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Charente

Charente is a department in southwestern France, part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.^[1] It covers an area of 5,956 square kilometers and recorded a population of 351,603 inhabitants in 2022, yielding a density of 59 inhabitants per square kilometer.^[1] The department's prefecture is Angoulême, which serves as its administrative and economic center.^[2] Named after the Charente River that bisects its territory, the department features diverse geography including fertile plains, pine forests, and limestone plateaus conducive to viticulture. Its economy is prominently anchored in agriculture, particularly the production of cognac, a brandy distilled from white grapes grown across approximately 75,000 hectares spanning Charente and adjacent areas, supporting over 14,500 direct jobs and involving 4,429 winegrowers and distillers.^[3] Charente's historical significance traces to medieval abbeys and Romanesque architecture, while modern cultural highlights include the annual International Comics Festival in Angoulême, underscoring its blend of rural heritage and contemporary vitality.

Geography

Physical features and hydrography

The department of Charente features a landscape of undulating plateaus in the north, descending to central river valleys and flatter, occasionally marshy lowlands in the south, with elevations ranging from approximately 20 meters in the southern extremities to maxima of around 310 meters near the eastern boundaries in the upper Charente basin. The average elevation is 114 meters, reflecting a gentle overall slope westward toward the Atlantic. Calcareous and clay-limestone soils predominate, particularly in the Campanian and Santonian formations, providing fertile conditions suited to viticulture.^[4]^[5] The Charente River forms the department's central hydrographic axis, originating at 310 meters altitude near Rochechouart in neighboring Haute-Vienne and traversing Charente over roughly 150 kilometers before merging into the Gironde estuary en route to the Atlantic Ocean, with the full river length measuring about 360 kilometers. Its basin spans 10,550 square kilometers, largely rural, and drains via key tributaries such as the Tardoire from the northeast, the karstic Touvre springs near Angoulême, and the southwestern Seugne and Boutonne, which contribute to seasonal flows and floodplain dynamics. These waterways shape the valleys and support a network of smaller streams across the sedimentary terrains.^[6]^[7]^[8] Forested areas cover a substantial portion of the terrain, dominated by oak woodlands in the plateaus and pine stands in sandier zones, interspersed with agricultural lands. Protected natural features include Natura 2000 sites encompassing wetlands, riverine habitats, and woodlands, totaling about 47,766 hectares or 8% of the department's area, aimed at conserving biodiversity in these ecosystems.^[9]^[10]

Climate and environmental challenges

Charente features an oceanic climate influenced by Atlantic weather systems, resulting in mild winters with average temperatures of 5–10°C and warm summers averaging 20–25°C. Annual precipitation ranges from 800–900 mm, distributed relatively evenly but with slightly wetter conditions in the northern areas compared to the drier south, driven by prevailing westerly winds and topographic variations.^[11]^[12]^[13] The department faces recurrent flooding risks from the Charente River, where episodic heavy rainfall leads to overflow, as seen in the 2023–2024 winter sequence of four flood events—including one major peak exceeding historical norms and three moderate ones—attributable to saturated soils and rapid runoff from upstream basins. Drought conditions periodically strain water availability, with assessments from early 2025 highlighting elevated risks in the Poitou-Charentes region due to prolonged low precipitation and high evapotranspiration rates.^[14]^[15] In August 2025, a wildfire in southern Charente consumed over 200 hectares of woodland and vegetation, fueled by extended dry spells, accumulated biomass from inadequate land management, and gusty winds that accelerated spread until containment by firefighting efforts. Storm Benjamin, striking on October 23–24, 2025, delivered intense rainfall and winds up to 160 km/h across much of western France, exacerbating flood vulnerabilities through overwhelmed drainage and river swelling in affected basins.^[16]^[17]^[18]

Major settlements and urban areas

The primary urban centers of Charente are situated along the Charente River valley, where historical patterns of settlement and transportation have fostered development amid a predominantly rural landscape.^[19] This linear concentration underscores the river's role as a central geographic axis for connectivity and infrastructure.^[20] Angoulême, as the departmental prefecture, functions as the key administrative center, strategically located on the Charente River with infrastructure supporting its position as the most inland navigable port on the waterway.^[21] ^[22] The city's elevated position above the river integrates administrative facilities with riverine access, facilitating regional governance and historical trade routes.^[23] Cognac, the subprefecture, occupies a downstream site on the Charente River, where the waterway traverses the town for over 8 kilometers, enabling early infrastructure for fluvial transport and urban expansion.^[24] ^[25] This positioning along the left bank has shaped its role as a secondary hub within the valley's network.^[25] Adjacent communes such as Soyaux and Ruelle-sur-Touvre extend the Angoulême urban area, forming contiguous settlements that leverage proximity to the Charente and its tributaries for infrastructural integration.^[19] The department's urban footprint remains limited, with these centers contrasting the dispersed rural fabric beyond the valley.^[26] Regional links, including road and rail connections to coastal areas like La Rochelle in neighboring Charente-Maritime, enhance accessibility without establishing major ports within Charente itself.^[27]

History

Prehistoric and ancient periods

The Charente department exhibits evidence of continuous human occupation dating back to the Middle Paleolithic period, with Neanderthal-associated Mousterian tools and faunal remains recovered from sites such as La Quina at Gardes-le-Pontaroux, where artifacts indicate hunting activities focused on reindeer, horse, and other large game in the limestone-rich landscapes conducive to cave shelters.^[28] The Montgaudier Cave near Montbron further attests to this era, spanning from Mousterian layers (approximately 100,000 to 40,000 years ago) to later Aurignacian and Magdalenian occupations, reflecting hunter-gatherer adaptations to the region's karstic terrain and riverine resources. Upper Paleolithic Magdalenian culture, around 17,000 to 12,000 years ago, is prominently represented at the Grotte du Placard, yielding engraved bones, tools, and a human skull indicative of Cro-Magnon populations exploiting local flint sources for projectile points and harpoons tied to seasonal migrations along the Charente River valley.^[29] ^[30] The Neolithic transition, beginning around 5000 BCE, introduced sedentary farming communities, as evidenced by enclosures and settlements like Le Peu in the Charente, dated to the Middle Neolithic (c. 4700–3700 BCE), where post-built structures and ceramics suggest agro-pastoral economies leveraging fertile alluvial soils near watercourses.^[31] Megalithic constructions, such as the dolmen of La Grosse Pérotte in Fontenille with its massive capstone exceeding 5 meters in length, served as burial chambers and ritual sites, correlating with population growth and land clearance in the department's gently rolling plateaus.^[32] Additional dolmens, including those des Perottes, underscore a shift to collective monument-building practices amid the adoption of polished stone tools and domesticated crops, facilitated by the Charente's hydrological network for irrigation and transport.^[33] Roman influence arrived with Gaul's conquest in the 1st century BCE, leading to the establishment of Gallo-Roman infrastructure exploiting the department's strategic river position. Iuliomagus, the precursor to Angoulême, emerged as a civitas center with administrative buildings and trade hubs along the Charente, supporting viticulture and pottery production from the 1st to 4th centuries CE.^[34] Rural villas dotted the landscape, exemplified by those near thermal springs, while the Cassinomagus site at Chassenon featured extensive public baths covering over 4,000 square meters, aqueducts channeling spring water, and hypocaust heating systems operational from the 1st century CE, reflecting urban engineering adapted to local hydrology.^[35] Road networks, including segments of the via Agrippa, connected these settlements to broader provincial trade, declining by the 5th century amid migrations and economic shifts, yet leaving a legacy of nucleated villas tied causally to the river's navigability for grain and amphorae transport.^[36]

