La Rochelle is a city located in the South West of France, it is also the prefecture of the department of Charente-Maritime, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The city has about 76,000 inhabitants in 2016. It is located on the edge of the Atlantic region rather windy, La Rochelle is protected from storms by the islands of Ré, Oléron and Aix. The city is considered a port complex. It is renowned for its three fishing, commercial and pleasure ports.