Aquitaine

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Aquitaine

Aquitaine (; ), archaic Guyenne/Guienne (Occitan: Guiana), is one of the 26 regions of France

Régions of France

France is divided into 26 regions or r?gions , of which 21 are in continental metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, and four lie overseas....
, in the south-western part of metropolitan France

Metropolitan France

Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe, including Corsica. By contrast, French overseas departments and territories is the collective name for the French overseas departments , overseas territories , and overseas collectivity ....
, along the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
and the Pyrenees

Pyrenees

The Pyrenees are a mountain range in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. They separate the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe, and extend for about from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea ....
mountain range on the border with Spain

Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
. In the Middle Ages it was a kingdom and later a duchy, with boundaries considerably larger than the modern ones.

modern region Aquitaine covers an area of 41,308 km², 7.6 percent of France's total area.

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Encyclopedia

Aquitaine (; ), archaic Guyenne/Guienne (Occitan: Guiana), is one of the 26 regions of France

Régions of France

Metropolitan France

Atlantic Ocean

Pyrenees

Spain

Geography

The modern region Aquitaine covers an area of 41,308 km², 7.6 percent of France's total area. It is bounded to the south by Spain

Spain

Midi-Pyrénées

Midi-Pyr?n?es is the largest Regions of France of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyr?n?es has no historical or geographical unity....
, to the north by Poitou-Charentes

Poitou-Charentes

Poitou-Charentes is an Regions of France in central western France comprising four departments of France: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-S?vres and Vienne....
and Limousin

Limousin (région)

Limousin is one of the 26 Regions of France of France. It is composed of three d?partements; Corr?ze , Creuse and the Haute-Vienne....
and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
, Pau, Bayonne

Bayonne

name= BayonneFile:Bayonne.jpgView of Grand Bayonne across the Adour|r?gion=Aquitaine|d?partement=Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques...
, Mont-de-Marsan

Mont-de-Marsan

Mont-de-Marsan is a communes of France and capital of the Landes Departments of France in Aquitaine in southwestern France....
, Biarritz

Biarritz

Biarritz is a town and commune in France which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, in southwestern France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
, Bergerac

Bergerac

Bergerac can refer to:* Bergerac, Dordogne, a French market town* Cyrano de Bergerac, a French dramatist and duelist* Cyrano de Bergerac , a French play of 1897 based around the life of the dramatist...
, and Périgueux

Périgueux

P?rigueux is a Communes of France in the Dordogne Departments of France in Aquitaine in southwestern France.P?rigueux is the Prefectures in France of the department and the capital of the region....
.

Major geographical features include:

The Côte d'Argent
Côte d'Argent

C?te d'Argent, French for the Silver Coast, is a touristic name given to a section of the France Atlantic Ocean coast....
, one of the most famous coasts in France.
The Bassin d'Arcachon
Arcachon

Arcachon is a communes of France in the Gironde Departments of France in southwestern France. It is a popular bathing location on the Atlantic Ocean coast 34 miles southwest of Bordeaux in the Landes forest....
, a large lagoon famous for its oyster
Oyster

The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of bivalve mollusks, most of which live in marine habitats or brackish water....
farming.
The confluence of the Garonne
Garonne

The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of 575 km ....
and the Dordogne
Dordogne River

The Dordogne is a river in south-central and southwest France....
rivers which leads to the vast Gironde
Gironde

Gironde is a common name for the Gironde Estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a Departments of France in the Aquitaine Regions of France situated in southwest France....
estuary.
The south of the region includes parts of the Pyrenees
Pyrenees

The Pyrenees are a mountain range in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. They separate the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe, and extend for about from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea ....
mountains.
The Dune de Pilat, near Arcachon
Arcachon

Arcachon is a communes of France in the Gironde Departments of France in southwestern France. It is a popular bathing location on the Atlantic Ocean coast 34 miles southwest of Bordeaux in the Landes forest....
is the largest sand dune in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
.
The Landes Forest
Landes forest

The Landes forest or the Landes of Gascony , in the historic Gascony region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest maritime pine forest in Europe....
- the largest pine forest in Western Europe.

