Nantes

Nantes (pop. 252,000), port city in western France near the Loire River, capital of the Loire- Atlantique department. It is linked to the Atlantic Ocean through the port of St.-Nazaire and a ship canal. Shipbuilding and transporting food products and farm equipment provide revenue. King Henry IV signed the Edict of Nantes (1598) in the city's 10th-century castle, providing restricted religious freedom for Protestants.