Royan

Coat of arms

Royan

Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine region

Royan

Coordinates: 45°37′N 1°02′W / 45.62°N 1.03°WCoordinates: 45°37′N 1°02′W / 45.62°N 1.03°W

Country

Communauté d'agglomération Royan Atlantique

Government

• Mayor (2008–2014)

Didier Quentin

Area¹

19.30 km² (7.45 sq mi)

Population (2008)²

18,541

• Density

960/km² (2,500/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

17306 / 17200

Elevation

0–35 m (0–115 ft)
(avg. 20 m or 66 ft)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Royan (French pronunciation: [ʁwa.jɑ̃]; locally [ʁwe.jɑ̃] in Saintongeais dialect) is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, along the Atlantic Ocean, in southwestern France.

A seaside resort, Royan is in the heart of an urban area estimated at 38,638 inhabitants, which makes it the fourth-largest conurbation in the department, after La Rochelle, Saintes and Rochefort. Capital of the "Côte de beauté", the city is located at the mouth of the Gironde Estuary, the largest estuary in Europe. Royan has five sandy beaches, a marina, and a fishing port.

Royan is a seaside resort situated in the west of the department of Charente-Maritime, in the former province of Saintonge. It occupies a site on the mouth of the Gironde Estuary, on the eastern side, near the Atlantic coast. Along the coast, the limestone cliffs and beaches (locally called conches), alternate in position at the sea.

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Wikipedia