Angoulins () 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 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 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 an ...

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 ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Angoulinois'' or ''Angoulinoises''.

Geography

Angoulins is located in the northwest of the department of

some 8 km south-east of

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) 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. Wi ...

and 5 km north of

Châtelaillon-Plage Châtelaillon-Plage (, also ), commonly known as Châtelaillon, is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. It is located south of the city of La Rochelle and is also a suburb. It is t ...

in the former province of

Aunis Aunis () is a historical province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) the historic capital which gives its name ...

. It is a coastal commune on the Atlantic Ocean. Access is by the E602 (D137) highway from La Rochelle continuing south-east with an exit in the commune just east of Angoulins town. There is also the D202 from Salles-sur-Mer in the east turning south and continuing to Chatelaillon-Plage. Access to the town is by the D111E1 from the D202 on the southern border continuing through the town and turning east to the motorway exit. Angoulins town has a large urban area occupying almost 50% of the commune, with farmland to the north, east, and west.Google Maps
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Geology

The entire commune is located on

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...

terrain which completely covers the plain of

. Jurassic Marl and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

outcrops appear on the surface of the commune and the relief is slightly rolling. The coastal strip of Angoulins, which corresponds to the last extremity of the plain of Aunis, is relatively varied. It alternates between low sandy and marshy shores and high limestone cliffs. Low-lying coasts, which were formerly salt marshes, have today been transformed into oyster beds (at the marsh north of Chay Point) and are derived from Quaternary sedimentary deposits of marine origin - from the last Flandrian transgression. The sandy coast is situated in a small cove formed naturally by the phenomena of marine erosion and ocean currents (Angoulins beach, south of the Chay point). Pointe du chay001

The coastal cliffs are located all around the Chay Point and form a limestone peninsula - a sharp promontory jutting into the ocean. Layers of alternating beds of oolitic marl and limestone can be seen on the cliffs that line the coast from La Rochelle to Angoulins-sur-Mer. They are highlighted by thick layers of white rocks alternating with layers of very friable sand and mud, formed during glacial periods, also with layers containing various corals from tropical periods. Chay Point, about five kilometres south of La Rochelle, contains many fossils of marine animals and is an especially famous place of

palaeontological Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

studies. The limestone thus formed is widely used as a building material in traditional houses in the region.

Transport

Railway stations and halts

* Aytré (halt) 3 km *

3.1 km *

(

TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...

) 6.1 km *

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 ...

20.7 km

Airports and aerodromes

(Laleu) 10.8 km *

- St-Agnant 26 km * Aerodrome of

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 ...

- Médis 54 km

Neighbouring communes and villages

Heraldry

Administration

List of successive mayors

Population

Distribution of age groups

The population of the town is older than the departmental average. Percentage distribution of age groups in Angoulins and Charente-Maritime department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Angoulins (17010)
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Economy

There are 12 enterprises in industry, 24 in construction, 83 shops, 37 service enterprises, two farms, and one shellfish farm. Angoulins is best known for its shopping area.

Sites and monuments

File:Saint Pierre d Angoulins.jpg, The Church of Saint-Peter File:Pointe du chay sud.jpg, Fishing Houses File:AngoulinsFishingHouses.JPG, Fishing houses File:Plage d Angoulins.jpg, Angoulins Beach File:Plage angoulins.jpg, Angoulins Beach The Church of Saint-Peter (15th century) is registered as an historical monument. There remains the Machicolations on the walkway that connects the three

Bartizan A bartizan (an alteration of ''bratticing''), also called a guerite, ''garita'', or ''échauguette'', or spelled bartisan, is an overhanging, wall-mounted turret projecting from the walls of late medieval and early-modern fortifications from th ...

s located in the north-east corner and the two corners of the

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

. The west façade forms a bell tower wall in a fortified triangle. The Chevet preserves the structure of the walkway between the two Bartizans. The nave is

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

with arched ribs. The church contains two items that are registered as historical objects: *A pulpit (1758) *A bronze bell (1631)

Notable people linked to the commune

Colette Besson Colette Besson (7 April 1946 – 9 August 2005) was a French athlete, the surprise winner of the 400 m at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Athletic career Prior to the 1968 Olympics, Besson, an unknown physical education teacher, qualifi ...

, gold medalist in the 400m at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, died in Angoulins and was buried in the cemetery.Colette Besson and the values in life for which sport must be the guarantor
*Father

Daniel Brottier Daniel Jules Alexis Brottier, C.S.Sp. (7 September 1876 – 28 February 1936), was a French Roman Catholic priest in the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (who currently refer to themselves as Spiritans). He was awarded the '' Croix de Guerre'' and ...

, founder of the Foundation of Auteuil, came regularly to spend his summer holidays.

Local associations

Angoul'Loisirs
''Association of Youth and Popular Education'' founded under the 1901 Act in 1992 which includes different sectors: a day nursery, a leisure centre, a Youth Projects area, and a Family area.
Centre Nautique d'Angoulins
An association under the 1901 Act founded in 1976. Originally comprising a handful of enthusiasts and a wooden hut, the association now has more than a hundred members and hosted nearly 2,000 people over the year (windsurfing, catamaran, optimists, etc.). An artificial body of water was added to the site in 1990. On the night of 27 to 28 February 2010, the Centre Nautique d'Angoulins was badly affected by the storm Xynthia. The buildings were flooded to an average height of 1.60 m. The club's pontoon for teaching fishing, available to rent, was completely destroyed by the storm; it is currently under reconstruction.