Medieval and early modern eras

The county of Angoulême, encompassing much of modern Charente and known as Angoumois, emerged in the 9th century under Carolingian rule as part of the fragmented Kingdom of Aquitaine.^[37] Counts were appointed by figures such as Charles II "the Bald," who installed Turpio of Carolingian descent in the region around 845, reflecting centralized Frankish efforts to consolidate authority amid Viking raids and local autonomies.^[37] Carolingian administrative structures, including viscounts, persisted until the mid-10th century, when feudal fragmentation intensified.^[38] By the 12th century, Angoumois integrated into the Duchy of Aquitaine through dynastic ties, falling under English Plantagenet control following the 1152 marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry II of England.^[39] This arrangement positioned the region within the Angevin Empire, where English overlords leveraged the Charente River's geography for trade in salt, wine, and timber, fostering feudal loyalties among local lords while tensions simmered over sovereignty.^[39] Plantagenet rule endured until the mid-14th century, marked by castles like those at Angoulême reinforcing defensive networks against Capetian encroachments. The Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) devastated Angoumois, with English forces securing control via the 1360 Treaty of Brétigny, only for French reconquests to reclaim the area by 1372 through campaigns targeting Poitou and Angoumois.^[40] Sieges ravaged key sites, including Angoulême and Cognac, where castles changed hands repeatedly, disrupting agrarian economies and prompting localized alliances based on geography—rivers serving as both trade arteries and invasion routes.^[41] Post-war recovery hinged on feudal reconfiguration, with the Charente's fluvial position aiding gradual stabilization under French royal authority by 1453. The 16th-century Wars of Religion transformed Angoumois into a Protestant stronghold, with Huguenot communities emerging from the 1530s amid Calvinist preaching in urban centers like Angoulême.^[42] Battles such as Jarnac (1569) on the Charente River pitted Huguenot forces against Catholics, highlighting resistance fueled by merchant networks and rural discontent.^[43] The Edict of Nantes (1598) granted limited toleration, permitting Protestant worship in designated temples and fortifying coexistence, though underlying confessional divides persisted, influencing local governance and trade.^[44] Early modern economic shifts emphasized viticulture, building on Roman-era introductions but expanding in the medieval period due to monastic cultivation and riverine export routes.^[45] By the 17th century, Dutch merchants stimulated distillation of local wines for preservation during sea voyages, prefiguring Cognac's prominence; stills appeared in Tonnay-Charente by 1624, driven by demand for "brandewijn" in northern markets.^[46] This trade, leveraging the region's chalky soils and temperate climate, shifted feudal estates toward commercial viticulture, causal to later specialization despite phylloxera setbacks.^[45]

Revolutionary and 19th-century developments

The department of Charente was created on 4 March 1790 during the French Revolution as one of the original 83 administrative divisions, formed principally from the historic province of Angoumois with Angoulême designated as the prefecture.^[47]^[48] This restructuring aimed to dismantle feudal privileges and centralize authority, drawing boundaries around the upper and middle Charente River basin for geographic coherence.^[48] The revolutionary decade saw localized resistance to Republican measures, including conscription and secularization policies, amid broader western French unrest such as the Vendée War and Chouannerie uprisings that challenged central governance from 1793 onward.^[49] In Charente, while not a primary theater, royalist sympathies persisted among rural populations, contributing to sporadic clashes until pacification efforts under the Directory. Napoleonic rule from 1799 introduced further administrative consolidation, establishing a prefectural system that streamlined local governance and taxation, though military fortifications were concentrated in adjacent coastal zones rather than inland Charente.^[50] Railway development accelerated infrastructural change in the mid-19th century, with the Paris-Bordeaux line reaching Angoulême in 1852 via the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans, enabling faster goods transport and economic integration. This connectivity bolstered Angoulême's paper mills, which had originated in the region by the 14th century and employed water-powered production along the Charente River; by the 1850s, enhanced logistics supported expanded output of fine vellum and printing papers, peaking amid industrial demand.^[51]^[52] Cognac viticulture, a cornerstone of Charente's agrarian economy, faced devastation from phylloxera infestation arriving around 1875, which destroyed over 80% of vineyards by the 1880s through root damage.^[53] Recovery hinged on grafting European vines onto resistant American rootstocks, a technique adopted regionally from the 1880s; this replanting prioritized high-quality Ugni Blanc grapes suited for distillation, fostering a production rebound by the 1890s that elevated cognac's global standards and export volumes.^[53]^[45]

20th and 21st centuries

During the Second World War, the Charente department endured German occupation, which spurred the formation of Resistance networks conducting sabotage, intelligence gathering, and armed engagements. Key events included the arrest and deportation of Resistance educator Marcelle Nadaud on March 5, 1944, for her activities. Maquis groups, bolstered by Allied support such as American airmen, clashed with German and Vichy militia forces, notably repelling a column of approximately 400 troops from Angoulême on July 24, 1944. Liberation efforts intensified in late August, with maquis preparations involving 2,000 armed fighters; combats commenced on August 31, leading to the department's effective liberation by early September, as marked by Cognac's official commemoration on September 2 despite earlier German withdrawals.^[54]^[55]^[56] Postwar reconstruction in Charente was shaped by rural exodus, as mechanized agriculture and urban opportunities pulled residents from countryside communes toward Angoulême, exacerbating depopulation in areas like southern Charente. The cognac sector, vital to the department's economy, rebounded strongly after wartime disruptions, with sustained export growth distinguishing it from the brief 1918-1920 recovery and comprising 40% of regional exports by the late 20th century. Conversely, Angoulême's paper industry, historically dominant, contracted sharply in the 1970s onward due to inadequate modernization and investment, prompting mill closures and workforce reductions that accelerated deindustrialization.^[57]^[58]^[59]^[60] Administrative changes included the 2016 territorial reform merging Poitou-Charentes, which incorporated Charente, with Aquitaine and Limousin to create the larger Nouvelle-Aquitaine region effective January 1. In 2025, political deadlock at the departmental council level led to repeated rejections of the proposed budget—three times by April 22—triggering state intervention via prefectural guardianship to enforce fiscal management. This coincided with a 0.6% decline in departmental payroll employment during the second quarter, amid broader stagnation in temporary jobs and regional hiring.^[61]^[62]^[63]

Administration and politics

Local governance structure

The prefecture of the Charente department is situated in Angoulême, serving as the central administrative office representing the French state at the departmental level, while sub-prefectures operate in Cognac and Confolens to handle local state functions such as elections and security coordination.^[2] The department is divided into 19 cantons and comprises approximately 200 communes, which are grouped into 9 établissements publics de coopération intercommunale (EPCI), including 2 communautés d'agglomération and 7 communautés de communes, facilitating joint management of services like waste and economic development.^[64]^[65] The Conseil départemental de la Charente, the deliberative assembly, consists of 38 conseillers départementaux elected in 2021 through binominal voting in each canton, with responsibilities encompassing social assistance, maintenance of departmental roads, management of collèges (junior high schools), and environmental policies.^[66]^[67] Financing for departmental operations relies on local taxes such as the taxe foncière (property tax) and allocations from the national government, including dotations globales de fonctionnement.^[67] In April 2025, following three failed attempts to adopt the annual budget due to internal divisions among councillors, the prefecture imposed a provisional budget under tutelle administrative, transferring temporary budgetary authority from the council to state oversight to ensure continuity of public services.^[68]^[69]

