Brittany

Brittany (/ˈbrɪtənɪ/; French: Bretagne [bʁə.taɲ]; Breton: Breizh, pronounced [bʁɛjs] or [bʁɛχ];Gallo: Bertaèyn, pronounced [bəʁ.taɛɲ]) is a cultural region in the north-west of France. Covering the western part of Armorica, as it was known during the period of Roman occupation, Brittany subsequently became an independent kingdom and then a duchy before being united with the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province governed as if it were a separate nation under the crown. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain (as opposed to Great Britain). It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its land area is 34,023 km² (13,136 sq mi).

The historical province of Brittany is now split among five French departments: Finistère in the west, Côtes-d'Armor in the north, Ille-et-Vilaine in the north east, Loire-Atlantique in the south east and Morbihan in the south on the Bay of Biscay. Since reorganisation in 1956, the modern administrative region of Brittany comprises only four of the five Breton departments, or 80% of historical Brittany. The remaining area of old Brittany, the Loire-Atlantique department around Nantes, now forms part of the Pays de la Loire region.

Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo (French pronunciation: ​[sɛ̃.ma.lo]; Gallo : Saent-Malô; Breton: Sant-Maloù) is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.

Traditionally with an independent streak, Saint-Malo was in the past notorious for privateering (the "cité corsaire"). Today the city is a major tourist destination, with many ancient, attractive buildings.

Population

The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season. With the suburbs included, the population is approximately 153,000 (2011).

The population of the commune more than doubled in 1968 with the merging of three communes: Saint-Malo, Saint-Servan (population 14,963 in 1962) and Paramé (population 8811 in 1962).

Inhabitants of Saint-Malo are called Malouins in French.

History

Saint-Malo during the Middle Ages was a fortified island at the mouth of the Rance River, controlling not only the estuary but the open sea beyond. The promontory fort of Aleth, south of the modern centre in what is now the Saint-Servan district, commanded approaches to the Rance even before the Romans, but modern Saint-Malo traces its origins to a monastic settlement founded by Saint Aaron and Saint Brendan early in the sixth century. Its name is derived from a man said to have been a follower of Brendan, Saint Malo or Maclou.

Travel Channel

Travel Channel (originally The Travel Channel from 1987 to 1999) is an American basic cable and satellite television channel that is owned as a joint venture between Scripps Networks Interactive (which owns 65% of the network) and Cox Communications (which owns the remaining 35% interest). The channel is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States.

It features documentaries, reality, and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows on African animal safaris, tours of grand hotels and resorts, visits to significant cities and towns across the world, programming about various foods across the world, and programming about ghosts and the paranormal in notable buildings.

As of February 2015, Travel Channel is available to approximately 91.5 million pay television households (78.6% of households with television) in the United States.

History

The Travel Channel was launched on February 1, 1987; it was founded by Trans World Airlines, presumably to boost airline patronage. The channel's name was derived from the travel-related filler programming that aired between programs on the Home Theater Network. TWA purchased the name rights from Group W Satellite Communications in 1986, and took over HTN's transponder spot following the shutdown of the premium cable channel in January 1987. The network was later sold to Landmark Communications, then-owner of The Weather Channel, and eventually to Paxson Communications.