Castelnou is a French commune located in the east of the Pyrénées-Orientales department, in the Occitanie region. Historically and culturally, the town is in the Aspres region, a tiny Roussillon territory between the furrows of the Têt in the north and the Tech in the south which takes its name from the stony nature of its soils.
Exposed to a Mediterranean climate, it is drained by the Canterrane, the Soler stream, the Fontcouverte stream and various other small streams. The town has a remarkable natural heritage: a protected area (the "Masquerell") and two natural areas of ecological, faunal and floristic interest.
Castelnou is a rural town with 293 inhabitants in 2019, after having experienced a sharp increase in population since 1975. It is part of the Perpignan attraction area. Its inhabitants are called Castelnouvois or Castelnouvoises.
This village was ranked the seventh favorite village of the French in 2015 among the 21 other villages present in the competition.