Political composition and recent events

The departmental council of Charente, elected in June 2021, initially featured a left-center majority dominated by the Socialist Party (PS), securing a majority of the 38 seats through binôme victories in key cantons including Angoulême.^[70] Philippe Bouty of the PS served as president until his resignation in September 2025, amid internal divisions that weakened the coalition.^[71] Political tensions escalated in early 2025 over the budget, with the council failing three times to adopt the 2025 primitive budget of approximately 615 million euros, primarily due to abstentions from a cross-ideological group of 19 councilors citing fiscal imprudence and excessive spending commitments.^[68] ^[72] This impasse triggered a rare administrative tutelle by the prefecture on April 23, 2025, stripping the council of budgetary powers and delegating execution to state oversight, followed by intervention from the Chambre régionale des comptes in June 2025 to enforce balanced fiscal measures.^[73] ^[74] The budget crisis precipitated Bouty's departure, enabling the election of Jérôme Sourisseau, a right-wing councilor, as president on September 16, 2025, with support from conservative and centrist factions exploiting left-wing fragmentation.^[75] This shift reflects broader patterns of rural conservative voting strength contrasting urban progressivism in Angoulême, compounded by persistently low local turnout—such as 45.2% in the 2020 municipal elections—which amplifies factional influences over broad mandates.^[76]

National and European representation

Charente is represented in the French National Assembly by three deputies, one for each of its electoral circonscriptions, elected during the 2024 snap legislative elections. The 1st circonscription (covering Angoulême and surrounding areas) is held by René Pilato of La France Insoumise within the Nouveau Front Populaire coalition, who secured the seat with 52.3% of the vote in the second round against a centrist opponent. The 2nd circonscription (rural areas west of Angoulême) is represented by Sandra Marsaud, affiliated with the Ensemble presidential majority, elected with 54.7% in the runoff. The 3rd circonscription (southern and eastern rural zones) is held by Caroline Colombier of the Rassemblement National, who won with 53.1% against a left-wing challenger. In the Senate, Charente has two seats, filled through indirect elections by local councilors and other electors. Nicole Bonnefoy, a Socialist Party member, has held one seat since her election in 2008, with her term renewable until 2026. François Bonneau, affiliated with the Union Centriste group, was elected in 2020 for a term also ending in 2026.^[77] For European representation, Charente falls within the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, whose voters contribute to France's 81 seats in the European Parliament, elected on national proportional lists in the June 2024 elections. No MEPs are directly tied to the department, but local voting patterns showed strong support for the Rassemblement National list led by Jordan Bardella, which received 35.22% of votes in Charente—higher than the national average of 31.37%—reflecting gains in rural constituencies amid concerns over agriculture and immigration.^[78]^[79] This outcome aligned with regional trends in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, where the RN list took 30.94%, contributing to its delegation of 30 seats in the Patriots for Europe group.^[80]

Demographics

Population dynamics and trends

As of 2023, the population of Charente department stood at an estimated 351,023 inhabitants, reflecting a slight decline from 351,603 in 2022, with overall stability maintained over recent decades despite underlying pressures.^[81] ^[1] The department exhibits low population density at 59 inhabitants per square kilometer, consistent with its rural character and expansive area of approximately 5,956 km².^[1] Demographic trends indicate gradual aging, with 33.9% of the population aged 60 or older in 2023, up from 33.0% in 2020, and a median age around 47 years, exceeding the national average.^[82] ^[83] This aging stems from a fertility rate below replacement level, estimated at approximately 1.7 births per woman—aligned with regional patterns in former Poitou-Charentes—coupled with extended life expectancy of about 79.1 years for men and roughly 85 years for women at birth in 2023.^[84] ^[85] Low natural increase, with annual variations averaging -0.1% from 2016 to 2022, has been partially offset by net positive migration, particularly inflows of retirees from urban centers in France, countering post-1960s rural depopulation driven by industrialization and agricultural modernization elsewhere.^[86] These dynamics result in a stable but structurally aging populace, with projections suggesting continued modest declines absent shifts in birth rates or migration patterns, as evidenced by INSEE's observation of peripheral growth around Angoulême amid broader stagnation.^[87]

Settlement patterns and migration

Charente exhibits a predominantly rural settlement pattern, with the majority of its communes classified as low-density areas under INSEE definitions, encompassing small villages and countryside hamlets that house over 80% of the departmental population outside major urban clusters.^[88] The primary urban concentration is the Angoulême agglomeration, which recorded approximately 104,000 inhabitants as of the latest census data, serving as the administrative and economic hub amid surrounding dispersed rural settlements.^[89] Migration dynamics in Charente reflect modest net inflows driven by retirement relocations, particularly among French nationals and British expatriates attracted to affordable housing and countryside lifestyles, with a notable presence of UK retirees in rural zones since the early 2000s.^[90] Foreign-born residents constitute about 6% of the population, predominantly from European Union countries including Portugal, indicating limited non-EU immigration compared to urban French departments.^[91] Following the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work trends contributed to a temporary uptick in rural inflows, as urban dwellers sought space in areas like Charente for hybrid lifestyles, aligning with broader French patterns of countryside revival.^[92] However, recent employment indicators through 2024 reveal persistent outflows of working-age individuals toward regions with stronger job markets, underscoring economic pressures on retaining younger demographics in rural settings.^[93]

Economy

Agriculture and primary sectors

The primary sector in Charente is dominated by viticulture, with over 80,000 hectares dedicated to vineyards producing grapes for Cognac AOC, a brandy that constitutes the region's economic cornerstone.^[94] Ugni Blanc grapes account for approximately 98% of plantings, selected for their high acidity and low sugar content, which yield a light wine ideal for distillation into eau-de-vie; other authorized varieties include Colombard and Folle Blanche.^[45] The production process involves fermenting the grapes into wine, followed by double distillation in traditional Charentais copper pot stills: the first yields brouillis at 28-32% alcohol by volume, and the second produces the clear eau-de-vie, which is then aged in oak barrels for at least two years.^[95]^[96] In 2023, Cognac shipments totaled 165.3 million bottles, reflecting a 22.2% decline from 2022 amid global market pressures, with the vast majority exported internationally.^[97] Beyond viticulture, arable farming includes cereals such as wheat and barley, alongside potato cultivation, though these occupy less than half the department's agricultural land, with vines predominant in the west.^[98] Livestock rearing features Charente cattle breeds for beef and dairy, integrated into mixed farming systems that support local feed from cereal byproducts.^[99] Forestry contributes through oak woodlands, providing timber and, critically, barrel staves for Cognac aging, though output remains secondary to crops and grazing.^[100] Charente's agriculture faces vulnerabilities from climate variability, including extreme heat and drought; in August 2025, a wildfire fueled by a heatwave scorched over 200 hectares in the department, threatening peripheral vineyard edges and highlighting risks to vine health.^[101] Historical phylloxera outbreaks in the late 19th century necessitated widespread grafting onto resistant rootstocks, a practice that persists and influences current vine resilience but requires ongoing management.^[102] EU Common Agricultural Policy subsidies bolster operations, funding adaptation measures amid projections of rising weather-related losses, yet dependency on export markets for Cognac exposes producers to global demand fluctuations and trade barriers.^[103]^[104]

Industry and manufacturing

The manufacturing sector in Charente centers on food and beverage processing, particularly the distillation, aging, and blending of cognac, which has supplanted declining traditional industries like papermaking. Major cognac houses, including Hennessy—established in 1765 and based in Cognac—conduct double distillation of white wine from permitted grape varieties to yield eau-de-vie, followed by maturation in oak barrels sourced from Limousin forests for a minimum of two years, with premium blends aging decades longer.^[105]^[106] This process supports a network of specialized suppliers, including coopers crafting barrels from air-dried Limousin oak to impart specific flavors during aging.^[107] Angoulême's paper and pulp industry, prominent from the 14th century and peaking in the 18th and 19th centuries as a supplier to France, has contracted sharply since the mid-20th century due to technological shifts, competition, and mill closures, leaving only niche production and converting sites like the former Le Nil mill into a museum.^[108]^[109] Emerging sectors include aerospace components, with firms like AEVA in Fléac investing €1.4 million in 2021 for research, development, and job creation in aeronautical manufacturing.^[110] Food processing beyond spirits, such as for local dairy and preserves, and production of tiles and electrical equipment also contribute, though the sector remains secondary to primary and service activities.^[19]

