La Teste-de-Buch

La Teste-de-Buch (La Tèsta (de Bug), ; lit. "La Teste-of-Buch") is a coastal commune in the Gironde department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in Southwestern France. Until 13 June 1994, it was officially known simply as La Teste.

The commune is located on the south shore of Arcachon Bay (Bassin d'Arcachon) and on the Atlantic coast of France, lying in the southwestern part of Gironde, on the departmental border with Landes. It is the eighth-largest commune in metropolitan France in geographical area at 180.20 km2 (69.58 sq mi). It is the largest and most populated of the four communes that make up the Communauté d'agglomération Bassin d'Arcachon Sud (COBAS), which coincides with the urban unit (agglomeration) of La Teste-de-Buch-Arcachon, population 67,563 (2018). La Teste-de-Buch proper had a population of 26,269 as of 2020.

La Teste-de-Buch is famous for the Dune of Pilat (Dune du Pilat), the highest sand dune in Europe. It is also the site of a fictional battle during the Napoleonic wars depicted in Sharpe's Siege by Bernard Cornwell.

Geography
La Teste-de-Buch is located in the department of Gironde, in the middle of the Landes forest, and south of Arcachon Bay. It is the capital of the Pays de Buch. Neighbouring communes are Gujan-Mestras to the east, Arcachon to the northwest, and Biscarosse and Sanguinet to the south.

The Dune of Pilat is a famous landmark on the Atlantic coast, situated in the western corner of the commune. The seaside resort of Pyla-sur-Mer, the village of Cazaux, the bird refuge and sandbank of Arguin are also part of the town.

The Étang de Cazaux et de Sanguinet is in the southeast corner, astride the departments of Gironde and Landes. The rest of the commune area consists of old dunes, where the natural forest has changed little over centuries.

During World War I, an airfield was created near Cazaux for airplane pilots training (fighters and bombers). Most of the American volunteers pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille came to the "Camp de Cazaux" to finish their training as war pilots. When the U.S entered the war, the 36th Aero Squadron was based here.

Climate
La Teste-de-Buch features an oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen system, closely bordering on a warm-summer mediterranean climate (Csb) due to the lack of rain in july compared to november, the wettest month of the year. Winters are cool and wet, while summers are hot but bearable. However, cold snaps in winter or heat spikes in summer are rare but not unknown.

Economy
From the medieval period until the late 1980s, the municipality thrived on resin exploitation.

Today, the primary economic activities of the municipality include tourism, predominantly, along with oyster farming and shipbuilding. Several businesses headquartered in La Teste-de-Buch include, for example, the engine manufacturer Nanni Diesel, the ice cream parlor Ô Sorbet d'amour, and the coffee retailer MaxiCoffee.

The municipality has a delegation from the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

International relations
La Teste-de-Buch is twinned with
 * 🇺🇸 Binghamton, New York, United States, since 1987.
 * 🇩🇪 Schwaigern, Germany, since 2004.
 * Chipiona, Spain, since 2006