Charente-Maritime is a department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, on the country's west coast. Named after the river Charent…Charente-Maritime is a department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, on the country's west coast. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kilometres.