Charente-Maritime (Department, France)

Last modified: 2007-05-05 by ivan sache
Keywords: charente-maritime | poitou-charentes | general council | logo | seagull | birds: 2 |
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Flag of Charente-Maritime - Image by Pascal Gross, 12 August 2000

• Administrative data
• Flag of Charente-Maritime

See also:

• France
• France: Metropolitan departments
• Clickable map of France (departments)
• Charente-Maritime (Department, France): Municipal flags
  • La Rochelle
  • Châtelaillon-Plage
• Charente-Maritime (Department, France): Yacht clubs

Administrative data

Code: 17
Region: Poitou-Charentes
Traditional provinces: Aunis, Saintonge, Poitou
Bordering departments: Charente, Gironde, Deux-Sèvres, Vendée

Area: 6,864 km²
Population (1995): 540,700 inhabitants

Préfecture: La Rochelle
Sous-préfectures: Jonzac, Rochefort, Saintes, Saint-Jean d'Angély
Subdivisions: 5 arrondissements, 51 cantons, 472 communes.

The department is named after the river Charente (360 km), tributary of Atlantic Ocean.
It was formerly named Charente-Inférieure (Lower-Charente), and was renamed Charente-Maritime (Coastal-Charente) because Inférieure was regarded as derogatory by the inhabitants of the department.

Flag of Charente-Maritime

The logotype that appears on the flag of the department is the property of the General Council of Charente-Maritime.
The official symbolism of the flag is the following:

Two seagulls are flying in unison. The land bird is green, the sea bird is blue. In Charente-Maritime, land and sea are the assets of our success and the promises for our future. This symbol of harmony and balance is inviting all the inhabitants and friends of Charente-Maritime to unite in order to support Charente-Maritime and take part to its flight.

Ivan Sache, 15 September 2001, after information kindly provided by Cécile Cassara (PR Director of the General Council of Charente-Maritime)