**Île d'Oléron** (pronounced [il doleʁɔ̃]) 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
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Map of Oléron
The Île d'Oléron is on the southern side of the *Pertuis d'Antioche* strait.

The island is 34 kilometres (21.1 mi) long and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) wide; it has an area of 175 square kilometres (67.6 sq mi). 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 34 metres (111.5 ft) 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 template 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 777.2 mm (30.6 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is December with 88.9 mm (3.5 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is August with an average of 40.6 mm (1.6 in).

The average temperature for the year in Saint-Denis-d'Oléron is 13.5 °C (56.3 °F). The warmest month, on average, is August with an average temperature of 20.0 °C (68.0 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 7.3 °C (45.1 °F).

Administration
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Saint-Georges-d'Oléron church
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
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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 125.9 inhabitants/km2.

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


| INSEEcode | Commune | Population(2014) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 17486 | La Brée-les-Bains | 701 |
| 17093 | Le Château-d'Oléron | 4,063 |
| 17140 | Dolus-d'Oléron | 3,253 |
| 17485 | Le Grand-Village-Plage | 1,040 |
| 17323 | Saint-Denis-d'Oléron | 1,357 |
| 17337 | Saint-Georges-d'Oléron | 3,583 |
| 17385 | Saint-Pierre d'Oléron | 6,694 |
| 17411 | Saint-Trojan-les-Bains | 1,341 |

Gallery
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* The bridge of OléronThe bridge of Oléron
* Oyster farms in OléronOyster farms in Oléron
* Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron, view from the church towerSaint-Pierre-d'Oléron, view from the church tower
* Dolus-d'Oléron downtownDolus-d'Oléron downtown
* Fort BoyardFort Boyard
* Le Grand-Village-PlageLe Grand-Village-Plage

Related pages
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* Arrondissement of Rochefort

Other websites
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to ***Île d'Oléron***.

* The official tourist office website for Oléron Island
* Departmental Council website (in French)
* Ville de Rochefort website Archived 2011-09-03 at the Wayback Machine (in French)