Description:

Geography

Deux Sevres makes up the north western quarter of the Poitou Charentes region, bordering the Vendee (Pays de la Loire) to the west, Charente Maritime to the south, and Vienne to the east.  To the north is the department of Maine et Loire (Pays de le Loire). 

Measured North to South the department is a maximum of 125km long, and between 45km and 70km wide, and covering a surface area of 5,999km².  The department is organized into 3 administrative areas, Bressuire to the North, Parthenay to the Centre and Niort to the South.  Deux Sevres is made up of four natural terrains, La Bocage in the North West (fruit growing area and dispersed habitation), Gatine in the centre (environment similar to La Bocage, cattle breeding), the Plains in the North West and South (flat terrain for cereal and vines), and the Marais Poitevin in the South West (land reclaimed from the sea by monks, and latterly Dutch engineers). 

Transport

Major roads through the department are the A10 motorway (toll road), linking Niort with the Regional Capital of Poitiers, and Saintes in the south.  The A83 motorway (toll road) forms a link north and west between Niort and Nantes.  The N149 links the north eastern extremities with Parthenay and on to Poitiers, whilst the N11 links Niort with La Rochelle.  Whilst there is a regional rail network operating (TER) that links a significant number of towns, the department has access to the TGV (high speed train) which carries passengers between Paris (Montparnasse) and La Rochelle, stopping off at Saint Maixent and Niort within the department.  The department does not have its own commercial airport, but there are facilities situated in neighbouring departments.  Facilities at Poitiers, Nantes, Tours, La Rochelle and Angouleme all offer services to the UK and beyond, and are within reasonable travelling distance for Deux Sevres.

Climate

Most of Deux Sevres comes within a zone that receives more than 2000 hours of sunshine per year, with only the northern reaches receiving between 1750 and 2000 hours per year.  The climate is temperate year-round, with average summer temperatures comparable with more southerly parts of the region.  Central and western parts of the department generally tend to receive more rainfall across the year than many parts of the region, rivalled only by north western Charente and the southernmost parts of Charente Maritime in this respect.

Key Info

Deux Sevres refers to the two key rivers that run through the department, the Sevre Niortaise and the Sevre Nantaise.  This is an unspoilt and to a large extent undiscovered area of France, that offers visitors and those looking for property something different.  The southern area around the capital Niort offers easy access to the Marais Poitevin with a relatively short drive to the Atlantic coast at La Rochelle, whilst maintaining a big city feel. The Forest Domaine of Chize, with its renowned zoo is also in the vicinity, together with an ancient silver mine at Melle also offer something different.  To the north are towns such as Bressuire, an excellent place for cycling and walking and watersports, and nearby is Cerizay offering hot air ballooning.  The towns of Parthenay and Thouars are rich in history and medieval architecture, and are geared up for outdoors activities.  In common with the other departments of Poitou Charentes, the medieval pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela passes through Deux Sevres, with the Eglise St Hilaire in Melle on the coveted UNESCO World Heritage List.

Culinary Heritage

The area south of Parthenay and taking in the towns of St Maixent l'Ecole, Melle and Chef Boutonne (amongst others) is renowned for production of the famous (and AOC protected) Chabichou Cheese, and there is a route marked out for visitors to see the producers, dairies and stock-breeders responsible for creating it.  A local delicacy is the Tourteau Fromage, a pastry made with the famous cheese.  The area around Echire is famous the world over for producing its AOC protected butter, and the area around Secondigny and Parthenay is also renowned as an apple producing region, and has  its own variety Reinette Clochard apple (also known as the Reinette de Parthenay). 

Economy

The biggest companies in Deux Sevres are the insurance and financial group CAMIF (Niort), the cheese manufacturer GLAC (Niort), and the poultry production company Gastronome Elevage (Mauleon/Bressuire).  The biggest employers are the large financial institutions of Niort, such as MACIF, Inter Mutuelles Assistance GIE and Mutuelle Assurance Instituteur France.

Key Stats

As with the whole of the Poitou Charentes region, Deux Sevres has a bigger proportion of older people (23% of the population is under 20 years, and 25% is over 60 years).  There are more females than males here (49% vs 51%), and this is in line with the national picture.  4.9% of homes here are classed as second homes (lower than the national average 10.1%).