Loire-Atlantique (formerly Loire-Inférieure)'s a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean. History Loire-Atlantique's one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally, it was named Loire-Inférieure, but its name was changed in 1957 to Loire-Atlantique. The area was originally part of Brittany, and contains what many people still consider to be Brittany's capital, Nantes. This departme… (More on Loire-atlantique)