Ballon () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...

, southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Ballonais'' or ''Ballonaises''.

Geography

Ballon is located some 12 km north of

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...

and 6 km south of

Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. The inhabitants are known as ''Aigrefeuillais'' or ''Aigrefeuillaises''. By population as well as by economic weigh ...

. Access to the commune is by the D111 road from

Thairé Thairé () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France on the Atlantic Ocean. Population See also *Communes of the Charente-Maritime department The following is a list of the 46 ...

in the west which passes through the village and continues to Ciré-d'Aunis in the east. The D266 goes south-west from the village then west to join the D110 west of the commune. The commune is entirely farmland.Google Maps
/ref> The ''Canal de Charras'' forms the south-eastern border of the commune with the ''Canal des Roseaux'' joining it on the southern border and forming part of the south western border. In most of the commune - especially the south - there is an extensive network of canals including the ''Canal de Ceinture du Marais de Moullepieds'' and the ''Canal de Lileau''.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 795 inhabitants. 004 Ballon ( 17290 )

Distribution of Age Groups

The population of the town is younger than the departmental average. Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Ballon and Charente-Maritime Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune de Ballon (17032)
/ref>Évolution et structure de la population en 2017: Département de la Charente-Maritime (17)
/ref>