritime in France
Location of Seine-Maritime in France
Coordinates: 49°40′N 0°50′E / 49.667°N 0.833°E / 49.667; 0.833
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
PrefectureRouen
SubprefecturesDieppe
Le Havre
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilBertrand Bellanger[1]
Area
 • Total6,278 km2 (2,424 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Total1,255,918
 • Rank16th
 • Density200/km2 (520/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeFR-76
Department number76
Arrondissements3
Cantons35
Communes708
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Seine-Maritime (French pronunciation: [sɛn maʁitim] ) is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inférieure. It had a population of 1,255,633 in 2019.[3]

History[edit]

1790 - Creation of the Seine-Inférieure department
The department was created from part of the old province of Normandy during the French Revolution, on 4 March 1790, through the application of a law of 22 December 1789.
1815 - Occupation
After the victory at Waterloo of the coalition armies, the department was occupied by British forces from June 1815 till November 1818.
1843 – Railways and industry
In Rouen, Elbeuf, and Bolbec, the number of textile factories is increasing. Metallurgy and naval construction as well.
1851 - A republican department
Following President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte's 1851 Coup d'état, Seine-Inférieure was one of several departments placed under a state of emergency (literally, in French, state of siege) [4] following fears of significant resistance to the new government.
World War II
In 1942, during occupation by Nazi Germany, two Allied raids, the Bruneval and Dieppe, took place at towns of the channel coast of Seine-Inférieure.
1955 - Rename to Seine-Maritime

In 1955, the department's name was officially changed to Seine-Maritime.

Heraldry[edit]

The arms of the departement Seine-Maritime are blazoned :
Gules a fess wavy argent between two lions passant gardant or armed and langued azure.



Geography[edit]

The department can be split into three main areas:[5]

Administration[edit]

The département was created in 1790 as Seine-Inférieure, one of five departements that replaced the former province of Normandy. In 1800 five arrondissements were created within the département, namely Rouen, Le Havre, Dieppe, Neufchatel and Yvetot, although the latter two were disbanded in 1926. On 18 January 1955 the name of the département was changed to Seine-Maritime, in order to provide a more positive-sounding name and in-keeping with changes made in a number of other French departements.

Principal towns[edit]

The most populous commune is Le Havre; the prefecture Rouen is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 20,000 inhabitants:[3]

Commune Population (2019)
Le Havre 168,290
Rouen 112,321
Sotteville-lès-Rouen 29,068
Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray 28,352
Dieppe 28,241
Le Grand-Quevilly 25,963
Le Petit-Quevilly 22,000

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1801609,843—    
1821655,804+0.36%
1831693,683+0.56%
1841737,206+0.61%
1851762,039+0.33%
1861789,988+0.36%
1872790,022+0.00%
1881814,068+0.33%
1891839,876+0.31%
1901853,883+0.17%
1911877,383+0.27%
1921880,671+0.04%
1931905,278+0.28%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1936915,628+0.23%
1946846,131−0.79%
1954941,684+1.35%
19621,035,844+1.20%
19681,113,977+1.22%
19751,172,743+0.74%
19821,193,039+0.25%
19901,223,429+0.31%
19991,239,138+0.14%
20061,243,830+0.05%
20111,251,282+0.12%
20161,255,755+0.07%
source:[6][7]

Previously lacking a demonym, the inhabitants of Seine-Maritime (as the department had been renamed in 1955) chose, following a public consultation, to be identified in official documents as "Seinomarins" [8] (males) and "Seinomarines" (females).

Politics[edit]

The president of the Departmental Council is Bertrand Bellanger, elected in 2019.

Presidential elections 2nd round[edit]

Election Winning Candidate Party % 2nd Place Candidate Party %
2022 Emmanuel Macron LREM 55.28 Marine Le Pen FN 44.72
2017[9] Emmanuel Macron LREM 60.42 Marine Le Pen FN 39.58
2012 François Hollande PS 54.94 Nicolas Sarkozy UMP 45.06
2007 Nicolas Sarkozy UMP 50.20 Ségolène Royal PS 49.80
2002[9] Jacques Chirac RPR 82.58 Jean-Marie Le Pen FN 17.42

Current National Assembly Representatives[edit]

Constituency Member[10] Party
Seine-Maritime's 1st constituency Damien Adam La République En Marche!
Seine-Maritime's 2nd constituency Annie Vidal La République En Marche!
Seine-Maritime's 3rd constituency Hubert Wulfranc French Communist Party
Seine-Maritime's 4th constituency Sira Sylla La République En Marche!
Seine-Maritime's 5th constituency Christophe Bouillon Socialist Party
Seine-Maritime's 6th constituency Sébastien Jumel French Communist Party
Seine-Maritime's 7th constituency Agnès Firmin-Le Bodo The Republicans
Seine-Maritime's 8th constituency Jean-Paul Lecoq French Communist Party
Seine-Maritime's 9th constituency Stéphanie Kerbarh La République En Marche!
Seine-Maritime's 10th constituency Xavier Batut La République En Marche!

Transport[edit]

In 1843 the railway from Paris reached the region. The département is connected to the adjacent Eure department via the Tancarville and Pont de Normandie bridge crossings of the Seine.

Culture[edit]

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert is set in Seine Maritime.

The novel La Place by Annie Ernaux largely takes place in Seine-Maritime and describes events and changes that take place in relation to French society in the 20th century especially in relation to the rural population.

The first story of the long-running series Valérian and Laureline is set in Seine-Maritime, with the character Laureline originating from the area.

Cauchois is the dialect of the Pays de Caux, and is one of the most vibrant forms of the Norman language beyond Cotentinais.

Tourism[edit]

See also[edit]

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. ^ "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Populations légales 2019: 76 Seine-Maritime, INSEE
  4. ^ Jacques Olivier Boudon, Les Bonaparte : regards sur la France impériale. La Documentation photographique, dossier 8073, janvier-février 2010, p. 11 (carte de Gilles Pécout)
  5. ^ "Seine Maritime". France-For-Visitors.com. Rough Guides. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  6. ^ "Historique de la Seine-Maritime". Le SPLAF.
  7. ^ "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
  8. ^ "Seinomarins, un beau nom !". Commune76.
  9. ^ a b l'Intérieur, Ministère de. "Présidentielles". interieur.gouv.fr.
  10. ^ Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale.

External links[edit]