Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River. The department includes the islands of Île de Ré, Île d'Aix, and Ile d'Oléron. The important rivers are the Charente and its tributaries, the Boutonne and the Seugne, along with the Sèvre Niortaise, the Seudre, and the Garonne, in its downstream part, which is the estuary of the Gironde. The weather is meek and sunny, with less than 900 mm of rainfall per year. Average temperatures vary from 20 °C in summer to 5 °C in winter.

The department of Charente-Maritime is a French department in the area Poitou-Charentes. Charente-Maritime belongs administratively to the region Poitou-Charentes. Charente-Maritime has a long coastline, both on the Atlantic Ocean on the estuary of the Gironde. The total length of its coastline is 463 km including 230 km from the four islands of the archipelago charentais which, from north to south, are: Ré, Aix, Oléron and Madam. The climate enjoyed by the Charente-Maritime is a temperate oceanic climate type Aquitain, marked by a fairly significant sunshine.