Aquitaine

The Aquitaine region was the third largest region of Metropolitan France, after Midi-Pyrénées and Rhône-Alpes. Its area was 41,284 km² (15,940 sq mi).^[2] It bordered with three French regions: Poitou-Charentes to the north, Limousin to the northeast and Midi-Pyrénées to the east. To the south is Spain (Aragon and Navarre) and to the west the Atlantic Ocean. The coast along the Atlantic Ocean, part of the Bay of Biscay, is called the Côte d'Argent (Silver Coast).

The Greenwich Meridian passes through Aquitaine.

Most of Aquitaine is in the Aquitanian basin,^{[N 1]} a relatively flat and geologically young landscape. High mountains are found only in the south of Aquitaine, in the Pyrenees mountain range. The Pic Palas (42°50′58″N 0°18′48″E / 42.84944°N 0.31333°E / 42.84944; 0.31333 (Palas)), at 2,974 m (9,757 ft), is the highest point of Aquitaine; it is on the border with Spain.^[3]

The main rivers of the region are the Garonne, that flows through the Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne departments;^[4] the Dordogne, that flows through the Dordogne and Gironde departments;^[5] the Lot, that flows through the Lot-et-Garonne department;^[6] the Dropt, that flows through the Dordogne, Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne departments;^[7] and the Adour, that flows through the Landes department.^[8]

The climate is mild - except in the high mountains - all year round. On the Atlantic coast, the annual average temperature is above 15 °C, in Bordeaux is about 14 °C and on the border of Limousin is still 11 °C. Rainfall is relatively high and is higher in the south of the region.

In the Middle Ages Aquitaine was at times a kingdom and a duchy. Various wars made it larger and smaller. Aquitane came into the control of England when Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II of England in 1152. It remained in English control until 1453 at the end of the Hundred Years' War.

The Aquitaine region is formed by five departments:

The Aquitaine region had a population, in 2012, of 3,285,970,^[10] for a population density of 79.6 inhabitants/km².

The 10 most important cities in the department are:

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  Trencat dune.
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  Sainte-Madeleine church, Montagrier, Dordogne
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  Sunflowers in Dordogne
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  The Ossau Valley in the French Pyrenees

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aquitaine.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide about: Aquitaine

• Regional Council of Aquitain official website Archived 2016-10-12 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
• Visit Aquitaine Archived 2015-03-16 at the Wayback Machine
• Regional information and tourist attractions
• Aquitaine: the cradle of humanity Archived 2015-04-05 at the Wayback Machine