Aquitaine: Map & History
Aquitaine, archaic Guyenne or Guienne, is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
Aquitaine, archaic Guyenne or Guienne, is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is situated in the southwest corner of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It is composed of five departments: Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes, and Gironde. The Romans established Gallia Aquitania as a province. In the Middle Ages, Aquitaine was a kingdom and a duchy whose boundaries fluctuated considerably. For most of Aquitaine's written history, Bordeaux has been a vital port and administrative centre.
Modern Countries Once Part of Aquitaine
At its mapped extent, Aquitaine covered territory in 7 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Belgium661–673 CE · nearly all
- Luxembourg661–665 CE · nearly all
- France629–895 CE · most
- Switzerland661–673 CE · a large part
- Netherlands661–665 CE · a large part
- Germany661–665 CE · a small part
- Spain661–767 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Aquitaine's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Aquitaine in Depth
History
There are traces of human settlement by prehistoric peoples, especially in the Périgord, but the earliest attested inhabitants in the south-west were the Aquitani, who were not considered Celtic people, but more akin to the Iberians (see Gallia Aquitania). Although a number of different languages and dialects were in use in the area during ancient times, it is most likely that the prevailing language of Aquitaine during the late pre-historic to Roman period was an early form of the Basque language. This has been demonstrated by various Aquitanian names and words that were recorded by the Romans, and which are currently easily readable as Basque.
Culture
French is the official language of the region. Many residents also have some knowledge of Basque, of a variety of Occitan (Gascon, Limousin, or Languedocien), or of the Poitevin-Saintongeais dialect of French.
In 2005, 78,000 children were learning Occitan as a second language in state schools and 2,000 were enrolled in Occitan-medium private schools.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Aquitaine (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Aquitaine: Key Facts
| Capital | Bordeaux |
|---|---|
| Founded | 4 June 1960 |
| Dissolved | 31 December 2015 |
Succeeded by
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Facts from Wikidata Q1179 (CC0).
Aquitaine Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Aquitaine appears, with the other states of the time.
Aquitaine Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 649,410 km² in 663 CE.
Aquitaine: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Aquitaine exist?
Aquitaine is dated to 629 CE – 895 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of Aquitaine?
The capital of Aquitaine was Bordeaux.
How large was Aquitaine at its peak?
At its peak in 663 AD Aquitaine covered about 649,410 km².
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Middle Ages • Capital: Constantinople
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Pataliputra, Ujjain
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Early Middle Ages • Capital: Chang'an