Services, trade, and employment challenges

The services sector constitutes the largest share of employment in Charente, encompassing roughly 70% of jobs as of the 2021 census, with key concentrations in wholesale and retail trade (part of a broader 38.8% in commerce, transport, and related activities) and public administration, education, and health services (32%).^[111] These roles are predominantly located in the department's main urban hubs of Angoulême and Cognac, where administrative functions, retail outlets, and professional services support local commerce and commuter flows.^[111] Tourism bolsters the tertiary economy through cognac distillery visits and events like the Angoulême International Comics Festival, which draw international interest and sustain seasonal trade in hospitality and guided experiences; however, department-specific visitor tallies remain underreported, while broader Charentes regional data highlight tourism's role in generating ancillary revenues amid variable occupancy.^[112] Employment faces headwinds from structural dependencies, including a 7.6% overall unemployment rate in early 2025—elevated relative to regional averages—and youth unemployment historically exceeding 20% (23.1% in 2021 data), reflecting skill mismatches and limited high-value service diversification beyond cognac-linked trade.^[113] ^[111] Cognac exports, critical to local commerce, saw revenues decline 13.4% to €2.7 billion in the year ending July 2025, driven by reduced demand in premium segments and major markets like China and the US, exacerbating payroll pressures and echoing vulnerabilities from prior downturns such as the 2009 crisis.^[114] Recent regional tourism assessments note persistent drops in visitor spending (observed by 60% of Charentes professionals in summer 2025), underscoring seasonal fragility in service-dependent revenues.^[115]

Culture and heritage

Culinary and viticultural traditions

The viticultural traditions of Charente center on the production of Cognac brandy, derived from white wines distilled from grape varieties such as Ugni Blanc grown on the region's limestone and chalk soils. These terroirs, particularly in the Grande Champagne and Fins Bois crus, impart mineral characteristics to the base wines, which are then double-distilled in copper pot stills to produce eau-de-vie, aged for at least two years in Limousin or Tronçais oak barrels to develop complex flavors of fruit, floral notes, and spice.^[116]^[117] The practice of double distillation emerged around 1610, refining earlier single-distillation methods used by Dutch merchants who, from the early 16th century, transformed local wines into a durable spirit for sea voyages, leveraging the Charente's mild Atlantic climate and river access for transport.^[118] Complementing Cognac is Pineau des Charentes, a fortified aperitif created accidentally in the late 16th century when unfermented grape must was added to a barrel of Cognac, resulting in a sweet, low-alcohol mistelle with notes of raisin and cognac. This product, made by blending must from local grapes with aged Cognac and aged similarly in oak, received AOC recognition in 1945, reflecting its ties to the same viticultural ecosystems of clay-limestone soils and maritime-influenced vineyards.^[119] Culinary traditions draw from the department's pastures, orchards, and marshlands, featuring Beurre Charentes-Poitou, an AOP butter since 1979 produced from cow's milk grazed on regional grasses, yielding a firm, pale texture with a distinctive nutty aroma due to slow churning and natural fermentation processes adapted to the Poitou-Charentes terroir. Charentais melons, developed in the early 20th century from heirloom varieties suited to the sunny, well-drained soils near the Charente River, are prized for their dense, orange flesh and intense sweetness, often eaten fresh to highlight the fruit's thin rind and perfumed scent. Traditional dishes include cagouilles à la charentaise, small gray snails (Petit Gris) harvested from damp marsh ecosystems and cooked in a sauce of garlic-parsley butter enriched with sausage, linking to the wetlands' biodiversity that supports such gastropods. White beans known as mojettes, cultivated in the fertile alluvial plains, form a staple side dish prepared simply with butter or lardons, underscoring the reliance on local legumes resilient to the temperate, riverine climate.^[120]^[121]^[122]^[123]

Arts, festivals, and notable sites

The Angoulême International Comics Festival, established in 1974, ranks as Europe's second-largest comics event and draws over 200,000 visitors annually for exhibitions, awards, and artist encounters.^[124]^[125] Angoulême's prominence in comics earned it designation as a UNESCO Creative City, highlighting its role in fostering comics and image arts through institutions like the Cité Internationale de la Bande Dessinée et de l'Image.^[126] The festival awards prizes such as the Fauve d'Or for best album, underscoring Charente's influence in global bande dessinée culture.^[127] Charente preserves medieval and prehistoric heritage sites exemplifying Romanesque architecture and early human artistry. The Château d'Angoulême, originating in the 10th century with significant 11th- and 18th-century reconstructions, features Romanesque towers and serves as a testament to the region's feudal past.^[128] The Abbey of La Couronne, founded in the 12th century, exemplifies Angevin Romanesque style with its church classified as a historic monument since 1840.^[129] In Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, the monolithic Church of Saint-Jean, carved into limestone in the 12th century, stands as one of Europe's largest underground Romanesque structures.^[130] Prehistoric remnants include the Roc de Sers rock shelter, featuring Magdalenian engravings dated to approximately 18,000 years ago, depicting animals and abstract forms.^[131] Megalithic dolmens, such as those at La Grosse Pérotte, represent Neolithic burial practices from around 3000 BCE.^[36] Industrial heritage manifests in the Paper Museum of Angoulême, located in 19th-century mills along the Charente River, displaying machinery and processes from the region's papermaking dominance until the mid-20th century.^[132] Other cultural events include the Confolens International Folklore Festival, held annually in August since 1947, showcasing traditional dances and music from global performers.^[133] The Coup de Chauffe festival in Cognac features street arts with circus, theater, and music performances over three days in early September.^[134]

Historical figures and intellectual contributions

François I (1494–1547), born on 12 September 1494 at the Château de Cognac in the town of Cognac, played a pivotal role in importing Renaissance humanism to France through his patronage of artists and scholars; he invited Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise in 1516, where the Italian polymath spent his final years producing works like the Mona Lisa, and established the Collège de France in 1530 to promote advanced studies independent of scholastic traditions.^[135]^[136] François de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680), scion of the noble family whose seat was the Château de La Rochefoucauld in the department, authored the Maximes (first published 1665), a collection of aphorisms dissecting self-interest and vanity in human motives, which empirically observed social behaviors during the Fronde and influenced subsequent moral philosophy by prioritizing psychological realism over idealistic ethics. Guillaume IX, Duke of Aquitaine (c. 1071–1126), whose domains encompassed the Angoumois region (encompassing much of modern Charente), composed the earliest surviving troubadour poems in Occitan around 1100–1120, introducing themes of courtly love and personal expression that causally shaped medieval lyric traditions across Europe by modeling vernacular composition over Latin clerical verse.^[37] In the 20th century, Pierre Christin (1938–2024), a scriptwriter closely tied to Angoulême's comics scene, co-created Valérian et Laureline (starting 1967), integrating geopolitical satire and speculative futures into serialized narratives that empirically advanced bande dessinée as a medium for intellectual discourse, earning recognition at the Angoulême International Comics Festival.^[137]^[138]

