Le Portel Turbodingem | |
|---|---|
 Fort de l'Heurt | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Le Portel | |
  Le Portel  Le Portel | |
| Coordinates:50°42′27″N1°34′28″E / 50.7075°N 1.5744°E /50.7075; 1.5744 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Pas-de-Calais |
| Arrondissement | Boulogne-sur-Mer |
| Canton | Boulogne-sur-Mer-2 |
| Intercommunality | Boulonnais |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Olivier Barbarin[1] |
Area 1 | 3.85 km2 (1.49 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 8,824 |
| • Density | 2,290/km2 (5,940/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 62667 /62480 |
| Elevation | 0–59 m (0–194 ft) (avg. 27 m or 89 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Le Portel (French pronunciation:[ləpɔʁtɛl];West Flemish:Turbodingem) is acommune in thePas-de-Calaisdepartment in the Hauts-de-Franceregion of France[3] about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) southwest ofBoulogne town centre.
Le Portel translates as "the little port." The original Le Portel was a hamlet east of the town ofOutreau. It became an independent municipality on 13 June 1856 by an imperial decree ofNapoleon III.
In the 19th century,flint tools were discovered in the centre of the village, by the river near the Hamel Bridge, evidence of the long occupation of the site. AGallo-Roman cemetery has been excavated in the hamlet of Châtillon.
Of agricultural origin, it grew rapidly during the 19th century because of fishing, along with the nearby port ofBoulogne-sur-Mer. Sailors of Portel were as numerous as those of Boulogne before World War I. In 1841, two Le Portel sailors were on the shipBelle Poule, that brought back the remains ofNapoleon.
During theSecond World War, on 8 and 9 September 1943, Le Portel suffered as part ofOperation Cockade, a diversionary manoeuvre by theAllies to fool theGermans into believing the possibility of a landing on the English Channel. The bombings, which destroyed 93% of the village, also killed 376 civilians.[4] On 12 August 1944,Charles de Gaulle was at Le Portel for its liberation. The town received theCroix de guerre with silver star for its sacrifice.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 11,379 | — |
| 1975 | 11,112 | −0.34% |
| 1982 | 10,984 | −0.17% |
| 1990 | 10,615 | −0.43% |
| 1999 | 10,720 | +0.11% |
| 2007 | 10,232 | −0.58% |
| 2012 | 9,836 | −0.79% |
| 2017 | 9,240 | −1.24% |
| Source: INSEE[5] | ||
Portel-des-Corbières, France
Stockelsdorf, Germany
Kawara,Burkina FasoTheESSM Le Portel is a French basketball club, based in Le Portel.
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