page_title: Mont-Saint-Michel
section_title: Administration
hierarchical_section_title: Mont-Saint-Michel / Administration
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel, Manche, Normandie, France. Le cloître. English: Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, Manche, Normandie, France. The cloister.
context_page_description: Le Mont-Saint-Michel is an island and commune in Normandy, France. It is in the Manche department. It is located about one kilometre from the country's northwestern coast. It is at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches. It is 247 acres in size and it has a population of 44. People that live there are called the Montois.
  The island has had strategic fortifications since ancient times. The name Mont-Saint-Michel comes from the monastery built there in the eighth century AD. The way in which the town is built is an example of how feudal society worked. At the top there is God, the abbey and monastery. Below this, there are the great halls, then stores and houses. At the bottom, outside the walls, there are the houses of fishermen and farmers.
  Mont-Saint-Michel is one of France's most famous landmarks. The island and its bay are part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Every year, more than 3 million people visit it.
context_section_description: The islet is part of the French commune of Mont-Saint-Michel. It is in the department of Manche, in Normandy. As of 2009, 44 people live there. The nearest large town, with a train station, is Pontorson. Mont-Saint-Michel is part of the Organization of World Heritage Cities.
  Mont-Saint-Michel is also the subject of a traditional rivalry between Normans and Bretons. Bretons say that the Couesnon River marks the limit between Normandy and Brittany. It is only because the river has changed its course over the centuries that the mount is on the Norman side. This legend amuses the area's inhabitants. They state that the border is not located on the Couesnon river. They say it is on the mainland, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the west, at the foot of the solid mass of Saint-Brelade.
caption: The cloister
exif: {}