References

[1]
Comparateur de territoires − Département de la Charente (16) - Insee
Population, Département : Charente (16). Population en 2022, 351 603. Densité de la population (nombre d'habitants au km²) en 2022, 59,0. Superficie en 2022, en ...
[2]
Accueil - Les services de l'État en Charente
Les démarches en ligne · Carte grise · Permis de conduire · Carte d'identité · Passeport · Accueil des étrangers.Horaires et coordonnées · Prendre un rendez-vous · Démarches · Nous contacter
[3]
Cognac in figures - BNIC
There are 243 Cognac houses, 4,429 winegrowers/distillers, 14,500 direct jobs, 72,500 people whose livelihood depends on Cognac, and 97.5% of Cognac is ...
[4]
Charente topographic map, elevation, terrain
Average elevation: 114 m • Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Metropolitan France, France • Visualization and sharing of free topographic maps.Missing: department physical geography
[5]
Soil - Cognacton english
The Different soils of Charente. The natural regions of Charente and Charente ... The chalky soils of the Santonian cover a large part of the petite champagne.
[6]
Bassin versant de la Charente | Agence de l'eau Adour-Garonne
Oct 5, 2020 · Principaux cours d'eau : la Charente, la Tardoire, la Touvre, la Seugne et la Boutonne. Nombre de masses d'eau du bassin Charente : 192 ...
[7]
Vallée de la Charente | Les Parcours de Pêche
La Charente est l'épine dorsale d'un bassin hydrographique de 10 550 km2 ... D'amont en aval, il arrose 35 communes dont 3 villes principales : Saintes, Tonnay- ...
[8]
[PDF] Synthèse générale - EPTB Charente
Il s'agit : - la Tardoire et le Bandiat dans le département de la Dordogne. - la Touvre et la Charente dans tout le département de la Charente. - la Tardoire ...
[9]
Parcs naturels de la Charente
Le département de la Charente compte 16 sites Natura 2000 pour environ 47 766 hectares, soit 8% de son territoire. 3 Zones de Protection Spéciales (ZPS) ont été ...
[10]
[PDF] service des forêts - INVENTAIRE FORESTIER
Administrativement rattaché à la région « Poitou-Charentes », le département de la Charente occupe la quasi totalité de l'ancienne province de l'Angoumois ...
[11]
The Weather in Charente
Charente has an oceanic climate. Summer is sunny with 20°C, autumn is wet with 9-18°C, winter is cold with 7°C, and spring has 10-20°C.
[12]
Charente Weather Today | Temperature & Climate Conditions
On average, the Charente department receives around 800-900 millimeters (31-35 inches) of rainfall annually. However, it is worth noting that rainfall ...
[13]
Châteauneuf-sur-Charente Climate, Weather By Month, Average ...
The hottest month of the year in Châteauneuf-sur-Charente is July, with an average high of 79°F and low of 59°F. The cool season lasts for 3.6 months, from ...Missing: department | Show results with:department
[14]
How Exceptional Was the 2023–2024 Flood Sequence in the ... - MDPI
During winter 2023–2024, the Charente River experienced four successive flood events in six months, including one major flood and three moderate ones.
[15]
GDO - Drought Report - Copernicus
Drought report · Poitou-Charentes, France: 2025-04-11 to 2025-04-20. Reference period · Risk of Drought Impact for Agriculture. Risk of Drought Impact for ...
[16]
Wildfire burns over 200 hectares in Charente - The Local France
Aug 12, 2025 · The fire in Charente burned more than 200 hectares of vegetation on Monday night, but by Tuesday at 6am, it had been declared 'under control' ( ...
[17]
https://reliefweb.int/report/france/france-england-severe-weather-met-office-meteo-france-media-echo-daily-flash-24-october-2025
[18]
https://www.thelocal.fr/20251023/storm-benjamin-lashes-france-with-winds-of-up-to-160-km-h
[19]
Charente: French Property Location Guide
Sitting just inland but in easy reach of the coast, the Charente department is known for its historical architecture, sunflower fields, vineyards that stretch ...
[20]
The Charente valley tour - Cognac Tourism
This is an itinerary for all the family to enjoy in the Charente valley: nuggets of history, little bridges, views of the river, a break for swimming.
[21]
Charente: department's role, administrative contacts and discoveries
The department's chief town is located in the commune of Angoulême. It houses the departmental prefecture as well as the department council.Missing: river port
[22]
The Harbor Master's Office of Port l'Houmeau in Angoulême
The harbor master's office is located near Port l'Houmeau in Angoulême. La Capitainerie du Port l'Houmeau. Opening.Missing: prefecture administrative hub
[23]
The Charente river - Angoulême Tourisme
Long sung as one of the most beautiful streams in the kingdom, this river, 360 km long, takes its source at Chéronnac in Haute-Vienne.Missing: prefecture port administrative hub
[24]
Cognac (Municipality, Charente, France) - CRW Flags
Mar 23, 2024 · Cognac (18,606 inhabitants; 1,550 ha) is a commune and subprefecture of the Charente department. ... river, ensuring Cognac a first development.
[25]
Cognac and the river - Cognac Tourism
The prosperity of Cognac was intimately linked to the river. In fact, the town is traversed by the Charente over more than 8km and from very early on was used ...
[26]
Living in Charente: Discover the charm of a region where life is good
Located in the heart of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in the southwest of France, Charente is a verdant and historic department where life is good.
[27]
Moving to the Charente: This is What You Should Know | Ibanista
Bordered by the departments of Vienne, Haute-Vienne, Dordogne, and Charente-Maritime, the Charente offers easy access to major cities like Bordeaux, Limoges, ...
[28]
La Quina - a Neanderthal site with thick asymmetric tools - Don's Maps
The site of La Quina at Gardes-le-Pontaroux, in Charente, a place of many human remains including a female Neanderthal skeleton, but no trace of burial has been ...
[29]
Montgaudier Cave - Wikipedia
The Montgaudier Cave is a prehistoric site in Montbron, Charente, France, occupied from the Mousterian (Middle Paleolithic) to the Magdalenian (Upper ...
[30]
[PDF] THE GROTTE DU PLACARD AT - Archaeopress
The Grotte du Placard is an exceptional prehistoric site, with an original drawing of the cave from 1880.
[31]
The Museum Journal | Ancient Man in the Charente
In the Charente the Magdalenian is represented by several stations, among them the grotto of Le Placard in which a human skull, typical of the principal race of ...
[32]
Home of Neolithic monument makers discovered in France - The Past
Mar 16, 2023 · The settlement was discovered at the site of Le Peu in the Charente department, a landscape scattered with Middle Neolithic (c. 3700-4700 BC) ...
[33]
La Grosse Pérotte Burial Chamber or Dolmen - The Megalithic Portal
It has one of the biggest capstones I have seen till now, more than 5 metres by 5 metres and up to 2.5 metres thick, sitting on top of an exceptionally well ...<|separator|>
[34]
Dolmens des Perottes, two Neolithic Megalithic Burial Chambers ...
Dolmens des Perottes are two burial chambers which are a part of a Neolithic site located in the Charente in Southwest France. There are two dolmens 50 m ...
[35]
A Roman miliarium from a private bath house innorthern Gaul
Nov 21, 2016 · The rare discovery of a well-preserved miliarium—a waterboiler—in a rural bath house in Gaul suggests that the technology of watersupply had ...
[36]
Cassinomagus Archaeological Park in Chassenon - Angoulême ...
Cassinomagus is a 15-hectare archaeological park with monumental Gallo-Roman thermal baths, a farm, and a labyrinth, offering self-guided or guided tours.
[37]
Archaeological sites - Guide de la Charente
Archaeological sites · Cassinomagus Parc Archéologique · Espace d'interprétation du gallo-romain · L'abri de la Chaire-à-Calvin · Mégalithes "La Grosse Pérotte".
[38]
ANGOULEME, LA MARCHE, PERIGORD
