Aquitaine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aquitaine
Region
Flag Symbol
Country	France
Préfecture	Bordeaux
- coordinates	44°50′19″N 0°34′42″W / 44.83861°N 0.57833°W / 44.83861; -0.57833
Area	41,284 km² (15,940 sq mi)
Population	3,285,970 (2012)
Density	80 /km² (207 /sq mi)
Subdivisions	5 departments 18 arrondissements 235 cantons 2,296 communes
President	Alain Rousset
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Aquitaine (Occitan: Aquitània; Basque: Akitania; Spanish: Aquitania) is a part of southwestern France. It was once an administrative region but is now part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. With over 41,000 square kilometers, it is one of the largest regions of mainland France (the largest of all French regions is French Guiana, in South America).

Its capital was Bordeaux, the largest city. The French name of the people living in the region is Aquitain.

The five departments in the region were Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

Geography

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). 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).

		Poitou-Charentes	Limousin
	Atlantic Ocean		Midi-Pyrénées
		Aquitaine
	Italia	Spain (Aragon and Navarre)	Morocco

The Greenwich Meridian passes through Aquitaine.

Most of Aquitaine is in the Aquitanian basin, 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.

The main rivers of the region are the Garonne, that flows through the Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne departments; the Dordogne, that flows through the Dordogne and Gironde departments; the Lot, that flows through the Lot-et-Garonne department; the Dropt, that flows through the Dordogne, Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne departments; and the Adour, that flows through the Landes department.

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.

History

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.

Departments

The Aquitaine region is formed by five departments:

Demographics

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

Place de la Bourse at night with the Miroir d'eau and tram, Bordeaux

The 10 most important cities in the department are:

Gallery

• 

  Trencat dune.

• 

  Sainte-Madeleine church, Montagrier, Dordogne

• 

  Sunflowers in Dordogne

• 

  The Ossau Valley in the French Pyrenees

Images for kids

• 

  Landscape in Dordogne, Aquitaine

• 

  Landscape in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Aquitaine

• 

  14th-century representation of the wedding of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Louis of France

• 

  The footpath west from the Château de Pau

• 

  Bordeaux, Pont-de-Pierre

See also

In Spanish: Aquitania para niños