France: All about Nouvelle-Aquitaine Quiz

Answer: Austria

Nouvelle-Aquitaine encompasses an area of around 32,445 square miles (84,035 square km) and makes up around an eighth of the territory of mainland France. Nouvelle-Aquitaine has existed since 2014, merging three former regions of France: Limousin and Poitou-Charentes and Aquitaine.

Answer: Port of the Moon

Situated along the right bank of the River Garonne, Port de la Lune or "Port of the Moon" has been established since the Medieval Period of Europe. It covers around 40% of the city's whole area. Due to the long and lucrative history of wine trade in the area, there are many neoclassical buildings in the area that have stood since the Age of Enlightenment.

The Port of the Moon gets its name from its crescent shape. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007.

Answer: Saintes

Constructed in 19 AD, the Arch of Germanicus originally stood in front of a bridge in the area during the Roman era. It was built to honour Roman Emperor Tiberius, his son Drusus and his step-son, Germanicus. The arch was also built to honour the many military campaigns which Germanicus led as a successful general. Just under 50 feet (15 m) high, the arch is one of the most well-preserved Roman artifacts in Saintes. Saintes was known as "Mediolanum Santonum" during the Roman era.

Saintes is around 60 miles (100 km) north of Nouvelle-Aquitaine's capital, Bordeaux, and is located by River Charente, a river which flows for around 240 miles (380 km) through the south-west of France. Saintes is also known for the Saintes Cathedral, which has, although being established since the 12th century, been rebuilt several times over the years, once due to the damage it sustained during the French Wars of Religion.

Answer: Oysters

The Marennes Oléron basin is renowned for its oyster beds, producing around 60,000 tons of oysters each year and accounting for around half of France's oyster production annually. Over 6,000 hectares are used in breeding these oysters, around 3 miles (5 km) out at sea between Seudre and Oléron island.

The oysters are then matured in over 3,000 hectares of small ponds called "claires" and get their distinctive green colouring from the algae present in the claires they mature in. The mixture of being matured this way with fresh salt water means these oysters are regularly hailed as the tastiest in France.

Answer: Primates

The La Vallée des Singes (or "the Valley of the Monkeys" in French) was established in 1998. The park has no cages and the primates are free to roam 22 hectares. The park houses over 450 primates of over 30 species. The great apes are located on an island, however the smaller (and less physically dangerous primates) are often within feet of the visitors, and climbing through the trees above them. Streams separate the gorillas from the public as gorillas cannot naturally swim and have an aversion to deep water.

Romagne is a commune located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine's Vienne department.

Answer: Les Eyzies

The Abri du Poisson is a prehistoric cave carving of a salmon, dating to the Gravettian, around 25,000 years ago. It is a small cave, only around 25 feet (8 m) wide. Fish have been found to be very rarely depicted in Gravettian prehistoric art, with around ten examples being known from this time. The cave was acclaimed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979, as well as the surrounding caves also in the Vezere valley.

Les Eyzies is located in the Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is located at the junction of two rivers, the Vézère and the Beune.

Answer: Poitiers

Futuroscope is a relatively unique theme park in France and has a futuristic theme regarding media and technology. It showcases films on IMAX screens, interactive games, robots and simulators. Futuroscope also has a rollercoaster designed to test its riders on their ability to go to Mars in 2040 as an astronaut.

The park even has a bar inside a hot air balloon, which rises up to around 115 feet (35 m) with 12 chairs in a circle with a bartender in the middle. The balloon is attached to a scaffold which also has a futuristic aesthetic, preventing the balloon from carrying any drinkers off into the sky.

Answer: Saint Andrew

The Archdiocese of Bordeaux has its seat at Bordeaux Cathedral, or the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, alongside Bordeaux's other cathedrals, the basilica of St Michael and the basilica of St Severinus.

In 1137, the prince who would later become King Louis VII of France married Eleanor of Aquitaine in Bordeaux Cathedral.

Answer: Pic Palas

Standing at just under 9,760 feet (2,975 m) Pic Palas is situated in the Pyrenees mountain range, which sits on the border between France and Spain. The mountain's summit is where the French departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Hautes-Pyrénées of the French Occitanie region meet the Spanish province of Huesca. The summit of Pic Palas consists of granite rock.

