Île de Ré
Island off the coast of France
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Key Takeaways
- Île de Ré ( French pronunciation: [il də ʁe] ; variously spelled Rhé or Rhéa ; Poitevin: ile de Rét ; English: Isle of Ré , RAY ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France near La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait.
- It is 30 kilometres (19 miles) long and five kilometres (3 miles) wide.
- Administration Administratively, the island is part of the Charente-Maritime department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes).
- Located in the arrondissement of La Rochelle, Île de Ré includes two cantons: Saint-Martin-de-Ré eastwards and Ars-en-Ré westwards.
- History During Roman times, Île de Ré was an archipelago consisting of three small islands.
Île de Ré (French pronunciation: [il də ʁe]; variously spelled Rhé or Rhéa; Poitevin: ile de Rét; English: Isle of Ré, RAY) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France near La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait. Its highest point has an elevation of 20 metres (66 feet). It is 30 kilometres (19 miles) long and five kilometres (3 miles) wide. The 2.9 km (1.8 mi) Île de Ré bridge, completed in 1988, connects it to La Rochelle on the mainland.
Administration
Administratively, the island is part of the Charente-Maritime department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes). The island is also a part of the Charente-Maritime's 1st constituency.
Located in the arrondissement of La Rochelle, Île de Ré includes two cantons: Saint-Martin-de-Ré eastwards and Ars-en-Ré westwards. The island is divided into 10 communes, from east to west: Rivedoux-Plage, La Flotte, Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, Saint-Martin-de-Ré, Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, La Couarde-sur-Mer, Loix, Ars-en-Ré, Saint-Clément-des-Baleines, Les Portes-en-Ré.
History
During Roman times, Île de Ré was an archipelago consisting of three small islands. The space between the islands was progressively filled by a combination of human activity (salt fields gained from the sea) and silting.
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