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|
 Noirmoutier Island image from satellite Spot | |
  Noirmoutier | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 46°58′N2°13′W / 46.967°N 2.217°W /46.967; -2.217 |
| Area | 49 km2 (19 sq mi) |
| Length | 19 km (11.8 mi) |
| Width | 6 km (3.7 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 20 m (70 ft) |
| Highest point | No named |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Region | Pays de la Loire |
| Department | Vendée |
| Arrondissement | Les Sables-d'Olonne |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 9,590 |
| Pop. density | 195.76/km2 (507.02/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | French people |
| Official name | Marais Breton, Baie de Bourgneuf, Ile de Noirmoutier et Forêt de Monts |
| Designated | 2 February 2017 |
| Reference no. | 2283[1] |
Noirmoutier (alsoFrench:Île de Noirmoutier,pronounced[nwaʁmutje];Breton:Nervouster,Nermouster) is atidal island off theAtlantic coast ofFrance in theVendéedepartment (85).
Noirmoutier was the location of an earlyViking raid in 799, when raiders attacked the monastery of SaintPhilibert of Jumièges.[2]
The Vikings established a permanent base on the island around 824, from which they could control southeastBrittany by the 840s. In 848, they sackedBordeaux. From 862 until 882,Hastein used it as a base from which he raidedFrancia andBrittany.[3]
On 4 July 1674, during theFranco-Dutch War, the island was brieflycaptured byDutch forces under the command ofCornelis Tromp. The Dutch flag flew from the walls on the island for nearly three weeks until, on 23 July, the Dutch abandoned it after blowing up the castle and demolishing the coastal batteries.
Noirmoutier was the site of several campaigns in theWar of the Vendée, as well as a massacre[4] and the place of execution of theRoyalistGeneralissimoMaurice D'Elbée, who faced the firing squad seated in a chair due to wounds accumulated from an earlier battle.
St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier was born on this island on 31 July 1796.
The island comprises ten localities and four distinctcommunes. Its length is approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi), and its width varies from 500 metres (1,600 ft) to 15 kilometres (9.3 mi). Its area of 4,877 hectares (12,050 acres; 48.77 km2; 18.83 sq mi).
Noirmoutier is referred to as theIsland of Mimosas, due to the temperateness of its climate, which allows for the flowering ofAcacia dealbata (mimosa) year-round. The island is predominantlysalt marsh and salt banks,sand dunes andevergreen oak forests.
The communes of the island are grouped into acommunauté de communes. The communes are:
The island has been a site of uninterrupted human habitation since prehistoric times, and is a popular tourist destination.
Parts of the island have been reclaimed from the sea. In 2005 it served as the finish of theTour de Franceprologue.
The island is most notable for thePassage du Gois, a paved-over sandbank with a length of 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi),[5] one of the routes that connect the island to the mainland. It is flooded twice a day by the high tide. Until the early 1970s, a ferry service operated across theStrait of Fromentine between theLa Fosse pier on the island andFromentine pier on the mainland. This was superseded by the construction of theNoirmoutier Bridge, inaugurated in July 1971.
Every year, an international foot race, theFoulées du Gois, is held across it, starting at the onset of the high tide.
La “Fête de la Bonnotte” (Bonnotte party) is also an annual festival celebrating the first day of potato harvest on the island of Noirmoutier.[6]
In response to an effort by the French government to add offshore wind projects to the national grid, a 496 MW wind farm is being developed near the island, with a planned commissioning date of 2021.[7]
Noirmoutier experiences anoceanic climate typical of the west coast of France. Both the winters and summers are heavily moderated by the surroundingAtlantic Ocean. There is a low degree ofdiurnal temperature variation throughout the year, especially in the winter. There is considerably more precipitation in winter compared to summer.The climate is classified as cool dry summer Mediterranean type (Csb), with 3 months with Tm*2>=P. More than 2300h of sun is too high for a typical oceanic climate.
| Climate data for Noirmoutier Island, Vendée | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.9 (62.4) | 17.5 (63.5) | 22.9 (73.2) | 27.5 (81.5) | 31.3 (88.3) | 36.0 (96.8) | 37.0 (98.6) | 37.0 (98.6) | 33.0 (91.4) | 27.1 (80.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 16.1 (61.0) | 37.0 (98.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.3 (48.7) | 9.8 (49.6) | 12.5 (54.5) | 14.9 (58.8) | 18.4 (65.1) | 21.5 (70.7) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.5 (74.3) | 21.4 (70.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 12.9 (55.2) | 9.9 (49.8) | 16.2 (61.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.7 (40.5) | 4.5 (40.1) | 6.4 (43.5) | 8.0 (46.4) | 11.3 (52.3) | 13.9 (57.0) | 15.7 (60.3) | 15.8 (60.4) | 13.9 (57.0) | 11.5 (52.7) | 7.7 (45.9) | 5.2 (41.4) | 9.9 (49.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −10.0 (14.0) | −7.7 (18.1) | −6.0 (21.2) | 0.0 (32.0) | 0.5 (32.9) | 6.0 (42.8) | 10.4 (50.7) | 9.5 (49.1) | 7.0 (44.6) | 1.7 (35.1) | −4.0 (24.8) | −8.0 (17.6) | −10.0 (14.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 70.1 (2.76) | 56.6 (2.23) | 49.4 (1.94) | 52.1 (2.05) | 52.2 (2.06) | 34.2 (1.35) | 38.6 (1.52) | 31.5 (1.24) | 56.9 (2.24) | 85.2 (3.35) | 80.9 (3.19) | 78.4 (3.09) | 686.1 (27.02) |
| Average precipitation days | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 116 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 87 | 136 | 182 | 226 | 255 | 291 | 274 | 259 | 233 | 149 | 107 | 112 | 2,311 |
| Source: Météo France - Period 1981-2010 - Extremes since 1959. | |||||||||||||
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| Geographic | |
