Angoulême

Angoulême is a commune, the prefecture of the Charente department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Angoumoisins or Angoumoisines.Located on a plateau overlooking a meander of the river Charente, the city is nicknamed the "balcony of the southwest". The city proper's population is a little less than 42,000 but it is the centre of an urban area of 110,000 people extending more than fifteen kilometres from east to west.

Formerly the capital of Angoumois in the Ancien Régime, Angoulême was a fortified town for a long time, and was highly coveted due to its position at the centre of many roads important to communication, so therefore it suffered many sieges.