Sames (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. It is considered part of the Basque Country province of Lower Navarre (Basque: Behe Nafarroa). Geography Sames lies in the valley of the Adour, a major river running to the Bay of Biscay. It is located on a low plain between the Adour, Gaves, and Bidouze rivers. An outcrop of the Pyrenees rises some 60m over the plain, blocking the Bidouze to the north and east. North of Sames is the hilly country of southern Landes, formed from rocks and soil left by receding glaciers over 20 million years. The Adour valley extends west to the bay, about 35 km away. South of Sames are the foothills of the Pyrenees, which reach a height of 150m just across the river, 600m about 15 km from the commune, and 900m at a distance of 20 km. Neighbourhoods The commune is organized into several neighbourhoods, with distinct personalities partly shaped by history: Le Bourg, a small borough uphill, consists of a cluster of homes around a medieval church. Traces of human habitation have been found dating back to the 3rd century. Quartier Saint-Jean dates back at least to the late Middle Ages. It developed around a hostel belonging to the Order of Malta that was established around 1445, with a hospital facility and rooms for travellers to and from Spain. Until the late 18th century, the settlement was organised as a self-supporting hamlet and had its own church and graveyard. Vic Neuf (also known as Vic Nau) is a rural zone with dispersed homes sloping down from Le Bourg to the banks of the Bidouze. Vic de Lalande is a rolling upland stretching from Le Bourg to the neighbouring communes of Hastingues and Bidache. It was originally farmland but now has many new homes. Le Îles, a sparse strip of farms along the banks of the Gaves and Adour, derives its name from small river islets that stood there in the 16th century and have since disappeared. (Some similar islets still exist downstream at Lahonce and Sainte-Marie-de-Gosse.) Moura is a real-estate zone developing around a reservoir that was created in the early 1990s during a huge civil works project for a nearby highway linking Toulouse to Bayonne. Demographics Economy The economy of Sames is based on agriculture, primarily maize, kiwi, and (to a somewhat lesser extent) vegetables.Local craftsmen also