At 84,061 square kilometres, Nouvelle-Aquitaine is larger than
French Guiana, which makes it the largest region of
metropolitan and
overseas France. Nouvelle-Aquitaine is delimited by four other French regions (
Pays de la Loire to the north-west,
Centre-Val de Loire to the northeast,
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes to the east, and
Occitania to the south-east), three autonomous communities in
Spain to the south (from east to west,
Aragon,
Navarre, and
Basque Country), and the North
Atlantic Ocean (the eastern part of
Bay of Biscay,
Golfe de Gascogne in French) to the west.
Departments Nouvelle-Aquitaine comprises twelve
departments:
Charente,
Charente-Maritime,
Corrèze,
Creuse,
Dordogne,
Gironde,
Landes,
Lot-et-Garonne,
Pyrénées-Atlantiques,
Deux-Sèvres,
Vienne and
Haute-Vienne.
Urban centers Its largest city and only metropolis is
Bordeaux, in the heart of an urban agglomeration of over one million inhabitants. Taking into consideration the urban area, the new region is home to six of the fifty largest metropolitan areas of French territory (population 2011): •
Bordeaux (1,140,668 inhabitants) •
Bayonne (283,571) •
Limoges (282,876) •
Poitiers (254 051) •
Pau (240,898) •
La Rochelle (205,822). In addition, the region has a network of medium-sized towns scattered throughout its territory, including: •
Angoulême (108,304) •
Agen (79,764) •
Brive-la-Gaillarde (75,925) •
Niort (71,046) •
Périgueux (66,423) •
Bergerac (64,427) •
Villeneuve-sur-Lot (49,354) •
Dax (48,820) •
Mont-de-Marsan (40,269)
Geographical features The region covers a large part of the
Aquitaine Basin and a small portion of the
Paris Basin (the border between the two being located at the "
Seuil du Poitou") and the Limousin plate (part of the Massif Central) and the western part of the
Pyrenees. It is part of five watersheds facing the Atlantic Ocean:
Loire,
Charente,
Garonne and
Dordogne (and their extension, the
Gironde estuary) and
Adour, giving rivers bordering land dedicated mostly to viticulture and to agriculture. is the tallest dune in Europe. Nouvelle-Aquitaine features a large open coastline along the
Atlantic Ocean, extending from the National Nature Reserve of Aiguillon Bay and the estuary of the
Sèvre (near
Charron) to
Bidasoa (south of
Hendaye). This coastline includes the islands of the Charentais Archipelago (
Ré,
Oléron,
Aix, and
Madame) and the inlet of Arcachon. The region is notable for its oyster farming (Marennes-Oléron and the Bassin d’Arcachon), mussel farming (Baie de l’Aiguillon), and tourism. Prominent resorts in the area include
Arcachon (Côte d’Argent),
Biarritz (Côte Basque), and
Royan (Côte de Beauté). From the to the coast of
Labourd, the coastline is predominantly straight and characterized by high dunes, including
Dune du Pilat, large lakes (such as
Lac d'Hourtin-Carcans,
Étang de Lacanau,
Étang de Cazaux et de Sanguinet, and
Lac de Biscarrosse et de Parentis), and wetlands (including the Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Dunes et Marais d'Hourtin), all situated above vast pine forests planted in the 19th century. The
Landes forest, the most extensive in the region, covers nearly one million hectares (approximately 950,000 hectares of maritime pines), making it the largest artificial forest in Western Europe. This forest forms a vast triangle extending from the
Pointe de Grave, north of
Soulac-sur-Mer, to
Hossegor in the south and
Nérac in the east, replacing the sandy and marshy
moorland that characterized the region for centuries. The Landes forest is partially included in the
Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park, which begins south of Bordeaux. Further north, adjacent to the Landes forest, the
forest of la Coubre on the right bank of the
Gironde estuary shares similar characteristics, covering nearly 8,000 hectares. Other significant forests in the region include the
Irati Forest in the
Basque Country, which spans over 17,000 hectares, and the Forest of the Double, located at the borders of Charente, Charente-Maritime, and Dordogne, which covers about 50,000 hectares and is dotted with nearly 500 lakes. Additionally, near Poitiers, the extends over nearly 6,800 hectares, and to the east, near Guéret, the encompasses 2,000 hectares. The extreme southern region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine is characterized by the presence of the
Pyrenees. The western part, known as the mountains of Labourd, consists mostly of high green hills. Further east, the highest point in the French Basque Country is
