It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-et-Loire to the east, Vienne and Deux-Sèvres to the south, Vendée to the south-west, and Ille-et-Vilaine to the north-west.

Maine-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790, mostly out of the southern portion of the former province of Anjou.

[4] It has a varied landscape, with forested ranges of hills in the south and north separated by the valley of the Loire.

Part of the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site lies in Maine-et-Loire.

Population development since 1801:The president of the Departmental Council is Florence Dabin, elected in July 2021.