Answer: Bordeaux

Located on the River Garonne, the Place de la Bourse is a square in Bordeaux and was constructed between 1730-1775. The square's architect was the main architect of King Louis XV of France, Ange-Jacques Gabriel, who had an equestrian statue of the king erected in the middle of the square. This was subsequently torn down and broken during the French Revolution. In 1818, the city council had a Corinthian column fountain built where the statue stood, constructed of red Languedoc marble. By 1869, Parisian sculptor Gumery had established the "Three Graces" statue in the area.

The square was strategically built on the Garonne so that foreigners would be met with an impressive sight upon arriving in the city. The order to build the square was approved tragically after Gabriel's death, meaning he never saw his vision constructed. Gabriel's son took over the construction. The square has been subject to several renovations over the years and is not as it appeared when it was first constructed. In 1825 a fire damaged the square but the damage did not destroy it entirely and it was repaired. In 1925 a horizontal glass ceiling was installed under the building's glass dome, in contrast to its original roof which was made of wood and glass.

Answer: Sand dune

Located on the edge of the Arcachon Bay, around 40 miles (60 km) south-west of Bordeaux, the Dune of Pilat gets its name from the Gascon word "pilat" which means "mound" or "heap." Pylar sur Mer, a seaside resort north of the dune, is sometimes conflated with the dune itself, with some tourists referring to it as the "Dune of Pyla." It is a foredune, meaning that it is a dune running next to the coastline. It is around 350 feet (105 m) tall.

Although the dune is beautiful and has striking views, it can be inhospitable under certain conditions. On hot summer days there is no respite from the heat with no shade available. It is more advisable to explore the dune on a cooler day or earlier in the morning in summer. Windy days can also be an issue whilst exploring the Dune of Pilat. The dune's proximity to the ocean means strong winds can blast sand into the eyes of an explorer, or damage a camera lens. Stairs are implemented on the dune April to November annually which makes reaching the summit easier. They need to be newly implemented each year due to the change in the shifting sands.

La Teste-de-Buch is situated in Nouvelle-Aquitaine's Gironde department, in the centre of Landes Forest.

Answer: Bordeaux

Spanning around 37,100 square feet (3,450 square m), the Miroir d'eau ("Water mirror") has stood outside the Place de la Bourse since 2006. It allows visitors to walk over it, consisting of an expansion of black granite slabs and covered by water around 2cm deep.

In summer, the pool can be turned into mist by a mechanism underneath the granite. According to the Bordeaux Tourism & Conventions, the pool and surrounding palace are the most photographed attractions of Bordeaux.

Answer: Arkéa Arena

Located in the commune of Floirac just outside Bordeaux, the Arkéa Arena was once named the "Bordeaux Métropole Arena." Construction began on the Arkéa Arena in 2016, with the inauguration concert by Depeche Mode being viewed live by around 11,000 concertgoers, only 300 short of the stadium's maximum capacity.

The design of the building was created by architect, Rudy Ricciotti. He designed the building to have the aesthetic of a pebble sitting onshore, due to the stadium's location on the River Garonne.

Answer: Eyrignac Gardens

Eyrignac Gardens, or Jardins du Manoir d'Eyrignac, are regularly manicured and require tens of thousands of hours in work per year to maintain their aesthetic. There are over 200 hectares of land featuring hedge sculptures, designed in the 17th century by architect André Le Nôtre, under the administration of King Louis XIV. The area has been renovated and altered over time. The garden features box trees, yews, cypresses and hornbeams, with a long pool, a flower garden, an orchard and a rose garden. The white rose garden features over 700 white roses with five separate species. The garden has been hailed as a "Remarkable Garden", or "Jardin remarquable" by the French Ministry of Culture since 2004.

Salignac-Eyvigues is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine's Dordogne department.

Answer: Saint-Émilion

Saint-Émilion Monolithic Church was constructed around the 11th-12th centuries. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, the church is carved entirely into the limestone rock. Around 15,000 cubic metres of rock had to be extracted to shape the church.

The village the church is located is also named after Saint Emilion, an 8th century Breton hailed for his miracles and activities as a monk. Emilion's chair is purportedly located in a cave inside the church, where he used to pray. It is said that any woman wishing to conceive should sit on the chair, pray, then she will become pregnant within one year.