Tourist activities In Poitou-Charentes, we find many cycling, hiking and horse tracks. They lie in front of the sea, in the woods or around lakes so that people can walk in peace and enjoy the scenery. Along the coast, there are also large stretches of beach under supervision in the high season. Many tourist places welcome lots of tourists every year.

Tourist sites: The Citadel of Brouage : Brouage is a well-known place, built by Richelieu. It was once an island. The sea having withdrawn, the Citadel is a tourist place, interesting for its architecture, its underground harbour and its unique coolers. The Futuroscope : it brings recreation, training and work together on the same site. It is a tourist area for its new generation entertainment (3D, 4D) The aquarium : the aquarium offers a dive which leads the visitor to all the seas of the globe. More than 10,000 marine species swim in 65 basins. The objective of this visit is to "make dream and understand the sea". The zoo of La Palmyre : this zoo has 1,600 species of animals from all continents. This zoological park is the most important in France and one of the most exciting in Europe. Many births take place there, which proves that animals feel happy and that their environment is well organized.

Sports clubs: Horse-riding : our region with its various landscapes offers beautiful walks on horseback. Because of this, our region has a lot of horse riding clubs, whether you want to become a professional, learn for a month or ride for your pleasure. Surfing : our coastline welcomes many surfers over the waves. The clubs are open to beginners and to professionals throughout the year. Sailing : several sailing clubs (sand yachting, windsurfing...) are located along the coast. In the high season, competitions are organized on the beaches. Jet-skiing : initiations for young people or adults are organized throughout the summer. For professionals, competitions take place. This year, the jet ski world champion is Vignes.

Geography: We live in Poitou-Charentes, a region located in Western France. Our region is divided into 4 departments and we live in Charente Maritime. There are 4 islands on our coasts, the largest is called Oléron, le second Ré, the third Aix and the fourth and smallest (0.75 km2) Madame. Oléron, larger than Ré, is not so attractive for tourism because it is less wild. Ré is a totally natural island with a surface of km2. It attracts lots of tourists because of its wild beauty. Aix is a small island accessed by boat. No vehicle is driven there except a tractor by peasants. Its surface is 1.19 km2, you can walk or cycle around it in less than a day. Madame, the smallest island, is accessed at low tide by a pebble path. Nobody lives there, it's a place of pilgrimage.

Swamps: Swamps are lands abandoned by the sea and shaped by man. There are two sorts of swamp : salty (where salt is made) and traditional swamps (where fauna and flora are protected and where water is used to irrigate fields).

Major cities: Cognac is known for its alcohol of the same name which is widely appreciated. Poitiers is the capital of our region and also a good place to study. The town centre has many churches, from different periods. Royan is a seaside town that lives essentially on tourism. Its harbour is divided into two parts : the fishing harbour and the marina.

Major cities: Angoulême is a city further inland. It has a comic strip festival that welcomes many prominent French and foreign artists. Saintes is a city with many historical monuments. It is also a gallo- roman site. La Rochelle is known for its aquarium, its dynamism and its architecture. The Francofolies (a giant party) takes place all summer.

The bombing of Royan During the Second World War, 345 bombers bombed Royan, more than 1,600 tons of bombs crashed on the city. The city centre was totally destroyed. On April 14th, 1945 a new attack destroyed all that remained standing. Between 1945 and 1950 Royan was hurriedly rebuilt. Temporary detached houses were built to rehouse the population. For this reason, the architecture of Royan is very diversified. The most beautiful mark of this variety is Notre Dame church, built in reinforced concrete.

Agriculture: Agriculture is very varied in Poitou-Charentes. We grow various cereal crops (wheat or corn), oilseeds (sunflower, rape), tobacco, vine. In some places, cattle farming is practised for the supply of milk or meat. Raising sheep and goat, most often in open air, provides lamb and famous goat cheese (Chabichou for example). The products of Poitou-Charentes are Cognac, cheese, wine, lamb, poultry, melon and oysters. All these products are quality products and loved by all.