La Rochelle is a city and commune of western France, and a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean (population 78,000 in 2004). It is the préfecture (capital) of the Charente-Maritime département(17). The city is connected to the Île de Ré (island) by a 2.9 km bridge, completed in 1988. Its harbour opens into a protected strait, the Pertuis d'Antioche.