of Basque, of a variety of Occitan (Gascon, Limousin, or Languedocien), or of the Poitevin-Saintongeais dialect of French. In 2005, 78,000 children were learning Occitan as a second language in state schools and 2,000 were enrolled in Occitan-medium private schools. Basque speakers number about 73,000, concentrated in the far south of the region: Labourd: 37% of the population (38,600 bilingual, 24,000 able to read and understand) Lower Navarre and Soule: 76% of the population (28,000 bilingual, 7,000 able to read and understand) Important cities Bordeaux is the largest city in Aquitaine. It is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department. It is the capital of Aquitaine, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department. Bordeaux is famous for its wine industry. Apart from Bordeaux, there are also other important cities in Aquitaine. Bordeaux Pau Mérignac Pessac Bayonne Périgueux Talence Anglet Agen Mont-de-Marsan Dax Sport The region is home to many successful sports teams. In particular worth mentioning are: Football FC Girondins de Bordeaux, one of France's most successful association football teams. Pau FC FC Libourne-Saint-Seurin Rugby union is particularly popular in the region. Clubs include: SU Agen Aviron Bayonnais Biarritz Olympique, runners-up in the 2005–6 Heineken Cup. Union Bordeaux-Bègles Section Paloise Stade Montois US Dax Basketball Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez one of the most successful French basketball clubs Bull-fighting is also popular in the region. Major surfing championships regularly take place on Aquitaine's coast. See also Aquitania The Aquitanian Age of the Miocene Epoch is named for deposits in the Aquitaine region Basque Country Basque people Bordeaux wine regions Gascony Duchy of Aquitaine Occitania Southern Europe References External links Aquitaine: the cradle of humanity – Region of Aquitaine official website CSfrance.amb-usa.fr Short guide to Aquitaine with main tourist attractions Geographical, historical and cultural regions of France Nouvelle-Aquitaine Former regions of France Former provinces of France NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union