... Carolingian descent through the female line, was installed by Charles II "le Chauve" King of the West Franks as comte in Périgord and Angoulême after the ...
[39]
the charters of the counts of Angoulême before the late 13th century
Carolingian institutions of government functioned in Angoulême up to the mid 10th century – up to this date we find a series of viscounts, apparently not ...
[40]
Reminders of Plantagenet Power in Today's Nouvelle-Aquitaine ...
Dec 4, 2020 · English kings ruled Aquitaine from the 12th to the 15th centuries. There is still architectural evidence of English influence in that part ...
[41]
How did the English lose Aquitaine so easily between 1369-1372
Dec 10, 2012 · From the return to war in early 1369, almost every new province had been lost by the conquest of Poitou and Angoumois in 1372. In his masterful ...
[42]
Cognac Castle - History Hit
King Philip IV of France linked the lordship of Cognac to the crown of France, however during the Hundred Years' War, the castle changed hands during sieges and ...
[43]
The Protestants of Agenais – Angoumois – Aquitaine – Béarn
May 24, 2020 · Protestantism was present in all or part of 262 communes (villages, towns, townships, cities) from about 1530.
[44]
Protestantism in Poitou-Charentes - Musée protestant
Most of the fighting in the third war of religion took place there. The Huguenots won over cities in Poitou and Saintonge thus ensuring the safety of La ...
[45]
The Edict of Nantes (1598) - Musée protestant
The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685 led to the suppression of the Reformed Church in France and forced Protestants into exile or hiding.
[46]
Exploring the Cognac Region: History, Distilleries, and Wine ...
Apr 5, 2025 · The Cognac region occupies a privileged position in southwestern France, primarily within the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments.
[47]
Dutch merchants, sweet wine, and the beginnings of the cognac ...
Jan 7, 2024 · In 1624, two other Dutchmen, Messrs. Van Der Boogvert and Loo Dewijck, built a distillery in Tonnay-Charente to process wines from upstream ...
[48]
Charente, France Genealogy - FamilySearch
Sep 26, 2025 · Charente is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province of ...
[49]
The Charente and the Charente, Holidays in Charente
Welcome to Charente, a rich and varied region made up of vineyards, forests, plateaus, plains, picturesque villages and many paths that border this river ...
[50]
What was the Chouannerie? - World History Edu
Jan 27, 2025 · The Chouannerie was a significant royalist uprising in western France during the French Revolution, driven by resistance to Republican policies.
[51]
Charente Maritime, Visit Charente Maritime - Tourist attractions
The department, created in 1790, was caught between the Vendée uprising and the Girondin uprising. In 1806, Napoleon set up a continental blockade to deprive ...
[52]
History of Charente - Wikipedia
Charente is a French department that was established in 1790 based on geographic criteria, the upper and middle basin of the Charente ; Paleolithic era through ...Prehistory · From Roman Annexation to... · Modern Times · Contemporary Period
[53]
At the sources of paper - Angoulême Tourism
Jul 15, 2023 · The Pays d'Angoulême was marked, for almost 300 years, by the growth and development of the paper industry.
[54]
Angoulême and our ancestor banks - BNP Paribas
Sep 11, 2025 · Angoulême experiences significant economic growth in the second half of the 19th century, as companies and banks establish themselves to support ...
[55]
One culture, one history - BNIC
It all started with distillation, introduced in the 15th century by the Dutch, this technique enabled Charente's wine to preserve its quality during ...
[56]
Occupation and Resistance in the Charente - memorial - Free
On 5th March 1944, Marcelle NADAUD, a nursery school teacher, was arrested and then deported for acts of Resistance. • This was the year of decisive combats by ...
[57]
Herbert Brill - An American in the Charente and Dordogne Résistance
In the early hours of 24th July 1944 word came through that around 400 hundred German soldiers and Milicienne had left Angoulême with the intention of ...
[58]
Cognac : pourquoi la Libération est célébrée le 2 septembre ?
Sep 2, 2020 · Pourtant, le 29 août 1944, le gros des troupes allemandes avait quitté Cognac… Alors pourquoi célèbre t-on la Libération le 2 septembre ?Missing: exacte | Show results with:exacte
[59]
Angoulême, d'une guerre à l'autre (1919-1939) - OpenEdition Books
Certes, Angoulême profite de l'exode rural des campagnes charentaises et des petites villes dont les activités se réduisent. Un fait démographique nouveau ...<|separator|>
[60]
Le Pays du Cognac : une entreprise en pleine expansion - Persée
Le négoce des eaux de vie charentaises marche donc bien aussitôt la guerre, mais il ne s'agit pas d'une reprise éphémère comme celle de 1918-1920. La tendance à ...
[61]
Population et vignoble dans les Charentes : un siècle d'évolution ...
Aujourd'hui, le cognac représente 40 % des exportations du Poitou-Charentes et marque toujours de son empreinte les caractères de la vie économique.
[62]
Angoulême et son industrie papetière - Actu-Juridique
Nov 4, 2021 · Faute d'investissements et de développements techniques adéquats, les entreprises papetières ferment dans les années 1970 entraînant aussi la ...Missing: déclin 1980
[63]
La région Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes rebaptisée
Jun 27, 2016 · La grande région issue de la fusion des régions Aquitaine, Limousin et Poitou-Charentes s'appellera « Nouvelle-Aquitaine », un nom approuvé ...
[64]
En Charente, après un nouveau rejet du budget, le département mis ...
Apr 22, 2025 · Le budget 2025 du conseil départemental de la Charente a de nouveau été rejeté, mardi 22 avril, sur fond de blocage politique persistant ...
[65]
In Q2 2025, payroll employment was on the rise in half of the regions
Sep 23, 2025 · It fell by 0.2 % or 0.3 % in eight departments, and by 0.4 % or more in three departments: Creuse (-0.4 %), Yvelines (-0.4 %) and Charente (-0.6 ...
[66]
Administration de la Charente - Wikipédia
Angoulême et les deux sous-préfectures sont Cognac et Confolens. Les ... L'Église Saint-Léger de Cognac, la ville est sous-préfecture de la Charente.
[67]
Les territoires - Conseil départemental de la Charente
Découpage administratif. 19 cantons 6 pays 7 communautés de communes et 2 communautés d'agglomération. Réseau routier. 219 km de routes nationales (RN10 et ...
[68]
L'intercommunalité en Charente
Oct 2, 2020 · Les EPCI en Charente (établissements publics de coopération intercommunale) 2 communautés d'agglomération et 7 communautés de communes : ...
[69]
Nouveau conseil départemental - Résultats des élections
Cantons, Binômes de Candidats. Angoulême-1 (1601), Mme Hélène GINGAST M. Patrick MARDIKIAN. Angoulême-2 (1602), M. Thomas MESNIER Mme Laëtitia REGRENIL.
[70]
L'organisation de la collectivité - Conseil départemental de la ...
Le Département de la Charente, collectivité territoriale, se compose de deux instances décisionnelles, le Conseil départemental et la Commission permanente, ...
[71]
Faute de budget adopté, le département de la Charente est dessaisi ...
Apr 23, 2025 · Pour la troisième fois en moins d'un mois, le conseil départemental de Charente n'a pas réussi, hier, à voter son budget pour l'année 2025 lors ...
[72]
Charente : tutelle en vue pour le Département après le nouveau ...
Apr 22, 2025 · Le budget primitif 2025 du Département de la Charente a encore été rejeté par une majorité de conseillers départementaux ce mardi.
[73]
Charente (16) - Les archives des élections en France
Résultats du département au 2d tour. Binômes de candidats, Voix, % Inscrits, % Exprimés, Nb Sieges. Binôme du Parti Socialiste, 5 256 ...
[74]
La gauche divisée va-t-elle laisser la présidence du Conseil ...
