Aunis and Saintonge
The Charente-Maritime is composed of two natural regions : the Aunis and the Saintonge. Aunis is a low-lying limestone plain and is above all a coastal territory bordered to the north by the Breton inlet and to the south by the Antioch inlet. The landscapes are varied: limestone cliffs, low and sandy coasts marked by human activities (oyster farming, mussel farming). This ancient province gathers almost half of the population of Charente-Maritime which is concentrated in La Rochelle, the historical capital.
Former province, Saintonge occupies most of the Charente-Maritime. It is both coastal, since it borders the Gironde estuary, and continental, bordering the Charente. In the north, the Pays des Vals de Saintonge is characterized by high hills where we find the highest point of Charente-Maritime (no less than 173 meters in altitude!). In the center, the Romanesque Saintonge is characterized by a landscape of alluvial pairies, perched villages and vineyards used to produce Cognac and pineau. In the south, the Haute-Saintonge region. This territory, with its varied soils, punctuated by hillsides suitable for the installation of villages, is still rural. The landscapes are marked by vineyards, cereal crops and wooded areas. A part of the Saintonge is coiled up against the coastline like the Marennes-Oleron basin which is the first European oyster farming center. This part of the Saintonge attracts tourists who admire the varied landscapes of the Côte de Beauté, bask on the long sandy beaches and enjoy the iodized atmosphere of the seaside resorts (Royan, Saint-Palais-Sur-Mer). Further south, on the coastline, you will find limestone cliffs that were once used as shelters (Meschers) and where the ancient city of Mortagne-sur-Gironde was built.
The islands
The Charente archipelago has four islands, including the second largest in mainland France. This territory benefits from a unique climate, favourable to the flowering of Mediterranean plants such as the mimosa which is celebrated every year.
Each island has its own particularity, like the two largest ones (Oléron and Ré) which are linked to the mainland by a bridge of almost the same length, allowing tourists to visit the island villages. The two smaller ones do not benefit from this advantage and are therefore wilder. Ile Madame can only be approached at low tide. Beware of adventurers who have not memorized the tide times!
The island of Aix is only accessible by boat. Twenty minutes of crossing is enough to get to this small crescent of land preserved from any pollution. Last land trodden by Napoleon before his exile, it offers a bucolic setting to sailors for a day.
The coastline
With its 463 km of coastline, the Charente-Maritime coastline offers a great variety of landscapes. From Charron to the Gironde estuary, you can find limestone cliffs (Esnandes, Marsilly), marsh areas (Angoulins), small creeks and large sandy beaches suitable for swimming and water sports. Many of them have obtained the blue flag attesting to their cleanliness, such as the Chay beach in Royan. Along the coastline you can also find carrelets, small wooden huts which are the real emblem of the Charente-Maritime heritage - there are more than 400 of them!
Benefiting from the influence of the Gulf Stream which warms the coasts, Charente-Maritime enjoys an exceptional microclimate and a rare light. Since the 19th century and the fashion for sea bathing, it attracts every year a crowd of tourists who visit the seaside resorts along the coast: Châtelaillon-Plage, Royan, Fouras...
Charente-Maritime has more than fifty ports spread out along the entire oceanic coastline. Whether for pleasure boating, fishing or trade, each has its own speciality and environment. Alongside the old port of Rochelle, there are lesser-known ports with a more intimate atmosphere, such as Marans or Houmeau, and others dedicated to oyster farming. Oysters are matured in oyster beds, former salt marshes, which form a mosaic of landscapes.
The forests
With a surface area of 100,000 hectares, the forests occupy about 15% of the total surface area of the Charente-Maritime.
Located at the southern end of the department, the Double saintongeaise and the forest of La Lande are essentially composed of maritime pines.
Closer to the coast, the Coubre forest covers nearly 5,000 hectares. Planted in the 19th century to fight against the silting of the Arvert peninsula, it extends from Ronce-les-Bains to the Coubre lighthouse. Today, it is a favorite place for walkers who can sometimes see one of the animal species that live here (deer, stags). Above all, everyone can walk or cycle in the shade of the pines and reach one of the many beaches. It is part of the coastal forests found on the islands of Oleron and Ré which fix the dunes of the coast.
There are also forests inland in agricultural and wine-producing areas such as Benon. With a surface area of 3,000 hectares, it also has marked hiking trails that allow everyone to fully enjoy the calm of the place and the beneficial shade of oaks, ash trees and maples.
The marshes
The department is home to approximately 110,000 hectares of marshes. The marshes of Rochefort and Brouage were drained at the beginning of the 19th century, transformed into salt meadows used as cattle feed or as oyster beds. The marshes of the Seudre around Marennes are today the main place of oyster production. To the north is the Marais Poitevin. Bordered by the Bay of Aiguillon, it is made up of a dried out part at Marans and a wet part around Niort.
