Angoulins () is a commune 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 ...

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 and t ...

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 ar ...

. 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. Wit ...

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 ...

in the former province of Aunis. 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 Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), 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 J ...

terrain which completely covers the plain of Aunis. 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 wh ...

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 Transgression may refer to: Legal, religious and social *Sin, a violation of God's Ten Commandments or other elements of God's moral law *Crime, legal transgression, usually created by a violation of social or economic boundary **In civil law ju ...

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

Transport

Railway stations and halts

Aytré Aytré () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Aytré is especially known for its long beach, which is easily accessible from neighbouring La Rochelle, or Les Minimes. The beach is flat and sh ...

(halt) 3 km *

3.1 km *

( TGV) 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- 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

Machicolation A machicolation (french: mâchicoulis) is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water, hot sand, quicklime or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at ...

s on the walkway that connects the three Bartizans 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 A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

(1758) *A bronze bell (1631)

Notable people linked to the commune

* Colette Besson, 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 Guate ...

, 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, 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.