Charente

French river, rising in the Massif Central, in Haute-Vienne département, 22 km/14 mi northwest of Chalus, and flowing past Angoulême and Cognac into the Bay of Biscay south of Rochefort. It is 360 km/225 mi long. Its wide estuary is much silted up. It gives its name to two départements, Charente and Charente-Maritime.

Charente

Département in the Poitou-Charentes region of France; area 5,952 sq km/2,298 sq mi; population (1999 est) 339,600. The rivers Vienne and Dronne flow through it, the latter forming the southern boundary. The countryside is undulating, crossed by the low spurs of the Limousin, Guienne, and Poitou hills. There are extensive areas of forest and heath land. The département is predominantly agricultural, producing cereals, potatoes, beet, hemp, flax, and truffles, but the most important product is the brandy made from grapes grown in the Charente basin. Industries include the manufacture of paper, textiles, chemicals, and metals. The administrative centre is Angoulême.

Charente is formed from the former province of Angoumois, and parts of Saintonge, Poitou, Marche, Limousin, and Guienne. Other principal towns are Cognac and Confolens.