History

In Roman

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
times, the province

Roman province

In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of the Italia ....
of Gallia Aquitania
Gallia Aquitania

Gallia Aquitania was a province of the Roman Empire, bordered by the provinces of Gallia Lugdunensis, Gallia Narbonensis, and Hispania Tarraconensis....
originally comprised the region of Gaul

Gaul

Gaul is the name used for the region of Western Europe comprising part of present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River Rhine....
between the Pyrenees Mountains and the Garonne

Garonne

The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of 575 km ....
River, but Augustus Caesar added to it the land between the Garonne and the Loire River

Loire River

The Loire is the longest river in France. With a length of , it drains an area of , which represents more than a fifth of France's land area....
. At this stage the province extended inland as far as the Cevennes

Cévennes

The C?vennes are a Mountain range in south-central France, covering parts of the d?partement in Frances of Gard, Loz?re, Ard?che, and Haute-Loire....
and covered an area about one third of the size of modern France.

The 4th century AD saw the Roman province of Aquitaine divided into three separate provinces:

Aquitania prima, the north-eastern portion, including the territories which later became Berry
Berry

In everyday English, a berry is a broad term for any small edible fruit. Most berries are juicy, round or semi-oblong, brightly coloured, sweet or sour, and don't have a stone or pit....
, Bourbonnais
Bourbonnais

Bourbonnais was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponded to the modern d?partement in France of Allier, along with part of the d?partement of Cher ....
, Auvergne
Auvergne (province)

Auvergne was a historic province of France in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the List of rulers of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
, Velay, Gévaudan
Gévaudan

G?vaudan is an historical area of France, nowadays situated in Loz?re d?partement in France. It took its name from the Gabali, a Gallic tribe subordinate to the Arverni....
, Rouergue
Rouergue

Rouergue is a former provinces of France, bounded on the north by Auvergne , on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by G?vaudan and on the west by Quercy....
, Albigeois, Quercy
Quercy

Quercy is a former province of France located in the southwest of France, bounded on the north by Limousin , on the west by P?rigord and Agenais, on the south by Gascony and Languedoc, and on the east by Rouergue and Auvergne ....
and Marche
Aquitania secunda, the northwestern portion, with its capital at Burdigala (Bordeaux
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
) and comprising the future Bordelais
Bordelais

Bordelais is a French term meaning "of Bordeaux" and can refer to* an inhabitant of the city Bordeaux* the area surrounding the city Bordeaux...
, Poitou
Poitou

Poitou was a Provinces of France of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Taifals in the sixth century....
, Saintonge
Saintonge

Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic Ocean coast of France within the d?partement Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
, Angoumois
Angoumois

Angoumois was an old Provinces of France, nearly corresponding today to the Charente d?partement in France. Its capital was Angoul?me....
and western Guyenne
Aquitania tertia or Aquitania Novempopulana (of the "nine peoples"), the southernmost and most strongly Basque portion, adjoining the Pyrenees and covering what later became Bigorre
Bigorre

Bigorre is region in southwest France, historically an independent county and later a province of France, located in the upper watershed of the Adour, on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, part of the larger region known as Gascony....
, Comminges
Comminges

The Comminges is an ancient region of southern France in the foothills of the Pyrenees, corresponding closely to the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens in the departments of France of Haute-Garonne....
, Armagnac
Armagnac (region)

The hilly county of Armagnac in the foothills of the Pyren?es, between the Adour and Garonne rivers is a historic comt? of the Gascony , established in 601 in the southwest of Aquitaine ....
, Béarn
Béarn

B?arn is a former province of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the southwest France the current d?partement...
, the Basque country
Basque Country (historical territory)

The Basque Country as a cultural region is a European region in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain, on the Atlantic Ocean coast....
, Gascony
Gascony

Gascony is an area of southwest France that constituted a Provinces of France prior to the French Revolution. In historic references dating from the beginning of the Roman era, it was part of Gaul and became part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the conquests of Clovis I ....
, etc.

In the 5th century, as Roman

Roman Empire

Franks

The Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic ethnic group first identified in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River....
, with a mixed army of mercenaries and federates, who included Burgundian

Burgundian

Burgundian can refer to any of the following:*Burgundians, an East Germanic tribe, who first appear in history in South East Europe. Later Burgundians colonised the area of Gaul that is now know as Burgundy ....
s. When Clotaire II

Clotaire II

File:Clothaire II 584 628.jpgChlothar II , called the Great or the Young , King of Neustria, and, from 613 to 629, King of the Franks, was not yet born when his father, King Chilperic I died in 584....
died in 629, he divided the kingdom of the Franks and gave Aquitaine to his son Charibert II

Charibert II

File:Caribert II Tremissis Banassac 629 632.jpgCharibert II , a son of Clotaire II and his second wife Sichilde, was briefly king of Aquitaine from 629 to his death, with his capital at Toulouse....
, who set up his capital at Toulouse and strengthened his claims by marrying Gisela, the heiress of Aquitania Novempopulana. However, Frankish control was never very secure; they were primitive by comparison and had only the most rudimentary sense of urban life and the res publica
Res publica

Res publica is a Latin phrase, literally meaning "public issue" or "public matter". It is the origin of the word 'republic', though translations vary widely according to the context....
. Aquitaine put up little resistance to the Moors

Moors

In the Spanish language, the term for Moors is Moro; in Portuguese language the word is mouro. There seems to have been some confusion about the relationship of the word moro/mouro to the word moreno , both from Greek language ma?ros, i.e....
in the 8th century, but Charles Martel

Charles Martel

Charles "The Hammer" Martel was proclaimed Mayor of the Palace and ruled the Franks in the name of a Titular ruler. Late in his reign he proclaimed himself Duke of the Franks and by any name was de facto ruler of the Frankish Realms....
drove them out, and Aquitaine passed into the Carolingian Empire

Carolingian Empire

Carolingian Empire is a historiography term sometimes used to refer to the Francia under the Carolingian dynasty. This dynasty is seen as the founders of France and Germany....
.

The heirs of Charlemagne

Charlemagne

Charlemagne was List of Frankish kings from 768 to his death. He expanded the Franks kingdoms into a Carolingian Empire that incorporated much of Western Europe and Central Europe....
divided and redivided their inheritance, and Aquitaine passed out of the control of Neustria

Neustria

The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities....
, the western kingdom of Charlemagne's house. Thus, in the 9th century the leading local counts gradually freed themselves of the vestiges of royal control. Bernard Plantevelue (ruling 868-86) and his son, William I

William I of Aquitaine

William I , called the Pious, was the Count of Auvergne from 886 and Duke of Aquitaine from 893, succeeding the Poitevin ruler Ebalus of Aquitaine....
(ruling 886-918), whose power base was in Auvergne

Auvergne (province)

Auvergne was a historic province of France in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the List of rulers of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
, called themselves dukes of Aquitaine

Duke of Aquitaine

The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of the List of Frankish kings and later the List of French monarchs....
for a time. William V

William V of Aquitaine

William V , called the Great , was Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou from 990 until his death. He was the son and successor of William IV of Aquitaine by his wife Emma, daughter of Theobald I of Blois....
(ruling 995-1030) refounded a new duchy of Aquitaine based in Poitou, and this power center survived. Aquitaine contained Poitiers

Poitiers

Poitiers is a city on the Clain in west central France. It is a commune in France and the capital of the Vienne d?partement in France and of the Poitou-Charentes r?gion in France....
, Auvergne

