Pyrenees-Orientals is the most south westerly department of France, bordering Spain and the Mediterranean. While French, the region has a strong Catalan influence due to its proximity to Spain and the fact that when it was formerly known as Roussillion, it was administered by the King of Aragon, its Spanish neighbour. The coastal plain hosts the department's capital, Perpignan, a modern city full of shops and bars but still retaining its Catalan influence. Immediately south along the coast from Perpignan you will find modern resorts with new apartments and villas overlooking sandy beaches which gradually become more rocky as you approach the Spanish border, where you will find more traditional towns and fishing villages such as Collioure. Going inland from here through the Tech valley and forested Alberes mountains you will find rural cottages and farmhouse gites and villages of stone houses, perched high above. Eventually you come to Mount Canigou with its spectacular views across the department. To the north are the region's farmlands and vineyards and in the Tet valley, the pretty town of Prades. Going west you enter the mountainous region of Cerdange, a high plateau surrounded by snow capped mountains - an extremely picturesque and beautiful region. During the winter this is a ski resort, with summer activities of canoeing, kyaking, fishing, hiking and horse riding.