Gironde

Gironde (Occitan: Gironda) is a common name for the Gironde Estuary - sound where merge the mouths of the Garonne river and of the Dordogne river - and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.

History

Gironde is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Guyenne and Gascogne.

From 1793 to 1795, the department's name was changed to Bec-d'Ambès to avoid the association with the revolutionary party, the Girondins.

Geography

Gironde is part of the current region of Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne, Charente and Charente-Maritime and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. With 10,000 km², Gironde is the largest department of metropolitan France.

It is well known for the Côte d'Argent beach which is Europe's longest, and attracts many surfers to Lacanau each year.

See also

• Cantons of the Gironde department
• Communes of the Gironde department
• Arrondissements of the Gironde department
• Bordeaux wine regions

External links

• Template:Fr icon General Council website
• Template:Fr icon Prefecture website
• Template:En icon Gironde at Curlie

• Template:Fr icon Tourism Office website