Machecoul

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Commune of Machecoul
Location
Longitude	01° 49' 18" W
Latitude	46° 59' 38" N
Administration
Country	France
Région	Pays de la Loire
Département	Loire-Atlantique
Arrondissement	Nantes
Canton	Machecoul
Intercommunality	Communauté de Communes de la Région de Machecoul
Statistics
Altitude	0 m–36 m (avg. 5 m)
Land area¹	66.62 km²
Population² (1999)	5,420
- Density (1999)	81/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	44087/ 44270
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Machecoul is a commune of the Loire-Atlantique département in France. The town has several notable features. A splendid weekly street market where you can buy roasted 'poulet noir', the famous black chicken of Challans. Close to the town centre is a castle once owned by the infamous child-murderer Gilles de Rais, and on summer evenings you can partake of a son-et-lumiere telling his story. On the edge of town is the Gitane bicycle factory. Fans of the Tour de France will recall the great Breton cyclist Bernard Hinault riding for them in the 1970's. The town is twinned with Shifnal, Shropshire, UK. Pupils from the secondary schools annually do a student exchange programme with children aged 13-14.