Fouras

Fouras
Fouras
	; Coat of arms
	; Coat of arms
	Fouras
	<templatestyles src="Template:Hidden begin/styles.css"/> Location within Poitou-Charentes region Fouras
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Country	France
Region	Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes
Department	Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement	Rochefort
Canton	Rochefort-Nord
Intercommunality	Pays Rochefortais
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Sylvie Marcilly
Area1	9.51 km2 (3.67 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	4,095
• Density	430/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	17168 / 17450
Elevation	0–21 m (0–69 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

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Fouras is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France. It lies 34 km south of La Rochelle.

Geography

Fouras is on a peninsula. It is bordered by five beaches and a forest named "Bois Vert" ("Green Wood" in English) which covers 20% of its area.

It extends into a roadway to discover tide to the low Fort Enet in the direction of the Île-d'Aix. The pier for the island of Aix is also located in the territory of the commune.

The south coast of the peninsula of Fouras forms the northern side of the mouth of the Charente river. A little further south is the Île d'Oléron. Off the island between Aix and the island of Oleron is Fort Boyard, which was made famous by the French TV game show of the same name and whose character "Père Fouras" increased the celebrity of the town.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	615	—
1800	638	+3.7%
1806	645	+1.1%
1821	736	+14.1%
1831	860	+16.8%
1836	843	−2.0%
1841	800	−5.1%
1846	833	+4.1%
1851	823	−1.2%
1856	870	+5.7%
1861	926	+6.4%
1866	1,028	+11.0%
1872	1,138	+10.7%
1876	1,256	+10.4%
1881	1,679	+33.7%
1886	1,877	+11.8%
1891	1,887	+0.5%
1896	1,989	+5.4%
1901	2,171	+9.2%
1906	2,461	+13.4%
1911	2,499	+1.5%
1921	2,399	−4.0%
1926	2,322	−3.2%
1931	2,166	−6.7%
1936	2,474	+14.2%
1946	3,013	+21.8%
1954	4,068	+35.0%
1962	4,121	+1.3%
1968	3,634	−11.8%
1975	3,612	−0.6%
1982	3,295	−8.8%
1990	3,238	−1.7%
1999	3,835	+18.4%
2008	4,095	+6.8%

Vauban fortress

The "Vauban fortress" was initially a strategic fortification established by Philippe le Bel, circa 1300. The donjon was rebuilt in 1480-1490 by Jehan II de Brosse. In 1689, Ferry reinforced the walls of the Donjon to set up a battery of 9 canons and a signaling point. In 1693 a lower circular battery was set up to control access to the Charente River. The donjon received a signal station from 1889 to World War II.^[1]