FINISTÈRE, or Finisterre (Lat. finis terræ, land's end), the extreme W. department of France, in Brittany, surrounded on three sides by the ocean and the English channel, and bounded E. by the departments of Côtes-du-Nord and Morbihan; area, 2,595 sq. in.; pop. in 1872, 642,693. The coasts, generally steep and deeply indented, are about 400 m. in length, and present many excellent bays and harbors. The most important ports are Brest, Morlaix, Landerneau, Quimper, and Douarnenez. Of numerous rivers only the Aulne, the Elorn, and the Odet are navigable. Two hill chains, that of Arès in the north and that of the Black mountains in the south, run through this department E. and W. The climate is mild, but humid; fogs are common; W. winds are most prevalent, and violent storms often occur. The soil of some parts is good, and the pasturage is excellent; but heath or waste land covers no less than a third of the area, and agriculture is in a backward state. The wealth of the department consists especially in its mines of argentiferous lead; those of Poullaouen and Huelgoat are perhaps the largest in France. Iron, zinc, coal, and bitumen are also mined. The fisheries are very important. There are manufactories of linen and woollen fabrics, paper mills, rope yards, and sailcloth and earthenware factories. The department is divided into the arrondissements of Quimper, Brest, Morlaix, Châteaulin, and Quimperlé. Capital, Quimper.