About Aquitaine
Aquitaine (population 2.91 million) is made up of the following departments: Dordogne (24), Gironde (33), Lot-et-Garonne (47), Landes (40) and Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64). Aquitaine owes its name to the Romans, who logically named the area Aquitania, as it had many rivers running through it (to which canals were later added). It has had a somewhat chequered history and, like Normandy, was once ruled by the kings of England (or vice versa), although it has been under French rule since 1650. The region, which covers an area of 41,310km2 (16,135mi2) and has a population of 2.7 million, is largely agricultural, unspoiled and sparsely populated, and it's noted for its temperate climate. Crops include corn and peppers (the hot variety), which are hung from the window ledges and beams of houses to dry. Aquitaine is one of the most varied regions of France; although predominantly flat (the majority of the region lies less than 250m/825ft above sea level), the land rises in the south at the foothills of the Pyrénées. It has over 270km (170mi) of spectacular beaches along the Atlantic coastline, known as the Côte d'Argent ('Silver Coast'), 30km (20mi) of which are considered to offer the best surfing in Europe.
Aquitaine is perhaps most famous for its wines, beaches, surfing and of course, Eleanor of Aquitaine, mother of Richard the Lionheart. In the north of the region is the Bassin d'Arcachon, a natural inland sea with the largest beach in Europe (where incidentally 90 per cent of French oysters are grown), while the south of Aquitaine includes the so-called Landes de Gascogne. 'The Landes' is a flat, sandy plain (lande means 'moor'), roughly triangular, bounded by the sea and dunes to the west and stretching from Bordeaux (33) in the north to Dax (40) and the Golfe de Gascogne in the south and east as far as Nérac (47) and therefore covering roughly the whole of the department of Landes, as well as a good deal of Gironde and parts of Lot-et-Garonne. It was transformed during the 19th century by the planting of pine trees, which now cover virtually the entire area, creating purportedly the largest forest in Europe (the trees are now used for making paper). Part of the forest, corresponding roughly to the basin of the river Eyre, was designated a regional park (the Parc régional des Landes de Gascogne) in 1970. The Landes is known as ' le pays de la bonne bouffe' ('the land of good grub'), where traditional dishes include cruchade (a dessert), garbure (soup) , millas (corn-cake) and saupiquet (fried ham). Gironde to the north is also generally flat (its highest point is just 165m/535ft) and much of the land is given over to vineyards.
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is part of the Basque Country (Pays basque), which extends from around 160km (100mi) south of Bordeaux, where the Landes give way to the foothills of the Pyrénées, across the mountains into Spain and east along the river Nive as far as Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. The Basque Country has its own language, style of architecture, sport (pilota) and traditions and is itself divided into ancient 'regions', such as Labourd, Soule and Basse-Navarre. Apart from the conurbation of Bayonne, Anglet and Biarritz (known locally as the 'BAB'), where property is fairly expensive, Pyrénées-Atlantiques is sparsely populated. To the east of the Basque Country is Béarn (famous for its sauce béarnaise), another ancient 'region' (its capital is Orthez) surrounding the valleys of the Aspe, Barétous and Ossau in the east of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The inland department of Lot-et-Garonne is undulating and largely rural and agricultural. It's one of the largest fruit growing areas in France, producing apples, apricots, melons, nectarines, peaches, plums (including the mouth-watering prunes d'agenais) and strawberries, as well as tobacco, among other crops. (There's a famous fruit fair at Prayssas, between Agen and Villeneuve-sur-Lot.) Aquitaine as a whole is 45 per cent woodland (not surprisingly, the highest percentage in France), 30 per cent grassland, 20 per cent arable land and 25 per cent other uses, including urban areas.
With the exception of Dordogne (see below), Aquitaine hasn't been especially popular with foreign property buyers, but with access becoming easier by air, rail and road, coupled with low increases in property prices, a pleasant climate and (of course) wonderful wines and food, the region has seen an increase in the purchase of second and retirement homes - especially by the British and other Europeans.
