Arrondissement of Saintes

The arrondissement of Saintes is an arrondissement of France, in the Charente-Maritime department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Its capital is the city of Saintes.

Saintes
Arrondissement
Location within the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Charente-Maritime
No. of communes	88
Subprefecture	Saintes
Area	1,320.4 km2 (509.8 sq mi)
Population  (Jan. 2019)[1]	117,287
INSEE code	174

History

When the Charente-Maritime department was created on 1790, the arrondissement of Saintes was part of that original department.^[2]

It was the centre of the old province of Saintonge.

Geography

It is the largest of the arrondissements of the Charente-Maritime department but the third by population. It has an area of 1,546.5 square kilometres (597.1 square miles),^[3] and a population of 128,786 inhabitants for a density of 83.3 inhabitants/km².^[4]

Saintes is in the central part of the department. It is bordered to the north by the arrondissement of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, to the east by the arrondissement of Cognac (Charente department), to the south by the arrondissement of Jonzac, to the southwest by the Gironde department (through the Gironde estuary), to the west and northwest by the arrondissement of Rochefort.

Composition

Cantons

After the reorganisation of the cantons in France,^[5] cantons are not subdivisions of the arrondissements so they could have communes that belong to different arrondissements.

In the arrondissement of Saintes, there are only two cantons where all their "communes" are in the arrondissement: the Saint-Porchaire and Saintes cantons. The following table shows the distribution of the "communes" in the cantons and arrondissements:

Cantons and communes in the arrondissement of Saintes

INSEE Code	Canton	Arrondissements					Total
		Jonzac	Rochefort	La Rochelle	Saintes	Saint-Jean-d'Angély
1702	Chaniers				17	10	27
1718	Saint-Jean-d'Angély		3		2	36	41
1719	Saint-Porchaire				20		20
1720	Saintes				1		1
1721	Saintonge Estuaire		1		23		24
1722	Saujon		2		7		9
1724	Thénac	4			21		25

Communes

The arrondissement of Saintes has 89 communes; they are (with their INSEE codes):^[6]

1. Arces (17015)
2. Balanzac (17030)
3. Barzan (17034)
4. Berneuil (17044)
5. Beurlay (17045)
6. Boutenac-Touvent (17060)
7. Brie-sous-Mortagne (17068)
8. Burie (17072)
9. Bussac-sur-Charente (17073)
10. Chaniers (17086)
11. La Chapelle-des-Pots (17089)
12. Le Chay (17097)
13. Chenac-Saint-Seurin-d'Uzet (17098)
14. Chérac (17100)
15. Chermignac (17102)
16. La Clisse (17112)
17. Colombiers (17115)
18. Corme-Écluse (17119)
19. Corme-Royal (17120)
20. Courcoury (17128)
21. Cozes (17131)
22. Cravans (17133)
23. Crazannes (17134)
24. Dompierre-sur-Charente (17141)
25. Le Douhet (17143)
26. Écoyeux (17147)
27. Écurat (17148)
28. Épargnes (17152)
29. Les Essards (17154)
30. Floirac (17160)
31. Fontcouverte (17164)
32. Geay (17171)
33. Gémozac (17172)
34. Les Gonds (17179)
35. Grézac (17183)
36. La Jard (17191)
37. Jazennes (17196)
38. Luchat (17214)
39. Médis (17228)
40. Meursac (17232)
41. Migron (17235)
42. Montils (17242)
43. Montpellier-de-Médillan (17244)
44. Mortagne-sur-Gironde (17248)
45. Nancras (17255)
46. Nieul-lès-Saintes (17262)
47. Pessines (17275)
48. Pisany (17278)
49. Plassay (17280)
50. Pont-l'Abbé-d'Arnoult (17284)
51. Port-d'Envaux (17285)
52. Préguillac (17289)
53. Rétaud (17296)
54. Rioux (17298)
55. Romegoux (17302)
56. Rouffiac (17304)
57. Sablonceaux (17307)
58. Saint-André-de-Lidon (17310)
59. Saint-Bris-des-Bois (17313)
60. Saint-Césaire (17314)
61. Sainte-Gemme (17330)
62. Saint-Georges-des-Coteaux (17336)
63. Saint-Porchaire (17387)
64. Sainte-Radegonde (17389)
65. Saint-Romain-sur-Gironde (17392)
66. Saint-Romain-de-Benet (17393)
67. Saint-Sauvant (17395)
68. Saint-Sever-de-Saintonge (17400)
69. Saint-Simon-de-Pellouaille (17404)
70. Saint-Sulpice-d'Arnoult (17408)
71. Saint-Vaize (17412)
72. Saintes (17415)
73. Saujon (17421)
74. Semussac (17425)
75. Le Seure (17426)
76. Soulignonne (17431)
77. Talmont-sur-Gironde (17437)
78. Tanzac (17438)
79. Tesson (17441)
80. Thaims (17442)
81. Thénac (17444)
82. Thézac (17445)
83. Trizay (17453)
84. La Vallée (17455)
85. Varzay (17460)
86. Vénérand (17462)
87. Villars-en-Pons (17469)
88. Villars-les-Bois (17470)
89. Virollet (17479)

The communes with more inhabitants in the arrondissement are:

INSEE code	Commune	Population[4] (2014)	Canton	Intercommunality
17415	Saintes	25,149	Saintes	CA de Saintes
17421	Saujon	7,221	Saujon	CA Royan Atlantique
17086	Chaniers	3,543	Chaniers	CA de Saintes
17228	Médis	2,855	Saujon	CA Royan Atlantique
17172	Gémozac	2,818	Saintonge Estuaire	Gémozac et de la Saintonge Viticole
17336	Saint-Georges-des-Coteaux	2,650	Saint-Porchaire	CA de Saintes
17164	Fontcouverte	2,400	Chaniers	CA de Saintes
17425	Semussac	2,335	Saujon	CA Royan Atlantique
17131	Cozes	2,090	Saintonge Estuaire	CA Royan Atlantique
17387	Saint-Porchaire	1,818	Saint-Porchaire	Charente-Arnoult-Cœur de Saintonge

Related pages

• Arrondissements of the Charente-Maritime department
• List of arrondissements of France

References

1. "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2019". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2020.
2. "Historique de la Charente-Maritime". Le SPLAF (in French). Retrieved 10 August 2016.
3. "Arrondissement de Saintes (174)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
4. "Régions, départements, arrondissements, cantons et communes" (PDF). Populations légales 2014 (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
5. Décret n° 2014-269 du 27 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département de la Charente-Maritime
6. "Arrondissement de Saintes (174)". Géographie administrative et d'étude (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 28 May 2017.

45.7500°N 0.6333°W / 45.7500; -0.6333