a former region of SW France, on the Bay of Biscay: previously a Roman province and medieval duchy. It is generally flat in the west, rising to the slopes of the Massif Central in the northeast and the Pyrenees in the south; mainly agricultural
Ancient name: Aquitania (ˌækwɪˈteɪnɪə)
Aquitaine in American English
(ˈækwəˌteɪn)
1.
historical region of SW France: orig., a division of Gaul; later, a duchy under the French crown, passed to English control when Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II; returned to France after Hundred Years' War
2.
metropolitan region of modern France of much smaller size: 15,949 sq mi (41,308 sq km); pop. 2,796,000; chief city, Bordeaux