Pays-de-la-Loire region, France, satellite image. North is at top. Vegetation is shown in green, water in blue, and urban areas in grey. Pays-de-la-Loire (highlighted) is an administrative region in western France. It has a population of around 3.4 million (2005). Its capital is Nantes, which lies towards the west of the region on the river Loire, which runs from east to west.