La Rochelle

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La Rochelle La Rochéle (Poitevin–Saintongeais)
Prefecture and commune
Coat of arms
Location of La Rochelle
La Rochelle Show map of France La Rochelle Show map of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 46°10′N 1°09′W / 46.16°N 1.15°W / 46.16; -1.15
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement	La Rochelle
Intercommunality	CA La Rochelle
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Jean-François Fountaine[1]
Area 1	28.43 km2 (10.98 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	78,535
• Density	2,800/km2 (7,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	17300 /17000
Elevation	0–28 m (0–92 ft) (avg. 4 m or 13 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

La Rochelle (UK: /ˌlæ rɒˈʃɛl/, US: /ˌlɑː roʊˈʃɛl/, French: [la ʁɔʃɛl] ^ⓘ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: La Rochéle) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With 78,535 inhabitants in 2021, La Rochelle is the most populated commune in the department and ranks fourth in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region after Bordeaux, the regional capital, Limoges and Poitiers.

Situated on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean the city is connected to the Île de Ré by a 2.9-kilometre-long (1+3⁄4-mile) bridge completed on 19 May 1988. Since the Middle Ages the harbour has opened onto a protected strait, the Pertuis d'Antioche and is regarded as a "Door océane" or gateway to the ocean because of the presence of its three ports (fishing, trade and yachting). The city has a strong commercial tradition, having an active port from very early on in its history.

The city traces its origins to the Gallo-Roman period, attested by the remains of important salt marshes and villas. The Dukes of Aquitaine granted it a charter as a free port in 1130. With the opening of the English market following the second marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, the presence of the Knights Templar and the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem quickly made this small town the largest port on the Atlantic.^[3]

To this day, the city still possesses a rich historical fabric, including the Saint-Nicholas tower, and an urban heritage. The capital of Aunis, it has become the most important coastal city between the Loire and Gironde estuaries. La Rochelle's urban activities are many in number and strongly differentiated, being a city with port and industrial functions that are still important, but also including a predominantly administrative and tertiary sector that is reinforced by the university and a rapidly developing tourism industry. In the early 21st century, the city has consistently been ranked among France's most liveable cities.^[4] Until 2015, the town was part of the administrative region called Poitou-Charentes, that was before the delimitation of regions in France.^[5]