Pornichet
Pornichet (; ) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. Geography. Location. Pornichet is a coastal town of the Côte d'Amour, located tens of kilometers west of Saint-Nazaire. The adjacent towns are Saint-Nazaire and La Baule-Escoublac. Physical geography. The town of Pornichet is located The lowest altitude (except shoreline) is of 4 m at the racetrack. The dune behind the beach of the "Libraires" reaches 9 m. The cliffs of "Bonne Source" and "Sainte-Marguerite" can reach 12 m. Going inland, altitudes progressively increase up to 44 m. The highest point is located in  the hamlet called "Ville ès Blais". Shore and beaches. Pornichet has three beaches: in the West, the Beach of the Libraires (plage des Libraires), of 2 km length, is part of the Bay of Pouliguen (baie du Pouliguen), shared with La Baule; the border is marked by the Mazy creek (currently underground). In the East, between the "Pointe du Bec" and the "Pointe de la Lande", are located the beaches of "Bonne-Source" (2.5 km) and "Sainte-Marguerite" (1.5 km), separated by a rocky head called the "Pointe de Congrigoux". Toponymy. The name of Pornichet comes from "Port Niché", which  could be translated into "Nested Port". The town is named following its principal characteristic of a port located in an alcove along a salt-work channel, which was connecting the salt-works (current racetrack) and the bay. History. Until the town was created in 1900, Pornichet was a hamlet of Saint-Nazaire.