Soorts-Hossegor

The beach at Soorts-Hossegor

Coat of arms

Soorts-Hossegor

Location within Aquitaine region

Soorts-Hossegor

Coordinates: 43°39′34″N 1°25′36″W / 43.6594°N 1.4267°WCoordinates: 43°39′34″N 1°25′36″W / 43.6594°N 1.4267°W

Country

Dax

Soustons

Government

• Mayor (2008–?)

Xavier Soubestre

Area¹

14.51 km² (5.60 sq mi)

Population (1999)²

3,292

• Density

230/km² (590/sq mi)

INSEE/Postal code

40304 / 40150

Elevation

0–55 m (0–180 ft)
(avg. 10 m or 33 ft)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

² Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Soorts-Hossegor (Sòrts e Òssagòr in Occitan) is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France, 20 km (12 miles) north of Biarritz.

It is well known as a seaside resort and surfing center, considered as one of the best surfing locales in the world.^[1] The city's economy is centered on surfing.

History

Until 1310, the mouth of the Adour was in the district of Capbreton-Hossegor. When the Vikings attacked the area in 840, they settled immediately in the deserted swamps around the mouth. At that time, the chief of the invaders was Asgeir.

Asgeir did not stay in Gascony where Björn, his half-brother, settled, but tried with Pepin II of Aquitaine to conquer Aquitaine between the Garonne and the Loire.

Hossegor remained a whale hunting area until the 14th century. Hossegor is a part of the little town of Soorts.

Surfing

Hossegor has long been one of the premier surfing locations in Europe, with a series of world-class beach breaks such as Gravière and La Nord, and with nearby beach breaks in Capbreton and Seignosse such as La Piste and Bourdaines. It supports a thriving nightlife through the summer, centered at La Plage Centrale. It holds the Quiksilver Pro France contest every year in September.

Plage Centrale.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soorts-Hossegor.

Communes of the Landes department