What You Need to Know About Charente-Maritime
Here is department 17 of France, located in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region. It is called Charente-Maritime. Geographically, this department is situated in the eastern part of the region, which means it is located in the Midi-Atlantique.
Furthermore, the population of Charente-Maritime is currently 651,358 inhabitants and its area is 6864 km2, which means a population density of 95 inhabitants per km2. Its capital and prefecture is called La Rochelle, and its sub-prefectures are: Jonzac, Rochefort, Saintes, and finally Saint-Jean-d’Angély. Department 17 is divided into 5 arrondissements, 5 legislative constituencies, 27 cantons, 13 intercommunalities, and 463 communes.
What is the Climate of Charente-Maritime Like?
The climate of department 17 is mainly categorized as oceanic and Aquitaine type. This means that throughout the year, the hours of sunshine are high, whereas precipitation is low and rarely reaches 1,200 mm of rain per year.
However, temperature fluctuations reach high amplitudes, going down to -5°C during winter periods and up to 20°C during summer periods. Regarding the winter period, there is a lot of rain although the period is not very cold. Conversely, during the summer period, the climate is dry and sometimes even experiences drought during certain periods.
There are climatic differences between coastal areas and the center. The center experiences more rain compared to the coast, which is sunnier and very dry. This means that annual rainfall in the center is 950 mm versus 750 mm along the coasts.
Which Departments Border Charente-Maritime?
In fact, Charente-Maritime is located right in the center of France, overlooking the Atlantic. This is why the department is directly connected to the Aquitaine basin. Moreover, it borders it to the north. The other neighboring departments of Charente-Maritime are: the Vendée department, the Deux-Sèvres department, and the Charente department. It is with the latter that Charente-Maritime shares the longest common administrative border. There are also the Gironde and Dordogne departments. Finally, its southern tips connect it directly to Pays de la Loire and Aquitaine.
What Are the Most Important Cities in the Charente-Maritime Department?
Based on population density per km2, here are the most important cities in the Charente-Maritime department:
- La Rochelle,
- Saintes,
- Rochefort,
- Royan,
- Aytré,
- Saint-Jean-d’Angély,
- Tonnay-Charente,
- Lagord,
- Périgny,
- Saujon,
- Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron,
- Surgères,
- Châtelaillon-Plage,
- Nieul-sur-Mer,
- Marennes,
- Dompierre-sur-Mer,
- Puilboreau,
- Saint-Georges-de-Didonne.
What Are the Most Important Communes in the Charente-Maritime Department?
Referring to the area of the communes of Charente-Maritime, we have listed below the largest communes
- Marans
- La Tremblade
- Saint-Just-Luzac
- Saint-Savinien
- Benon
- Saint-Georges-d’Oléron
- Saintes
- Clérac
- Cercoux
- Saint-Jean-de-Liversay
Referring to the population density per km2, the most important communes of Charente-Maritime are:
- La Rochelle
- Saintes
- Rochefort
- Royan
- Aytré
- Tonnay-Charente
- Saint-Jean-d’Angély
- Lagord
- Périgny
- Puilboreau
