Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain (as opposed to Great Britain, with

which it shares an etymology).[2][failed verification] It is bordered by the English Channel to the

north, Normandy to the northeast, eastern Pays de la Loire to the southeast, the Bay of Biscay to the
south, and the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its land area is 34,023 km2 (13,136 sq
mi).

Brittany is the site of some of the world's oldest standing architecture, home to the Barnenez, the
Tumulus Saint-Michel and others, which date to the early 5th millennium BC.[3][4] Today, the
historical province of Brittany is split among five French departments: Finistère in the west, Côtes-
d'Armor in the north, Ille-et-Vilaine in the northeast, Morbihan in the south and Loire-Atlantique in
the southeast.[5]

At the 2010 census, the population of historic Brittany was estimated to be 4,475,295. Of these, 71%
lived in the region of Brittany, while 29% lived in the Loire-Atlantique department. In 2017, the
largest metropolitan areas were Nantes (972,828 inhabitants), Rennes (733,320 inhabitants), and
Brest (321,364 inhabitants).[6] Brittany is the traditional homeland of the Breton people and is one of
the six Celtic nations,[7][8][9][10] retaining a distinct cultural identity that reflects its history. A
nationalist movement seeks greater autonomy within the French Republic.[11]