Fouras

Fouras

Coat of arms
Fouras

Coordinates: 45°59′16″N 1°05′35″W / 45.9878°N 1.0931°W / 45.9878; -1.0931Coordinates: 45°59′16″N 1°05′35″W / 45.9878°N 1.0931°W / 45.9878; -1.0931
Country France
Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement Rochefort
Canton Rochefort-Nord
Intercommunality Pays Rochefortais
Government
  Mayor (20082014) Sylvie Marcilly
Area1 9.51 km2 (3.67 sq mi)
Population (2008)2 4,095
  Density 430/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 17168 / 17450
Elevation 0–21 m (0–69 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Fouras is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. It lies 34 km south of La Rochelle.

Geography

Fouras is on a peninsula. It is bordered by five beaches and a forest named "Bois Vert" ("Green Wood" in English) which covers 20% of its area.

It extends into a roadway to discover tide to the low Fort Enet in the direction of the Île-d'Aix. The pier for the island of Aix is also located in the territory of the commune.

The south coast of the peninsula of Fouras forms the northern side of the mouth of the Charente river. A little further south is the Île d'Oléron. Off the island between Aix and the island of Oleron is Fort Boyard, which was made famous by the French TV game show of the same name and whose character "Père Fouras" increased the celebrity of the town.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1793615    
1800638+3.7%
1806645+1.1%
1821736+14.1%
1831860+16.8%
1836843−2.0%
1841800−5.1%
1846833+4.1%
1851823−1.2%
1856870+5.7%
1861926+6.4%
18661,028+11.0%
18721,138+10.7%
18761,256+10.4%
18811,679+33.7%
18861,877+11.8%
18911,887+0.5%
18961,989+5.4%
19012,171+9.2%
19062,461+13.4%
19112,499+1.5%
19212,399−4.0%
19262,322−3.2%
19312,166−6.7%
19362,474+14.2%
19463,013+21.8%
19544,068+35.0%
19624,121+1.3%
19683,634−11.8%
19753,612−0.6%
19823,295−8.8%
19903,238−1.7%
19993,835+18.4%
20084,095+6.8%

Vauban fortress

The "Vauban fortress" was initially a strategic fortification established by Philippe le Bel, circa 1300. The donjon was rebuilt in 1480-1490 by Jehan II de Brosse. In 1689, Ferry reinforced the walls of the Donjon to set up a battery of 9 canons and a signaling point. In 1693 a lower circular battery was set up to control access to the Charente River. The donjon received a signal station from 1889 to World War II.[1]

People

See also

References

Media related to Fouras at Wikimedia Commons

  1. Local notice


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.