Charente

Charente
Chérente  (Saintongeais)
Charanta (Occitan)
Prefecture building of the Charente department, in Angoulême
Prefecture building of the Charente department, in Angoulême
Flag of Charente
Coat of arms of Charente
Location of Charente in France
Location of Charente in France
Coordinates: 45°50′N 0°20′E / 45.833°N 0.333°E / 45.833; 0.333
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
PrefectureAngoulême
SubprefecturesCognac
Confolens
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilPhilippe Bouty[1] (DVG)
Area
 • Total5,956 km2 (2,300 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Total350,867
 • Rank68th
 • Density59/km2 (150/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number16
Arrondissements3
Cantons19
Communes363
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Charente (French: [ʃaʁɑ̃t] ; Saintongese: Chérente; Occitan: Charanta [tʃaˈɾantɔ]) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, and also the river beside which the department's two largest towns, Angoulême and Cognac, are sited. In 2019, it had a population of 352,015.[3]

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Populations légales 2019: 16 Charente, INSEE