Auvergne (province)

Toulouse

Toulouse is a commune of France in southwest France on the banks of the Garonne, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea....
. In 1052 the duchy of Gascony

Gascony

Gascony is an area of southwest France that constituted a Provinces of France prior to the French Revolution. In historic references dating from the beginning of the Roman era, it was part of Gaul and became part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the conquests of Clovis I ....
(French: Gascogne) became part of "Aquitania", by personal union of duke William VIII

William VIII of Aquitaine

William VIII , born Guy-Geoffrey , was Gascony#List of Dukes and Counts , and then duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitiers between 1058 and 1086, succeeding his brother William VII of Aquitaine ....
. Aquitaine achieved a high literate court culture of courteoisie that peaked under William VIII (ruled 1058-86). Duke William IX

William IX of Aquitaine

William IX , called the Troubador, was the Duke of Aquitaine and Duke of Gascony and Count of Poitou between 1086 and his death. He was also one of the leaders of the Crusade of 1101 and the first troubadour, that is, vernacular lyric poet in the Occitan language....
, "the troubadour
Troubadour

A troubadour was a composer and performer of Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages .The troubadour school or tradition began in the eleventh century in Occitania, but it subsequently spread into Italy, Spain, and even Greece....
" was a poet himself, and Poitiers became a center of the musical poetry of the troubadours. When William X

William X of Aquitaine

File:Guillaume_X_Duc_de_Bordeaux_890mg.jpgWilliam X , called the Saint, was Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, and Count of Poitou between 1126 and 1137....
died (1137), his daughter Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages.Eleanor succeeded her father as suo jure Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers at the age of fifteen, and thus became the most eligible bride in Europe....
, the greatest heiress of France, married her feudal overlord Louis VII of France

Louis VII of France

Louis VII, called the Younger or the Young, , was List of French monarchs, the son and successor of Louis VI of France . He ruled from 1137 until his death....
and followed him on crusade, then had the marriage annulled under the pretext of consanguinity

Consanguinity

Consanguinity refers to the property of being from the same lineage as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being Kinship and descent from the same ancestor as another person....
in 1152 to marry his greatest rival, Henry Curtmantle, who was to become Henry II of England

Henry II of England

Henry II, called Curtmantle ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France....
, as well as Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy

Duke of Normandy

Duke of Normandy is a title held or claimed by various Normans, France, England and United Kingdom rulers from the 10th century until the present, in recognition of their history....
two years later. She maintained an elegant chivalric court at Poitiers

Poitiers

Richard I of England

Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Ireland, Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Nantes and Brittany at various times during the same period....
and John

John of England

John reigned as List of English monarchs from 6 April 1199, until his death. He succeeded to the throne as the younger brother of King Richard I of England, who died without issue....
, and their successors as kings of England were dukes of Aquitaine (later known as Guienne).

Fighting during the Hundred Years' War

Hundred Years' War

The Hundred Years' War was a prolonged conflict lasting from 1337 to 1453 between two royal houses for the French throne, which was vacant with the extinction of the senior House of Capet line of French kings....
enabled Edward III of England

Edward III of England

Edward III was one of the most successful List of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Englands of the Britain in the Middle Ages. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II of England, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into the most efficient military power in Europe....
to establish the principality of Aquitaine in 1361, freed from any dependence on France, but France recaptured it by 1453. After that the history of Aquitaine became part of the history of France

History of France

The History of France has been divided into a series of separate historical articles navigable through the list to the right. The chronological era articles address broad French historical, cultural and sociological developments....
.

