The Charente Maritime - Introduction

Charente-Maritime forms a part of the Poitou-Charentes administrative region and is the second largest and the most populated department in the region.

The important rivers are the Charente and its tributaries, the Boutonne and the Seugne, along with the Sèvre Niortaise, the Seudre, and the Garonne, in its downstream part, which is the estuary of the Gironde.
The islands of Île de Ré, Île d'Aix, and Ile d'Oléron are to be found in this department which forms the northern part of the Aquitaine basin. The highest point in the Charente-Maritime department is in the woods of Chantemerlière, near the commune of Contré in the north-east, and this rises to 173 m.

The region's climate is mild and sunny, with less than 900 mm of precipitation per year. Average temperatures can vary from 20 °C in summer to 5 °C in winter. In the summer people come from all over Europe to enjoy the sun and the local delicacies in particular the local seafood. Charente-Maritime is the headquarters of the major oyster producer Marennes-Oléron. Oysters cultivated here are shipped across Europe. Read more in our page on Food and Wine in the Charente-Maritime

Tourism, maritime industry and manufacturing are the three main sectors of the economy of the Charente-Maritime and La Rochelle, a popular venue for tourism, with its picturesque medieval harbour and city walls is a seat of major French industry. Just outside the city is the factory of the French engineering giant Alstom, where the TGV, the cars for the Paris and other metros are manufactured.