The arrondissement of Saintes is an arrondissement of France, in the Charente-Maritime department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Its capital is the city of Saintes.

History
When the Charente-Maritime department was created on 1790, the arrondissement of Saintes was part of that original department.

It was the centre of the old province of Saintonge.

Geography
It is the largest of the arrondissements of the Charente-Maritime department but the third by population. It has an area of , and a population of 128,786 inhabitants for a density of  inhabitants/km².

Saintes is in the central part of the department. It is bordered to the north by the arrondissement of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, to the east by the arrondissement of Cognac (Charente department), to the south by the arrondissement of  Jonzac, to the southwest by the Gironde department (through the Gironde estuary), to the west and northwest by the arrondissement of Rochefort.

Composition

Cantons
After the reorganisation of the cantons in France, cantons are not subdivisions of the arrondissements so they could have communes that belong to different arrondissements.

In the arrondissement of Saintes, there are only two cantons where all their "communes" are in the arrondissement: the Saint-Porchaire and Saintes cantons. The following table shows the distribution of the "communes" in the cantons and arrondissements:

Communes
The arrondissement of Saintes has 89 communes; they are (with their INSEE codes):

 Arces (17015)
 Balanzac (17030)
 Barzan (17034)
 Berneuil (17044)
 Beurlay (17045)
 Boutenac-Touvent (17060)
 Brie-sous-Mortagne (17068)
 Burie (17072)
 Bussac-sur-Charente (17073)
 Chaniers (17086)
 La Chapelle-des-Pots (17089)
 Le Chay (17097)
 Chenac-Saint-Seurin-d'Uzet (17098)
 Chérac (17100)
 Chermignac (17102)
 La Clisse (17112)
 Colombiers (17115)
 Corme-Écluse (17119)
 Corme-Royal (17120)
 Courcoury (17128)
 Cozes (17131)
 Cravans (17133)
 Crazannes (17134)
 Dompierre-sur-Charente (17141)
 Le Douhet (17143)
 Écoyeux (17147)
 Écurat (17148)
 Épargnes (17152)
 Les Essards (17154)
 Floirac (17160)
 Fontcouverte (17164)
 Geay (17171)
 Gémozac (17172)
 Les Gonds (17179)
 Grézac (17183)
 La Jard (17191)
 Jazennes (17196)
 Luchat (17214)
 Médis (17228)
 Meursac (17232)
 Migron (17235)
 Montils (17242)
 Montpellier-de-Médillan (17244)
 Mortagne-sur-Gironde (17248)
 Nancras (17255)
 Nieul-lès-Saintes (17262)
 Pessines (17275)
 Pisany (17278)
 Plassay (17280)
 Pont-l'Abbé-d'Arnoult (17284)
 Port-d'Envaux (17285)
 Préguillac (17289)
 Rétaud (17296)
 Rioux (17298)
 Romegoux (17302)
 Rouffiac (17304)
 Sablonceaux (17307)
 Saint-André-de-Lidon (17310)
 Saint-Bris-des-Bois (17313)
 Saint-Césaire (17314)
 Sainte-Gemme (17330)
 Saint-Georges-des-Coteaux (17336)
 Saint-Porchaire (17387)
 Sainte-Radegonde (17389)
 Saint-Romain-sur-Gironde (17392)
 Saint-Romain-de-Benet (17393)
 Saint-Sauvant (17395)
 Saint-Sever-de-Saintonge (17400)
 Saint-Simon-de-Pellouaille (17404)
 Saint-Sulpice-d'Arnoult (17408)
 Saint-Vaize (17412)
 Saintes (17415)
 Saujon (17421)
 Semussac (17425)
 Le Seure (17426)
 Soulignonne (17431)
 Talmont-sur-Gironde (17437)
 Tanzac (17438)
 Tesson (17441)
 Thaims (17442)
 Thénac (17444)
 Thézac (17445)
 Trizay (17453)
 La Vallée (17455)
 Varzay (17460)
 Vénérand (17462)
 Villars-en-Pons (17469)
 Villars-les-Bois (17470)
 Virollet (17479) 

The communes with more inhabitants in the arrondissement are:

Related pages
 Arrondissements of the Charente-Maritime department
 List of arrondissements of France

References

Saintes