See also: Dukes of Aquitaine family tree

Dukes of Aquitaine family tree

This is a family tree of the Dukes of Aquitaine, between 898 and 1204.See also: Aquitaine - Duke of Aquitaine - List of family trees...
, Rulers of Auvergne

Rulers of Auvergne

This is a list of the various rulers of Auvergne....
, Languedoc

Languedoc

Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day List of regions in France of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyr?n?es in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyr?n?es....
, History of Toulouse

History of Toulouse

The city of Toulouse, in Midi-Pyr?n?es, southern France can be traced back to ancient times. It was the capital of the County of Toulouse in the Middle Ages and today is the capital of the Aquitaine region....
.

Demographics

Population (2008): 3,170,000 (5.1% of Metropolitan France

Metropolitan France

Languages

French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
is the predominant language of the region. Other native languages include various forms of Occitan, including Gascon (and its Béarnais dialect) and the Périgord

Périgord

The P?rigord is a Provinces of France of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne d?partement in France, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine r?gion in France....
variety, and the Basque language

Basque language

Basque is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France....
in the far south of the region. Immigrants have brought English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
, Arabic, and many other non-native tongues into the region.

Major communities

Economy

Agriculture:

The grape

Grape

File:Table grapes on white.jpgA grape is the non-Climacteric #In_botany fruit that grows on the Perennial plant and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis....
is by far the biggest product of the region. Forestry

Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
is also productive in the north of the region, including Europe's largest pine

Pine

Pines are Pinophyta trees in the genus Pinus, in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species....
forest. Cattle

Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
raising.

Extractive Industries:

Natural Gas

Natural gas

Natural gas is a gas consisting primarily of methane. It is found associated with fossil fuels, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is created by methanogenic organisms in marshes, bogs, and landfills....
and oil

Oil

An oil is a chemical substance that is in a viscosity liquid state at room temperature or slightly warmer, and is both hydrophobic and lipophilic ....
are both found and extracted in the area, by companies such as ELF Aquitaine

Total S.A.

Total S.A. is an oil company headquartered in Paris, France, and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world. Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and international crude oil and produ...
.

Industry:

Wine-making, distilling and by-products are hugely important to the area as an industry and culturally. According to the US State Department, 7 million hectolitres of wine are produced in Bordeaux. Aerospace

Aerospace

Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding outer space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through Aircraft and Space exploration....
, in particular Dassault systems.

Services

Education, with universities at Pau and Bordeaux, which has over 80,000 students Tourism is hugely popular, in particular along the Côte d'Argent

Côte d'Argent

C?te d'Argent, French for the Silver Coast, is a touristic name given to a section of the France Atlantic Ocean coast....
for sun and surfers. There are major resorts at Bayonne, Biarritz, St. Jean de Luz and Hendaye

Hendaye

Hendaye is the most southwesterly town in France. It is a commune in France of the Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques d?partement in France, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, the "C?te Basque", on the right bank of the Bidassoa that marks the border with Ir?n, Spain....
. Chateau

Château

A ch?teau is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally - and still most frequently - in French language-speaking regions....
x visiting in the Dordogne and hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often on trail. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous :Category:Hiking organizations worldwide....
and skiing

Skiing

Snow skiing is a group of sports using skis as primary equipment. Skis are used in conjunction with ski boots that connect to the ski with use of a ski bindings....
in the Pyrenees

Pyrenees

Sport

The region is home to many successful sports teams. In particular worth mentioning are:

Girondins de Bordeaux, one of France's most successful association football
Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
teams.

Rugby Union

Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
is particularly popular in the region. Clubs include:

Aviron Bayonnais
Aviron Bayonnais

Aviron Bayonnais is a France rugby union club from Bayonne in Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques that currently competes in the top level of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, in the Top 14 competition....
Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique

Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque is a France professional rugby union team based in the city of Biarritz, Aquitaine which competes in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup....
, finalists in the most recent Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup

The European Rugby Cup is an annual rugby union competition involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from six International Rugby Board nations in Europe: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
.
Union Bordeaux-Bègles
Bordeaux Rugby Métropole

USB-CABBG is a France rugby union team that currently takes part in Rugby Pro D2, the second level of the country's professional league system....
Section Paloise
Section Paloise

Section Paloise is a France rugby union club from Pau, Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques in Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques currently competing in Rugby Pro D2, the second level of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby....