Sep 15, 2025 · Une situation qui pourrait offrir le poste à l'opposition de droite. La démission de Phillipe Bouty n'aura pas permis de resserrer les rangs de ...
[75]
on vous explique pourquoi la Charente est placée sous tutelle
Apr 23, 2025 · Le conseil départemental de la Charente a échoué pour la troisième fois à adopter un budget pour 2025 ce mardi. La collectivité a donc été ...
[76]
Mise sous tutelle du Département de Charente : la Chambre ...
Jun 13, 2025 · Incapable de voter un budget à la suite de profondes dissensions politiques, elle a été placée il y a un mois sous tutelle de la préfecture. À ...
[77]
La gestion du budget du département de la Charente désormais ...
Apr 22, 2025 · Le budget primitif pour l'année 2025, présenté par Philippe Bouty, président du département de la Charente, a été rejeté par une majorité de ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[78]
Le Département de la Charente bascule à droite à ... - France Bleu
Sep 16, 2025 · La gauche divisée a laissé le champ libre à la droite. Après la démission du président socialiste Philippe Bouty, lâché par une partie de sa ...
[79]
Taux de participation au 1er tour des élections municipales - Insee
Sep 30, 2021 · tableauTaux de participation au 1er tour des élections municipales - Charente ; 2020, 45,2 ; 2019, (nd) ; 2018, (nd) ; 2017, (nd).
[80]
M. François BONNEAU, sénateur de la Charente (Nouvelle Aquitaine)
État civil : Né le 8 février 1958; Profession : Docteur en pharmacie; Fonctions principales : Secrétaire de la commission des affaires étrangères, de la ...
[81]
Elections européennes 2024 : résultats Charente (16) - La Croix
Résultats élections européennes 2024 : Charente ; M. BARDELLA Jordan (Liste du Rassemblement National). 35,22%. (47 155 voix) ; Mme HAYER Valérie (Liste Ensemble).
[82]
https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques/serie/001740718
[83]
Résultats européennes 2024 : Nouvelle-Aquitaine - La Croix
Résultats européennes 2024 : Nouvelle-Aquitaine ; M. BARDELLA Jordan (Liste du Rassemblement National). 30,94%. (751 054 voix) ; M. GLUCKSMANN Raphaël (Liste d' ...
[84]
Estimations de population - Ensemble - Charente - Insee
Apr 4, 2025 · tableauEstimations de population - Ensemble - Charente ; 2023, (p) (r) 351 023 ; 2022, (r) 351 603 ; 2021, (r) 350 867 ; 2020, 351 718.
[85]
Population estimates - Share of 60 years old or over - Charente | Insee
Apr 4, 2025 · tableauPopulation estimates - Share of 60 years old or over - Charente ; 2023, (p) (r) 33.9 ; 2022, 33.7 ; 2021, 33.4 ; 2020, 33.0.
[86]
La Charente, terre d'industrie et de viticulture - 101 - Insee
Dec 2, 2021 · Une population plus âgée La moitié des habitants a plus de 47 ans, soit 2 ans de plus que l'âge médian en Nouvelle-Aquitaine, et 6 de plus qu' ...Un Charentais sur deux réside... · Une population plus âgée · Peu de résidences...
[87]
En Poitou-Charentes, la fécondité remonte depuis le milieu des ...
Jan 15, 2013 · La Charente-Maritime, avec 68,3 %, possède le plus fort taux de naissances hors mariage de la région. Les naissances hors mariage sont devenues ...
[88]
Espérance de vie à la naissance - Hommes - Charente | Insee
Apr 4, 2025 · tableauEspérance de vie à la naissance - Hommes - Charente ; 2023, (p) 79,1 ; 2022, (p) 78,3 ; 2021, 78,6 ; 2020, 79,0.
[89]
[PDF] POPULATIONS DE RÉFÉRENCE 2022 | Charente - Insee
Population de référence 2022. Variation annuelle moyenne 2016-2022 en nombre d'habitants. -281. -0,1. 0,5. 0,3 dû au solde naturel. -0,4. -0,2.Missing: tendances | Show results with:tendances
[90]
En Charente, la population reste globalement stable selon l'Insee
Dec 28, 2023 · Selon l'Insee, la population du département est en recul de 0,1 % entre 2015 et 2021. Les communes en périphérie d'Angoulême restent les plus ...
[91]
A new definition of rural to give a better account of the differing ...
Jul 22, 2021 · Rural areas now denote all municipalities with a low or very low population density according to a municipality density scale.
[92]
Angoulême - Agglomeration in France - City Population
Contents: Population ; Angoulême, Agglomeration, 104,234 ; Angoulême ...
[93]
Dreaming of moving to France? Consider Charente!
A large proportion of the British expat population in the region are retired or classified “inactive” according to INSEE, the National Statistics Agency in ...
[94]
Charente (Department, France) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map ...
Charente (Department, France) with population statistics, charts, map and location ... Area. 59.03/km² Population Density [2022]. -0.080% Annual Population Change ...Missing: prefecture economy
[95]
The Revival of Rural Artisan Culture in Post-Pandemic France
Jun 4, 2025 · As remote work took root and urban burnout deepened, people across France began migrating to the countryside. This post-COVID rural revival ...
[96]
Migration flows - Insee Première - 2050
May 22, 2025 · In 2023, the number of new arrivals fell by 5% compared to 2022, with a particularly sharp decline in the number of immigrants born in Europe.Missing: Charente | Show results with:Charente
[97]
https://www.cognac.fr/en/communique-en/manage-current-issues-efficientely-while-continuing-to-build-the-cognac-sector-with-a-long-term-vision-the-ambition-of-the-bnics-new-three-year-term/
[98]
Fast Facts: Cognac - Around the World in 80 Harvests
Oct 7, 2017 · The Cognac process has two distillations: “brouillis” (first distillation) which reaches 28-32% vol.
[99]
What grape varieties are used to make the Cognac eau-de-vie?
Jul 23, 2025 · The grape harvests are done as soon as grapes reach ripeness. Then comes the pressing to get the juice that will be fermented for 5 days. These ...
[100]
The ambition of the BNIC's new three-year term
Jan 25, 2024 · For the calendar year 2023, Cognac shipments* will fall by 22.2 % to 165.3 million bottles, compared to 212.5 million in 2022. The drop in value ...Missing: Charente department agriculture statistics
[101]
1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Charente - Wikisource, the free ...
More than half its surface is arable land, on the greater part of which cereals are grown. The potato is an important crop. The vine is predominant in the ...
[102]
South Charente in August - Notes from Wild Places
Aug 22, 2017 · ... cereals have been harvested and the stubbled earth disced and left full of weeds. Fine Charente cattle with newborn calves and attendant ...
[103]
[PDF] Sustainable Development Report 2023 - Hennessy
Jun 20, 2024 · We are working with the entire community in the Cognac region to reinvent our viticultural methods and restore more resilient, living landscapes ...<|separator|>
[104]
Wildfire destroys over 200 hectares of vegetation in France
Aug 11, 2025 · In September 2022, two fires destroyed 400 hectares of pine and broadleaf forest in southern Charente. That was “the biggest fire in Charente's ...
[105]
Grafting, the most sustainable way to control phylloxera over 150 years
Feb 21, 2025 · Grafting grapevine can be considered the first widespread biological control method in modern agriculture and offers many benefits for plant adaptation to the ...
[106]
Viticulture and the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy ...
Apr 22, 2024 · Given the high environmental costs, loss of biodiversity and the need to address climate change, the EU has implemented changes in its ...Missing: Charente variability
[107]
European agriculture faces growing climate risks that EU can help ...
May 20, 2025 · EU agriculture loses over €28 billion yearly due to adverse weather, with losses projected to increase 42-66% by mid-century. Only 20-30% of ...
[108]
Maison Hennessy - Cognac production
THE MAISON HENNESSY. For over 250 years, Hennessy has been crafting one-of-a-kind cognacs in the heart of the Charente region in France.
[109]
Cognac distillation process - Hennessy
Double distillation is required to make eaux-de-vie for cognac. In the first, a raw spirit called “brouillis” is produced. The second distillation produces a ...
