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 Pertuis d'Antioche (Passage of Antioch) is a strait on the Atlantic coast of Western France, between two islands, Île de Ré and Île d'Oléron, on the one side, and on the other side the continental coast off the city of La Rochelle.

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/km2.

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

 INSEEcode 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  

Gallery

Related pages
 Arrondissement of Rochefort

Notes

References

Other websites

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

Oleron
Category:Charente-Maritime