Anais () 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 department in the

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 ...

region of southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

Location and access

Anais is located 14 km north of Angoulême. It is crossed from north to south by National Highway N10 from Angoulême to Poitiers which passes 1.5 km west of the town and is a landscaped expressway of four lanes. Anais is also 4 km west of Jauldes, 6 km south-east of Saint-Amant-de-Boixe - the chief town of the district, 7 km east of Vars, 11 km south of Mansle, and 5 km north-west of

Brie Brie (; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern ''département'' of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mo ...

. The commune is traversed from east to west by the D11 road from

Chasseneuil Chasseneuil () is a commune in the Indre department in central France.Commune de Ch ...

to Rouillac via Vars which passes through the village and continues to join the N10 by an interchange on the western border of the commune. The D45 road also goes from the village south to La Chignolle as well as the D113 from

Montignac-Charente Montignac-Charente () is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. Population Sights and monuments * Château de Montignac - keep and remains of an 11th-13th century castle, listed since 1962 as a ''monument historique'' by ...

in the west to

Cherves Cherves () is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. See also *Communes of the Vienne department The following is a list of the 266 communes of the Vienne department of France ...

in the east.Google Maps
/ref>Géoportail

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Anais is 5 km north of Angoulême airport. The nearest train station is that at Angoulême.

Localities and hamlets

The town has two large hamlets or villages as big as Anais town: ''Le Breuil d'Anais'' located to the south-east, and ''Churet'' to the south on the old national highway 10 near ''La Chignolle'' in Champniers commune. To the west of the town the area of ''La Touche'' has developed due to the interchange on the N10. The commune also has many small hamlets and farms: ''La Claviere, Puymenier, les Nomblières, Puyfrançais, les Rivauds, Romefort, la Poutardière'', etc.

Geology and terrain

The soil of the town is made up of limestone dating from the

Late Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987. In European lithostratigraphy, the name ...

(

Kimmeridgian In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age in the Late Jurassic Epoch and a stage in the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 157.3 ± 1.0 Ma and 152.1 ± 0.9 Ma (million years ago). The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxford ...

). The Argence Valley has alluvium from the Quaternary (gritty

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

and

Peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...

). The relief of the commune is that of a plateau with an average altitude of 100 m traversed from north to south by a small valley - the Argence Valley - which is a

Dry valley A dry valley may develop on many kinds of permeable rock, such as limestone and chalk, or sandy terrains that do not regularly sustain surface water flow. Such valleys do not hold surface water because it sinks into the permeable bedrock. There ...

starting from Argence and descending to Anais. The highest point in the commune is at an altitude of 139 m and is located on the western boundary at the ''Vieille Touche'' (the ''Puy Delan''). The lowest point is at 60 m located along the southerly limit of the Argence at Churet. The town is 80 m above sea level.

Hydrography

The commune is traversed by the Argence, a tributary of the right bank of the Charente at Balzac. The Argence is formed from two small tributaries: the ''Ruisseau du Moulin des Rivauds'' which rises in the east and ''l'Étang'' which has its source in the north with the river Argence taking its name downstream of the town. The ''Fountaine de Maillou'' at the southern border near Churet also feeds the Argence.

Climate

As in the southern three-quarters and west of the department, the climate is

oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...

Aquitaine.

Toponymy

''Anais'' is derived from the Latin ''Annacum'' or ''Villa Anni'', meaning that the village was built around the property of a rich Gallo-Roman named ''Annus''. The hamlet of Breuil d'Anais takes its name from the Low Latin ''brogilum'' which is of Gallic origin from ''brogilos'', meaning "small wood".

History

Aerial archaeology Aerial archaeology is the study of archaeological remains by examining them from a higher altitude. In present day, this is usually achieved by satellite images or through the use of drones. Details Aerial Archaeology involves interpretation an ...

has revealed the moat and the foundations of a medieval castle.

Administration

From 1793 to 1801 Anais was in the canton of Jandes then passed to the Canton of Saint-Amant-de-Boixe.This could be a typing error on the Cassini database: should be canton of ''Jaudes'' List of Successive Mayors

Population

Distribution of Age Groups

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Anais and Charente Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Anais (16011)
/ref> Throughout the twentieth century, Anais had a high level of stability in its population but the population has increased significantly since the 1970s.

Economy

The main area of activity in Anais is at ''La Touche'' along the N10 where there is an Intermarché base (with 100-249 employees), trucks, a hotel restaurant, and various companies such as: Aluplast, AMS, Crousti'charente, Inomould, industrial boilermaker Guerin, SOMC and some Wholesalers, materials, tyres, and petroleum products. In the town is a bakery with another in La Touche where there is a bakery company. There are trade enterprises such as masonry, a general construction company, a farm, and a garage.

Facilities, services, and local life

Education

The school is an RPI between Anais, Aussac-Vadalle, and Tourriers. Anais has a kindergarten and a primary school while Aussac-Vadalle and Tourriers have elementary schools.Academic Inspectorate of Charente website

Sites and Monuments

External links

Anais on the National Geographic Institute website

Anais on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Anes'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Communes of Charente