[110]
Hennessy Cognac in Cognac - Cognac Tourism
For more than 250 years, Maison Hennessy has been producing one-of-a-kind cognacs in the heart of its native Charente region in France. Created in 1765, the ...
[111]
Angouleme Property Information, Charente, France
The use of wood to the paper pulp making led to the stationery shop industrialization and the decline of mills. Nowadays, the reputation of paper in Angouleme ...Missing: papier | Show results with:papier
[112]
Energy crisis and falling prices: the end of the Saint-Michel paper mill
Oct 22, 2024 · The closure, confirmed on October 3, 2024, marks the end of a major industrial site for the region, which still employed 65 people. The ...Missing: 1980s | Show results with:1980s
[113]
an aeronautical company invests and hires in Charente - AECE Group
Jun 17, 2021 · An aeronautical company from Fléac in the Charente, AEVA, will receive €1.4 million to help with research and development and job creation.
[114]
Active population, employment and unemployment within the ... - Insee
Jun 27, 2024 · The employment concentration indicator is equal to the number of jobs in the zone per 100 active persons with a job residing in the zone.
[115]
[PDF] Chiffres clés 2023 - Charentes Tourisme
Total des revenus générés sur la période divisé par le nombre de nuits réservées. Logements pouvant être comparés à l'hôtellerie. Lexique - Indicateurs AirDNA ...
[116]
Panorama de l'emploi pour le département CHARENTE - Data Emploi
Retrouvez les indicateurs clés de l'emploi pour aider à décrypter les enjeux et leviers d'action de ce territoire (Dynamisme, Chômage, Demandeurs, Offres…)Missing: variation Q2
[117]
French cognac sales drop 13% as demand for premium ranges slides
Aug 28, 2025 · Cognac shipments fell 4.2% by volume to 154.6 million bottles in the year to July 31, while revenues dropped 13.4% to 2.7 billion euros ($3.1 ...Missing: Charente | Show results with:Charente
[118]
Bilan d'activité touristique des Charentes saison estivale 2025
Sep 8, 2025 · Bilan global · Près de 60 % des professionnels des Charentes constatent une baisse des dépenses des touristes (55 % en 2024). · Cette diminution ...
[119]
https://www.pineau.fr/en/pineau-des-charentes/our-story
[120]
A guide to Cognac, its history, terroir, and how to enjoy it
During the 15th century, Dutch merchants bought wines from a small French region, the Charente, to help keep their spirits up (pun intended) during their ...
[121]
The history of cognac : from its origins to the 21st century
Cognac originated in the 16th century from distilled wine, with double distillation in 1610. It experienced a boom in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, it ...
[122]
Our Story - Comité National du Pineau des Charentes (en)
The industry began to organise itself in 1920, and obtained appellation d'origine status in 1935. On 12 October 1945 Pineau des Charentes went one step further ...
[123]
Charentes-Poitou PDO butter, the seal of quality - Lescure
Created in 1979, the AOP Beurre Charentes-Poitou that Lescure addresses, is the oldest AOP of butter. A terroir of character between land and sea.
[124]
How to grow charentais melons - Our Little Suburban Farmhouse
The Charentais melon originated in the Poitou-Charentes region of Western France back in the 1920s (also the home of Cognac). It even has its own festival, the ...
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Charente Gastronomy
The Culinary Specialties of Charente · 1. Cognac: · 2. Pineau des Charentes · 3. Charentes-Poitou butter: · 4. Charente snails: · 5. Diamandin lamb · 6. Mojettes: · 7.
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Charente cuisine recipe
The must-have dish of Charente remains the cagouilles , these "petit gris" snails cooked with parsley butter and sausage meat. As a starter to whet your mouth, ...Missing: department | Show results with:department
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Angoulême International Comics Festival - Europe Comics
The second-largest comics festival in Europe, and the third-largest in the world has run every year since 1974. More than 200,000 visitors come each year to ...
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50 years of the Angoulême Comics Festival - Museum TV
Jan 19, 2024 · The history of the Angoulême Festival goes back to 1974, when Francis Groux and Jean Mardikian, both passionate about comics, decided to create ...
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Angoulême - Creative Cities Network - UNESCO
Now positioned as a centre of excellence thanks to its renowned higher education facilities for arts and comic book creation, the continued success of Angoulê ...
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A look behind the Angoulême International Comic Book Festival
Feb 1, 2024 · Founded 50 years ago, the Angoulême International Comic Book Festival was the first fair of its kind and considered a niche part of the ...
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Angoulême | The French Atlantic Coast
The oldest part of the castle dates back to the year 980 but much of it was rebuilt in the 11th and 18th centuries, the solid Romanesque square in sharp ...
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Our Lady of the Crown Abbey in La Couronne - Angoulême Tourism
The Our Lady of the Crown Abbey is a historic monument, founded in the 12th century, with a church built in the late 12th century, and classified as a historic ...
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Visit the beautiful Abbeys in Charente - Churches - Priories
The Charente is full of many religious sites whose local architecture will delight you. Discover the Abbeys, Churches and Priories of Charente.
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An Hidden Gem of Prehistory: Le Roc de Sers in Charente
Feb 10, 2025 · Discover Le Roc de Sers in Charente, a hidden prehistoric gem with remarkable rock carvings and ancient sculptures. Explore this unique site ...
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Paper Museum in Angoulême
The Paper Museum is in former paper mills, with a permanent exhibition on paper industries and temporary exhibitions, and collections of paper samples and ...Missing: development | Show results with:development
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10 unmissable events in Charente
1 - Folklore festival in Confolens · 2 - Circuit des Remparts in Angoulême · 3 - Comic Strip Festival in Angoulême · 4 - Roman Nights · 6 - Cognac Festival · 7 - ...
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Coup de Chauffe Cognac - Street Arts Festival - Destination Tourisme
Coup de Chauffe" festival dates Cognac 2024 - September 6 to 8, 2024. The festival generally takes place on the first weekend in September. Shows are staged in ...
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Francis I | King of France & Renaissance Monarch - Britannica
Sep 8, 2025 · Francis I (born Sept. 12, 1494, Cognac, France—died March 31, 1547, Rambouillet) was the king of France (1515–47), the first of five monarchs ...
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François I, King of France | Unofficial Royalty
Jun 13, 2020 · François I, King of France was born on September 12, 1494, at the Château de Cognac in Cognac, Kingdom of France.
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Pierre Christin - Lambiek Comiclopedia
Oct 3, 2024 · Pierre Christin was a French scriptwriter, novelist and journalist. His comics, novels and plays are characterized by their social, ...
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Pierre Christin, 1938-2024 - The Comics Journal
Nov 25, 2024 · On Oct. 3, 2024, at the age of 86, the prolific comics writer, journalist, author, mentor, and teacher died, but he leaves behind an extensive legacy.