Bull-fighting is also popular in the region.

Major Surfing

Surfing

Surfing refers to a person or boat riding down a wave and thereby gathering speed from the downward movement. Most commonly, the term is used for a surface water sports in which the person surfing is carried along the face of a breaking ocean surface wave standing on a surfboard....
championships regularly take place on Aquitaine's coast.

Food and drink

Aquitaine is famous for its wine and related products, including:

The Armagnac
Armagnac

Armagnac can refer to:*The region of France: Armagnac *The brandy: Armagnac *The aircraft: Sud-Est Armagnac*The historical party during the 100 Years' War: Armagnac ...
brandy producing area lies within the region.
The Bergerac
Bergerac

Bergerac can refer to:* Bergerac, Dordogne, a French market town* Cyrano de Bergerac, a French dramatist and duelist* Cyrano de Bergerac , a French play of 1897 based around the life of the dramatist...
wine is produced in the Dordogne.
The Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux

is a Port city on the Garonne in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its aire urbaine at a 2008 estimate. It is the Capital of the Aquitaine regions of France, as well as the Prefectures in France of the Gironde Departments of France....
(known as Claret
Claret

Claret is a name used in English language, primarily in United Kingdom, for red wine from the Bordeaux wine region of France....
in the United Kingdom) region is perhaps the most famous red wine region in the world. Areas include Pomerol
Pomerol

Pomerol is a Communes of France in the Gironde Departments of France in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located near Bordeaux....
, Saint-Emilion
Saint-Émilion

Saint-?milion is a Communes of France in the Gironde Departments of France in Aquitaine in southwestern France....
, Graves
Graves

Graves is an important Bordeaux wine regions of the Bordeaux wine wine region. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretch over ....
and the Médoc
Médoc

The M?doc is a region of France, well-known as a wine growing region, located in the d?partement in France of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux....
.
The Lillet
Lillet

Lillet is a French aperitif wine. It is a blend of 85% wine and citrus liqueurs made from a variety of oranges. Lillet is matured in oak casks and available in red and white versions....
, a fortified wine
Fortified wine

Fortified wine is wine to which a distilled beverage has been added....
, is produced in Bordeaux.
The region also produces Sauternes
Sauternes

Sauternes is a Communes of France in the Gironde Departments of France in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is also a List of wine-producing regions within the Graves portion of Bordeaux that produces sweet white dessert wines, named "Sauternes " after the commune, as well as some dry white wine....
a famous sweet white wine.
The south-west also produces wine, although it is not nearly as recognized as Bordeaux.
Wine cellar
Wine cellar

A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae or plastic containers. In an active wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system....
s are a very popular tourist attraction in the region.

Famous food products from the area include:

Pâté
Pâté

P?t? is a mixture of minced meat and fat in the form of spreadable paste, generally made from a finely ground or chunky mixture of meats and liver, and often with additional fat, vegetables, herbs, spices or wine....
s, including paté de fois gras and pâté basque.
Canelé
Canelé

A canel? is a small French pastry with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust. The dessert, which is in the shape of small, striated cylinder approximately two inches in height, is a specialty of the Bordeaux region of France but can often be found in Parisian patisseries as well....
s;
Cassoulet
Cassoulet

Cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat , pork skin and white Common beans....
;
Confit de canard.
The Dordogne
Dordogne

Dordogne is a departments of France in central France named after the Dordogne River....
is famed for its truffle
Truffle

A truffle is a fungal fruiting body that develops underground and relies on mycophagy for spore dispersal. Almost all truffles are ectomycorrhizal and are therefore usually found in close association with trees....
s.

Aquitaine

Geography

History

Demographics

Languages

Major communities

Economy

Sport

Food and drink

See also

External links