Aquitaine denotes a historical area, which today is known as a french region in the southwest of the country. In the south of the area are the impressive landscapes of the Pyrenees, to the west are the beaches of the Atlantic. This area offers everything from high mountain ranges to magnificent Sandy beaches really everything.
Landscapes and surroundings of the Aquitaine region
The neighbors of the Aquitaine region are in the northeast Limousin, in the east the Regin Midi-Pyrenees, in the south the area borders on Spain. In the west is the Altantic Ocean. Another neighbor of Aquitaine is the Pitou-Charentes region.
Climatically, the landscape is quite mild. In the higher elevations, however, the conditions are cooler. At the Atlantic, the average values are around 15 degrees all year round. This makes the Aquitaine area a popular travel and vacation destination. The mild winters in the region in particular ensure that tourism can also be recorded at this time of the year.
the predominantly fertile soils bring rich harvests to agriculture. But there is something special here. Because not the entire region is fertile. The river plains and the foothills of the Pyrenees are extremely rich in good soil. However, the land in between is hardly usable. It is extremely sparse and hardly bears any fruit. Almost all of the agriculture is concentrated in the areas outside of this area.
The area of Aquitaine is particularly known for its fine wines, which thrive here in the wine-growing region in the northeast. The calcareous soil provides ideal conditions for this. You can also find the famous truffles and nuts here and large orchards of France.
The history of the Aquitaine region
The name of the region goes back to the Roman occupation. At the time of the Roman conquest of France, the area south of the Garonne was named Aquitaine by Julius Caesar. Back then, the people there did not speak Celtic, but a dialect derived from the Basque language. The area of the then Roman Gallia Aquitana extended much further than the present region and reached as far as the Loire. In the following years the area was divided into Aquitana I and II. The language also changed. As the population was Romanized, a colonial modification of the Latin language also spread.
In the 5th century the very weak Roman government was replaced by the Visigoths. However, they only ruled until 507. After that, the Franks followed, which had an enormous influence on the entire history of the region. From the 8th century on, the Moors briefly took power. However, the Islamic rulers were defeated by Charles Martel in 732 in the historic battle of Tours and Poitiers. In doing so, he finally secured the area of Aquitaine up to the Pyrenees for the Franks.
A long tradition of the French royal family followed until 1152 through a marriage between Eleanor of Aquitaine and Heinrich Plantagenet, Count of Anjou zu Anjou, after Aquitaine was ruled by the English crown after his accession to the throne.
When Henry II of England was installed and then wanted to assert his claims to many parts of France, a war between France and England that lasted 300 years broke out. It was not until 1453 that Aquitaine finally passed to France. The territorial boundaries have been shifted again and again over time. In 1960 the current limits were drawn.
Attractions in Aquitaine
Every era has left its mark on Aquitaine. But the area also has a lot to offer in terms of landscape. The Pyla Dune is one of the most famous natural attractions in the region. This is over 100 m high and extends over a length of 3 km. This makes it the largest sand dune in Europe. The famous vineyards of Bordeaux should be seen once during a visit. However, the entire fine sandy beach of the coastal region on the Altantic Ocean is important for tourism. There are many holiday accommodations available here and tourism is economically important, especially in the summer high season.
