Soulac-sur-Mer (French pronunciation: [sulak syʁ mɛʁ]; Occitan: Solac de Mar, [suˈlak de ˈmaɾ], lit. 'Soulac on Sea'), commonly known as Soulac (Solac), is a commune in the department of Gironde, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (formerly Aquitaine), France. It's a seaside resort on the Côte d'Argent, on the peninsula of Médoc, 12 km from Royan and 86 km from Bordeaux.

The history of the town remains relatively unknown before the medieval period. The town was for a time known as Noviomagus, mentioned by Ptolemy in his work Geography as being one of the two parts of a city held by the Bituriges Vivisques tribe, but this theory remains controversial in modern times. The territory of the town has been inhabited since the Neolithic period and through the Bronze Age, as shown by several archaeological discoveries. At the time, the configuration of the coasts differed. Soulac, today by the sea, was then located on the banks of the river. The town was at the end of an ancient route known as the Levade (or Lébade).

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 742 —     1800 673 −1.38% 1806 651 −0.55% 1821 656 +0.05% 1831 801 +2.02% 1836 768 −0.84% 1841 814 +1.17% 1846 840 +0.63% 1851 950 +2.49% 1856 1,101 +2.99% 1861 1,165 +1.14% 1866 1,315 +2.45% 1872 1,185 −1.72% 1876 716 −11.83% 1881 720 +0.11% 1886 813 +2.46% 1891 993 +4.08% 1896 1,349 +6.32%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 1,388 +0.57% 1906 1,601 +2.90% 1911 1,650 +0.60% 1921 1,672 +0.13% 1926 1,586 −1.05% 1931 2,043 +5.19% 1936 2,009 −0.34% 1946 1,883 −0.65% 1954 2,097 +1.35% 1962 2,113 +0.10% 1968 2,198 +0.66% 1975 2,387 +1.19% 1982 2,536 +0.87% 1990 2,790 +1.20% 1999 2,720 −0.28% 2007 2,679 −0.19% 2012 2,531 −1.13% 2017 2,811 +2.12%
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017)

Soulac is twinned with:

• Saarburg, Germany (1972)
• Ospedaletti, Liguria, Italy (1972)
• Burgo de Osma-Ciudad de Osma, Castile and León, Spain (1988)
• Castlerea, Connacht, Ireland (1990)

• Communes of Gironde