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TheOpal Coast (Côte d'Opale (French)French pronunciation:[kotdɔpal];Opoalkust (West Flemish)) is a coastal region in northernFrance on theEnglish Channel, popular with tourists.
TheCôte d'Opale is a coastal region in North Central France, in the departments ofNord andPas-de-Calais. It extends over 120 kilometres (75 mi) of French coast between theBelgian border and the border withPicardy. This coastline faces theEnglish Channel and theNorth Sea, and is situated directly opposite the chalk cliffs of southeastEngland, which at the closest point are only 34 kilometres (21 mi) away.
The Côte d'Opale is composed of many varied landscapes includingbeaches,dunes,swamps,estuaries andcliffs. The coast is marked by the presence of two largepromontories situated betweenCalais andBoulogne: theCap Gris-Nez (literally "grey nose cape" in English), reaching an elevation of 50 metres (160 ft) above sea level, and theCap Blanc-Nez (literally "white nose cape" in English), which reaches 132 metres (433 ft). These capes are the closest points to England on the entire French coast.
From south to north:
From south to north:
Many artists have been inspired by the coast's landscapes, among them the composerHenri Dutilleux, the writersVictor Hugo andCharles Dickens, and the paintersJ. M. W. Turner,Carolus-Duran,Maurice Boitel andEugène Boudin. It was the painterÉdouard Lévêque [fr] who coined the name for this area in 1911 to describe the distinctive quality of its light.[1]
50°30′N1°35′E / 50.500°N 1.583°E /50.500; 1.583
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