Mans, Le, city (1990 pop. 148,465), capital of Sarthe dept., NW France, on the Sarthe River. The historical capital of Maine, it is also an important manufacturing, commercial, educational, an...

Loir, river, 193 mi (310 km) long, rising S of Chartres, N central France, and flowing generally SW through a fertile agricultural region to join the Sarthe River N of Angers.

Maine, region and former province, NW France, S of Normandy and E of Brittany. It now comprises the departments of Mayenne and Sarthe and parts of Loire-et-Cher, Eure-et-Loir, and Orne. Le Man...

Anjou, region and former province, W France, coextensive roughly with Maine-et-Loire and parts of Indre-et-Loire, Mayenne, and Sarthe depts. Angers, the historic capital, and Saumur are the ch...

Flèche, La, town (1990 pop. 16,581), Sarthe dept., on the Loir River. The town has a few light industries. It is famous for its college, the Prytanée, founded by Henry IV in the 16th cent., wh...

Solesmes, village (1993 est. pop. 1,284), Sarthe dept., NW France. Its famous Benedictine Abbey de Saint-Pierre de Solesmes (founded 1010) was a pilgrimage site and led in the revival of the p...

Alençon, town (1990 pop. 31,139), capital of Orne dept., N France, in Normandy, on the Sarthe and Briante rivers. A commercial center in a fertile farm area, it is particularly noted for its f...

Fillon, François, 1954–, French political leader, b. Le Mans. A moderate conservative, he has served as an assembly deputy (1981–2002) and a senator (2004–) from Sarthe as well as in local ele...