Landes

American  

[lahnd] / lɑ̃d /

noun

1. a department in SW France. 3,615 sq. mi. (9,365 sq. km). Mont-de-Marsan.

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Landes British  

/ lɑ̃d /

noun

1. a department of SW France, in Aquitaine region. Capital: Mont-de-Marsan. Pop: 341 254 (2003 est). Area: 9364 sq km (3652 sq miles)

2. a region of SW France, on the Bay of Biscay: occupies most of the Landes department and parts of Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne; consists chiefly of the most extensive forest in France. Area: 14 000 sq km (5400 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Landes

The area around Saint-Médard-en-Jalles was home to royal gunpowder works dating to the 17th century reign of Louis XIV, more than a century before the surrounding Landes forest was planted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Sixteen departments or districts are under orange heatwave alert, including in the Landes area further south.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

He said a second major fire in the Landes region further south was now "contained" but remained a threat.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

France has evacuated 250,000 people from at-risk areas, mostly in the Gironde region but also in the adjoining Landes region, where another wildfire was "better contained but not yet stopped", according to authorities.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

Afterward we passed through the Landes and watched the sun set.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway