Arrondissement of Saintes

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,Décret n° 2014-269 du 27 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département de la Charente-Maritime 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:

+ Cantons and communes in the arrondissement of Saintes INSEECode  Canton  Arrondissements  Total Jonzac  Rochefort  La Rochelle  Saintes  Saint-Jean-d'Angély1702 Chaniers1710271718 Saint-Jean-d'Angély3236411719 Saint-Porchaire20201720 Saintes111721 Saintonge Estuaire123241722 Saujon2791724 Thénac42125

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:

 INSEEcode  Commune  Population(2014)  Canton  Intercommunality 17415  Saintes  25,149  Saintes  CA de Saintes 17421  Saujon  7,221  Saujon  CA Royan Atlantique 17086  Chaniers  3,543  Chaniers  CA de Saintes 17228  Médis  2,855  Saujon  CA Royan Atlantique 17172  Gémozac  2,818  Saintonge Estuaire  Gémozac et de la Saintonge Viticole 17336  Saint-Georges-des-Coteaux  2,650  Saint-Porchaire  CA de Saintes 17164  Fontcouverte  2,400  Chaniers  CA de Saintes 17425  Semussac  2,335  Saujon  CA Royan Atlantique 17131  Cozes  2,090  Saintonge Estuaire  CA Royan Atlantique 17387  Saint-Porchaire  1,818  Saint-Porchaire  Charente-Arnoult-Cœur de Saintonge

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

References

Saintes