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Côtes-d'Armor
The name of this department comes from the Breton word Arvor, which means "coast", as opposed to Argoad, which means 'interior'. The first part of the name, "Côtes" finds its origin in the former name of the department: Côtes-du-Nord. The Breton name for Côtes-d'Armor is "Aoudou an Arvor".
The department has been established during the French revolution, on March 4 1790, around a part of the province Brittany, especially the diocese of Saint-Brieuc-Tréguier.
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For more than two hundred years the department was called Côtes-du-Nord. Not everyone was pleased with this name and finally, in 1990, the name was changed into Côtes-d'Armor, a more attractive name meaning "coasts of the sea".
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The department is attractive to tourists due to its position at the Channel coast and the variety of the coast line. There are many sandy beaches at the coast, between the hills and cliffs. Those of Plouha are the highest of Brittany. The coast named Granite Rose is, as its name indicates, coloured red and the size of the rocks is exceptional
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(such as at Ploumanach). On the other side, in the sea, lie the Sept-Iles (seven islands) which offer a safe place to birds at the largest ornithological reserve of France. Near the most northern point of Brittany, the Bréhat archipelago which lies across from Paimpol, a wide range of tropical plants grow in the wild. The bay of Saint Brieuc is the second largest bay, after the bay of Mont St. Michel.
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There are many historical and architectonic sights, such as medieval towns (Dinan, Moncontour), old chapels, castles (Rosambo, La Roche-Jagu, Tonquédec) and abbeys (Beauport).
Furthermore, the department offers many sports activities throughout the year.
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Besides water sports, the interior offers many possibilities for walking, cycling or mountain biking. Horse back riding is also a popular activity. For real adventurers there is the possibility to go hang gliding along the cliffs or the coast or go scuba diving at Perros-Guirec.
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