is a ''
Département '' in the southwest of
France named after the
Gironde Estuary .
Gironde was one of the original 83 ''départements'' created during the
French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the
Former Provinces of
Guyenne and
Gascogne .
From 1793 to 1795, the name was changed to Bec-d'Ambès to avoid the association with the revolutionary party, the
Girondins .
Gironde is part of the current region of
Aquitaine and is surrounded by the ''départements'' of
Landes ,
Lot-et-Garonne ,
Dordogne , and
Charente-Maritime and the
Atlantic Ocean on the west.
