Poitou-Charentes, an economy made to measure
Mainly an agricultural and tourist region, Poitou-Charentes relies on a vast network of small and dynamic businesses.
Poitou-Charentes, the principal oyster-fattening region in France, with Marennes-Oléron oysters.
With no raw materials of its own, Poitou-Charentes nonetheless has an impressive lode of "nuggets", made up of "small individual industrial, tertiary and service businesses". Indeed the region has only 24 companies with more than 500 employees but 5,300 employing fewer than 20 people, distributed evenly across the area. Heuliez, the heavy goods vehicle manufacturer, and Leroy-Somer, world leader in small electric motors, are the region’s largest companies. The remaining industrial activity is primarily limited to work with exotic timbers, which arrive at the port of La Rochelle (the only deep water port on the French Atlantic seaboard), stationery, publishing and printing.
Famous throughout the world, cognac is the region’s leading source of earnings.
The wealth of Poitou-Charentes derives from the land, particularly productive here, more than from industry: with a turnover of ten billion francs* (90% from exports), cognac is the leading resource of Poitou-Charentes. The region is also the second largest cereal-growing area after the Parisian Basin (wheat, maize). Famous for its butter, beef and veal, it has managed to comprehensively modernise its goat-breeding business (one third of the French flock) to the point that its cheeses are invading European supermarkets. While deep-sea fishing is in decline, Poitou-Charentes remains the principal oyster-producing region of France, with the oysters of Marennes-Oléron.
The Paris-Bordeaux super highway passes right through the region, and finally, Poitou-Charentes is the only region in France in which all of its départemental capitals are served by the TGV (high speed train) network. Easily accessible, it offers undeniable attractions for tourists: climate, islands and coast, pleasant countryside, a wealth of historic monuments and the incomparable Futuroscope at Poitiers, the second most visited theme park in France behind Disneyland Paris. The region also has one curious feature in the field of services: the small town of Niort is the headquarters of the largest mutual insurance companies (Macif, Maaf, Maif), and the leading centre of this business sector in France after Paris.
Journalist
* 1.52 billion euros (on the basis of the definitive rate adopted on January 1st, 1999 of 6.55957 francs to the euro).
Surface area : 25,809 km2.
Population (1990) : 1.6 million inhabitants
Working population per business sector (1993) : Agriculture : 11.9%; industry and construction : 28.5%; services : 59.6%
Main towns (1990) : Poitiers : 105,000; La Rochelle : 100,000; Angoulême : 101,000; Niort : 62,000.
Principal trading partners:
Exports: Germany, United States, Italy, United Kingdom
Imports: Germany, Italy, United Kingdom
On the coast, try "chaudrée", a thick fish soup, and "l’éclade", a dish of mussels grilled over pine needles. Oysters can be eaten all year round, either hot or simply sprinkled with a drop of lemon juice or shallot vinegar. Inland, lamb is accompanied by beans aromatised with spring garlic. Chabichou, a goat cheese, is served hot, on a slice of walnut bread. In summer, Pineau des Charentes, a mixture of grape juice and cognac, goes well with Poitou melon
Seven kilometres from Poitiers, the Futuroscope theme park is a modern-day temple dedicated to the cult of the image and technology. The various pavilions, whose architecture resembles something out of science-fiction, has the very latest projection systems: cinema films in 3D, dynamic, in relief, in the round ..., some of which are only one of their kind anywhere in the world.
Futuroscope Theme Park
RN 10, 86130 Jaunay-Clan
Tel.: (33-5) 49 49 30 80
Fax: (33-5) 49 49 30 30
Internet site: www.futuroscope.com
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