Île d'Oléron

**Île d'Oléron** () is an island and canton in the Atlantic coast of France (to the west of Rochefort). It is the second largest island of Metropolitan France, after Corsica. The capital, and largest town, is  Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron; it is in the centre of the island.

Since 1966, there is a bridge that connects the island with mainland.

## Geography

The Île d'Oléron is on the southern side of the _Pertuis d'Antioche_ strait.

The island is  long and  wide; it has an area of . It is a very flat island and its highest point, the _Grande dune de Saint-Trojan_ dune in the southern part of the island, is only  high.

The southern point of the island is _Pointe de Gatseau_, the northern one is _Pointe de Chassiron_ and the eastern one is _Pointe des Saumonards_. Near this last point is the _Fort Boyard_, a fortification in the _Pertuis d'Antioche_ that is used for the French TV show of the same name.

### Climate

The climate in Saint-Denis-d'Oléron is an oceanic climate with temperate summers, **Cfb** (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification.

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Saint-Denis-d'Oléron is . The month with the most precipitation on average is December with  of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is August with an average of .

The average temperature for the year in Saint-Denis-d'Oléron is . The warmest month, on average, is August with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of .

## Administration

Administratively, the island belongs to the Charente-Maritime department,  _arrondissement_ of Rochefort, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

The island was divided in two cantons: _Canton du Château-d'Oléron_ and _Canton de Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron_, with 4 _communes_ each. In 27 February 2014, the number of cantons was reduced and the two cantons of the island were combined to form only one: the **Canton de l'Île d'Oléron**, divided in 8 communes.

## Population

The inhabitants of Île d'Oléron are known, in French, as _Oléronais_ (women: _Oléronaises_).

Île d'Oléron has a population, in 2014, of 22,032, for a population density of  inhabitants/km<sup>2</sup>.

The eight communes of the island and their populations (2013) are:

|INSEE code|Commune|Population (2014)|
| --- | --- | --- |
|17486|La Brée-les-Bains||
|17093|Le Château-d'Oléron||
|17140|Dolus-d'Oléron||
|17485|Le Grand-Village-Plage||
|17323|Saint-Denis-d'Oléron||
|17337|Saint-Georges-d'Oléron||
|17385|Saint-Pierre d'Oléron||
|17411|Saint-Trojan-les-Bains||

## Related pages

- Arrondissement of Rochefort

## Other websites

- The official tourist office website for Oléron Island
- Departmental Council website
- Ville de Rochefort website

## Infobox (islands)

- **name**: Île d'Oléron
- **image name**: Île d'Oleron.png
- **image caption**: Aerial photograph of Oléron
- **image size**: 250px
- **map caption**: Île d'Oléron (France)
- **location**: Atlantic Ocean
- **archipelago**: _Archipel charentais_
- **area km2**: 175
- **length km**: 34
- **width km**: 15
- **highest mount**: _Grande dune de Saint-Trojan_
- **elevation m**: 34
- **country**: France
- **country admin divisions title**: Regions of France, Region
- **country admin divisions**: Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- **country admin divisions title 1**: Departments of France, Department
- **country admin divisions 1**: Charente-Maritime
- **country admin divisions title 2**: Arrondissements of France, Arrondissement
- **country admin divisions 2**: Arrondissement of Rochefort, Rochefort
- **country largest city**: Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron
- **country largest city population**: 6,694
- **population**: 22,032
- **population as of**: 2014
- **ethnic groups**: French people
- **demonym**: Oléronais(e)