Landes: Pine Forests, Surf Beaches, and Thermal Spas
Landes is covered by the largest artificial forest in Western Europe, planted in the nineteenth century to stabilise the sandy, marshy terrain. Maritime pines stretch across a million hectares. The Atlantic coast offers long sandy beaches popular with surfers, particularly around Hossegor, which hosts professional surfing competitions. Dax, the largest town, is France's leading thermal spa city by visitor numbers.
Mont-de-Marsan, the prefecture, is a smaller administrative centre. The department has about 428,000 residents. Bullfighting (course landaise, a bloodless form, and corrida in certain arenas) remains part of local culture, though increasingly controversial. Foie gras production is a major agricultural industry. The Landes forest, though commercially managed, supports a distinct ecosystem and has become a destination for cycling tourism along flat, shaded paths.
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Landes is covered by the largest artificial forest in Western Europe, planted in the nineteenth century to stabilise the sandy, marshy terrain. Maritime pines stretch across a million hectares. The Atlantic coast offers long sandy beaches popular with surfers, particularly around Hossegor, which hosts professional surfing competitions. Dax, the largest town, is France's leading thermal spa city by visitor numbers.
Mont-de-Marsan, the prefecture, is a smaller administrative centre. The department has about 428,000 residents. Bullfighting (course landaise, a bloodless form, and corrida in certain arenas) remains part of local culture, though increasingly controversial. Foie gras production is a major agricultural industry. The Landes forest, though commercially managed, supports a distinct ecosystem and has become a destination for cycling tourism along flat, shaded paths.
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