Pic d'Orhy, which reaches 2,017 meters. The Pau region is notable for its more rugged, mineral landscapes, featuring high peaks often exceeding 2,000 meters. The highest point in the region, , stands at 2,974 meters. Other significant Pyrenean peaks in the region include
Pic du Midi d'Ossau (2,884 m), (2,824 m),
Pic de Ger (2,613 m) near the winter resort
Gourette,
Pic d'Anie (2,504 m), (2,472 m), (2,377 m), (2,147 m), and (2,044 m). This hilly region is traversed by numerous mountain streams, known as
gaves. Notable gaves in the area include the
Gave de Pau, the , the
Gave d'Ossau, and the
Gaves réunis on the border of Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The
Ossau Valley, one of the three valleys of
Béarn, extends from the suburbs of Pau to
Col du Pourtalet at the
Spanish border. The region's glacial lakes, along with their diverse fauna and flora, contribute to its inclusion in the
Pyrénées National Park. Belonging to the
Massif Central,
Limousin features a varied landscape with high plateaus and some eroded peaks that dominate green valleys and forests of oak and chestnut trees. The Limousin plateau, intersected by the valleys of the
Vienne (which flows through its capital,
Limoges),
Isle,
Vézère, and the picturesque
Corrèze with its deep reliefs, seldom exceeds 500 meters in elevation. It forms the watershed between the
Loire basin to the north (including the sources of the
Briance, , , and
Gorre), the Dordogne basin to the south (including the sources of the
Dronne, Isle, and
Auvézère), and the maritime watershed of the Charente to the west. The mountains of Limousin, which include a series of small mountains (Mont Fayat, Monedières Hills, Mont de Châlus) peak at Mont Bessou (976 m), in Corrèze. Further north, the mountains of Marche, which are divided into mountains of Monts de Guéret, mont d'Ambazac and Monts de Blond, are more like high wooded hills dotted with pastures, as real peaks. They culminate in Signal de Sauvagnac (701 m), in Haute-Vienne. Southwest of Limousin and Périgord northwest since 1998 are integrated into the
Parc naturel régional Périgord Limousin. The northern part of the region, which corresponds to the Haut-Poitou history, is organised around a tray agricultural and viticultural (vineyard of Haut-Poitou) irrigated by the
Vienne,
Clain or the
Gartempe, which form so little valleys, often lined with oak forests. Further south, the Niortais this open landscapes (openfields) in grain-dominant, but also rich wetland areas such as the
Marais Poitevin, a legacy of an old marine gulf filled with alluvium, which is divided into wet marshes (we speak more readily of "Green Venice") and marshes dried up, converted into mixed farming.
Niort, on the
Sèvre Niortaise, the main town of the Haut-Poitou outside
Poitiers, is like a door of this "Green Venice" much of which belongs to the
parc naturel régional du Marais poitevin, established in 1979, classified "Grand site de France". Further south lie the Charentes, which correspond to the former provinces of
Aunis,
Angoumois and
Saintonge. Aunis is not unlike the landscape of Niortais, with large marshes that extend from either side of
La Rochelle and
Rochefort (Baie d'Yves, marais de Rochefort, Broue and
Brouage) but also the islands of
Ré and
Aix, with varied landscapes where pine forests mingle, sandy beaches or the curious lagoon of Fier d'Ars, the sands in constant motion, which houses a bird sanctuary. The interior of the territory is marked by the presence of a rich plain cereal evoking the
Beauce by its open relief on the horizon. At the center of this space, the city of
Surgères remained a pastureland where dairy farming has retained its importance: the small city is thus a production centers butter, Beurre de Charentes-Poitou. and
Charente-Maritime, the
Marais Poitevin The
Angoumois forms a transitional space between the coastal plains of Aunis, large "champagne" of Saintonge and Limousin plateau. Dotted with small hills, he seems to live to the rhythm of the Charente, real artery watering its major cities,
Angoulême,
Cognac and
Jarnac. Great wine region, internationally renowned alcohol is produced there,
cognac, and a water spirits called
Pineau des Charentes. The western quarter of Charentes consists of Saintonge, organised territory around the towns of
Saintes, the first capital of Aquitaine in Roman times, and
Royan. In continuation of the Angoumois, the Dordogne approximately corresponds to the former province of
Périgord. Taking its name from the river of the same name, which flows
