Côte d’Argent (; ) is a name given to part of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast of the

Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 January ...

region in

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 ...

Etymology

The term was first coined to describe the

coast in 1905 by the journalist and poet Maurice Martin. The Congrès national des sociétés de géographie officially approved the name in 1907. The region it referred to eventually shrunk; the northern part including

Royan Royan (; in the Saintongeais dialect; oc, Roian) is a commune and town in the south-west of France, in the department of Charente-Maritime in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Its inhabitants are known as ''Royannais'' and ''Royannaises''. Capi ...

became the

Côte de Beauté The Côte de Beauté is a part of the south-western coastline of France, situated south of the peninsula of Arvert, in the department of Charente-Maritime (region Nouvelle-Aquitaine). Its capital is the town of Royan. The limits are, approximate ...

and the southern part including Anglet became the Basque Coast.

Geography

In the south-west of

, facing the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, ''La Côte d’Argent'' is part of the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

. It is limited at its north by the

Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...

mouth and at its south by the river

Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. i ...

. Large waves make this a popular surfing destination and create some of the largest sand dunes in Europe, including the

Dune of Pilat The Dune of Pilat (French: ''Dune du Pilat'', official name), also called ''Grande Dune du Pilat'', is the tallest sand dune in Europe. It is located in La Teste-de-Buch in the Arcachon Bay area, France, 60 km (37.2 mi) southwest of Bor ...

. Surfing competitions include the

Quiksilver Pro France The Quiksilver Pro France is an event on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour. The event is held every year at Seignosse, Capbreton and Hossegor in France at the end of September and in the beginning of October. Results 2017 ...

and the Lacanau Pro. Surfing in Capbreton3.jpg, Surfing in Capbreton Cap Ferret 001.jpg, Dune of Pilat from Cap Ferret Quikpro 2015 (218171815).jpeg, Quiksilver Pro France Dune du Pilat - panoramio (13).jpg, View from Dune of Pilat File:Lacanau Pro 2009.jpg, Lacanau Pro

Towns

Towns and resorts along the Côte d’Argent include:

Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...

Soulac-sur-Mer Soulac-sur-Mer (; oc, Solac de Mar, , ), commonly known as Soulac (''Solac''), is a commune in the department of Gironde, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (formerly Aquitaine), France. It's a seaside resort on Côte d'Argent, in the pe ...

Vendays-Montalivet Vendays-Montalivet (; oc, Vendais e Montalivet) is a commune in the Gironde department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in Southwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 2,410. Demographics See also *Communes of the Gironde department ...

Hourtin Hourtin (; oc, Hortin, ) is a commune of southwestern France, located in the Gironde department, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Aquitaine). It is located in the canton Le Sud-Médoc, part of the district of Lesparre- ...

Carcans Carcans (; oc, Carcan, ) is a commune and town in the Gironde department, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Aquitaine), France. Carcans is one of the 14 members of the Community of Communes of Médoc Atlantique. Geo ...

Lacanau Lacanau (; oc, label= Gascon, La Canau, ) is a commune in the Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Lacanau is a surfing area. Lacanau is a member of the Community of Municipalities Médoc's Lakes which includes the mu ...

Le Porge Le Porge (; oc, Lo Pòrge) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in south-western France. Population See also *Communes of the Gironde department The following is a list of the 535 communes of the Gironde departmen ...

Lège-Cap-Ferret Lège-Cap-Ferret ( Gascon: ''Lèja e lo Horet'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The commune stretches along the length of the Cap Ferret peninsula, from the village of Lège in the north to ...

Arcachon Arcachon ( ; ) is a commune in the southwestern French department of Gironde. It is a popular seaside resort on the Atlantic coast southwest of Bordeaux, in the Landes forest. It has a sandy beach and a mild climate said to be favourable for inv ...

* Pyla-sur-Mer

Landes

Biscarrosse Biscarrosse (; oc, Biscarròssa) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is located southwest of Bordeaux, and inland from the seaside resort of Biscarrosse-Plage on the Atlantic coast. Near Bis ...

Mimizan Mimizan (; oc, Mamisan) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in south-western France. There are two separate districts of the town: Mimizan-Bourg (town center) and Mimizan-Plage (resort). Geography Mimizan is a seaside ...

, nicknamed the "Pearl of the Côte d’Argent" * Contis *

Lit-et-Mixe Lit-et-Mixe (; oc-gsc, Lit e Micse) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in south-western France. The François Ozon film Sous le sable was set in Lit-et-Mixe. See also *Communes of the Landes department The followin ...

* Vielle-Saint-Girons *

Moliets-et-Maa Moliets-et-Maa (; oc, Moliets e Mar) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in south-western France. Description The principal economic activity is tourism and the village features long sandy beaches and golf courses. The ...

* Messanges *

Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains (, in Gascon: ''Lo Bocau Vielh'') is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. During the 1970s, an artificial lake and a touristic complex were created and named "Port d'Albret ", ...

Seignosse Seignosse (; oc, Senhòssa) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population Tourism and leisure Surfing Seignosse is prized for surfing. With Biarritz and Hossegor, Seignosse is one of th ...

Soorts-Hossegor Soorts-Hossegor (; oc, Sòrts e Òssagòr) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France, 20 km (12 miles) north of Biarritz. It is a well known seaside resort that is renowned for its surfing. The ci ...

Capbreton Capbreton (; oc, Capberton) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Located at the mouth of the Boudigau and Bourret rivers, the town is situated about 40 km north of Biarritz. The town is a ...

Labenne Labenne (; oc, La Vena) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in south-western France. Population See also *Communes of the Landes department The following is a list of the 327 communes of the Landes department of F ...

Ondres Ondres () is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is only two miles from the nearest beach (Ondres plage), which is well known for being a good surfing spot. Population Culture Ondres is the home ...

Tarnos Tarnos (; eu, Tarnose; oc, Tarnòs) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Geography Tarnos is in the far southwest corner of the department, 5 km north of Bayonne. Population See also *Commune ...

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlanti ...

* Anglet

References

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

Landforms of Gironde Landforms of Landes (department) Landforms of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Seaside resorts in France Surfing locations in France {{tourism-stub