Charente (redirected from Charentes)

Charente, department, France

Charente (shäräNt`), department (1990 pop. 342,300), W France. The capital is Angoulême. The brandy distilled at Cognac is world renowned.

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Charente, river, France

Charente, river, 220 mi (354 km) long, rising near Limoges, W France, and flowing W to the Bay of Biscay. The river flows past Angoulême (the head of navigation), Cognac, Saintes, and Rochefort, and through an important cattle-raising region. Along its western course are the celebrated vineyards from which cognac brandy is made. The Charente carries little commercial traffic.

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Charente

1. a department of W central France, in Poitou-Charentes region. Capital: Angoulême. Pop.: 341 275 (2003 est.). Area: 5972 sq. km (2329 sq. miles)

2. a river in W France, flowing west to the Bay of Biscay. Length: 362 km (225 miles)

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Charente 

a department in France, in the basin of the Charente River. Area, 6,000 sq km. Population, 337,000 (1975). The capital of Charente Department is the city of Angoulême.

In 1968, 30 percent of Charente’s economically active population was employed in agriculture, and 24 percent in industry. Viticulture and wine-making are important activities; brandy is distilled from wine in the cities of Cognac, Jarnac, and Rouillac. Livestock is raised for dairy products and meat. The machine-building industry is represented by electrical-equipment and military plants. Charente also has wool, paper, leather, and cement industries.

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Charente 

a river in western France. The Charente River is 360 km long and drains an area of approximately 10,000 sq km. The river rises in the western part of the Massif Central, flows along the northern edge of the Garonne Lowland, and empties into the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean, where it forms an estuary approximately 15 km long. High water occurs in winter and spring; low water occurs in summer and autumn. The river is tidal as far as the city of Saintes, where the mean flow rate is approximately 140 cu m per sec. The seaport of Rochefort is situated near the Charente’s mouth.