Bergerac but not its prefecture,
Périgueux (the edge of the
Isle), the area with varied landscapes has a large afforestation rate (45%) making it the third most wooded department France. The great forests of oak and chestnut trees of green Périgord, organised around
Nontron, meet the great grain fields of the White Périgord, nicknamed "the breadbasket of the Périgord", the oak, walnut and black Périgord truffle, around
Sarlat-la-Caneda and vineyards of Bergerac or purple Périgord, which produces Bergerac, monbazillac or pécharmant. is the largest estuary in Western Europe. The
Gironde estuary, which acts as a link between
Saintonge, ,
Médoc and western
Guyenne, is in itself a world apart. Wild largest estuary in Europe, being classified in the marine park with the "Pertuis charentais", it is lined with large marshes ("Petite Camargue" and hillsides which produces most of the great Bordeaux wines from the Côtes-de-Bordeaux and Côtes-de-Bourg on the right bank to the great wines of the left bank Médoc (Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien. The vineyards of Bordeaux, with international reputation, has done for centuries the reputation of the region. His productions are exported worldwide. Farther south lies the vast plain Landes (south of Gironde and Landes), which begins near Bordeaux and go to the Pyrénées. Largely occupied by the
Landes forest, it is also a major agricultural area (maize farming) and hosts a spa of international reputation, Dax, also the capital of
Chalosse, important breeding ground. The coastline subject to severe erosion, remained very wild. Some resorts have been built in the dunes from
Soulac-sur-Mer in the north of the Gironde, via
Lacanau,
Hourtin,
Biscarrosse,
Mimizan and
Capbreton, without forgetting those bordering the Bay of Arcachon:
Arcachon,
Andernos-les-Bains,
Lège-Cap-Ferret, . This vast lagoon, wide open ocean, houses since 2014 the marine natural park of Arcachon basin. Eastern Guyenne corresponds in part to the department of
Lot-et-Garonne. Rich agricultural and farming area watered by both the
Lot and the
Garonne, it is famous for its "
pruneaux", who took the name of its capital,
Agen (nearly 8000 hectares of land are dedicated to Ente plum orchards) while
Marmande is famous for its tomatoes. The mild climate explains that also cultivated
tobacco, as well as strawberries ("gariguettes") and vines, used to produce the Côtes du marmandais the buzet or Côte de Brulhois, that relate to the broad vineyard of the Southwest. But the real glory of this land is
Armagnac, a famous brandy, exported around the world. Its vineyards cover some of the departments of Lot-et-Garonne, Landes but also the
Gers (in the neighbouring region of
Occitania). It also produces the
floc de Gascogne, with delicate floral accents. The extreme south of the region consists of two territories in strong identity, the
Basque Country (Northern Basque Country or "Iparralde") and
Béarn. The first, which is organised around
Bayonne,
Biarritz,
Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Labourd)
Mauléon-Licharre (Soule) and
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Lower Navarre) has its warm and humid climate its green side, the Atlantic rains from butter against the Pyrenean barrier. The coast, with both high-end and family resorts, is a popular holiday resort. The interior is more rural and retains a strong agricultural tradition, and is a solid wine region, symbolised by the vineyard Irouléguy but also by traditional liquors such as
izarra and
patxaran, eau-de-vie characteristic of
Navarre. Anchored in the heart of the Pyrenees, the Béarn opposes its Gascon traditions. It has a succession of gently accented hills and valleys (that of Pau river, where the capital is located,
Pau, and others named
Orthez and
Navarrenx, being the most populated), it comprises the
Aspe, the and
Ossau valleys along with the
Col du Soulor. Agriculture will always be prominent, as viticulture (jurançon, Madiran) even if the aeronautical and petrochemical sectors are also represented. The main ski resorts in the area, such as
Artouste,
Gourette, , and are concentrated in the Béarn area. File:Dune à Boyardville.JPG|Sand dune on the
Île d'Oléron in
Charente-Maritime File:Baretous piemont Pyreneen.jpg|The in
Pyrénées-Atlantiques File:Castelnaud-la-Chapelle 2 Stevage.jpg|Medieval city of
Castelnaud-la-Chapelle,
Dordogne File:BordLac.jpg|The main lake of
Biscarrosse,
Landes File:2009 Aubusson Creuse France 3820681551.jpg|Old town of
Aubusson in
Creuse == Languages ==