Île de Noirmoutier

The Île de Noirmoutier is an island off the Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée "département".

Parts of the island have been reclaimed from the sea. In 2005 it served as the finish of the Tour de France prologue.

The communes of the island are grouped into a "communauté de communes". The communes are:
* Barbâtre
* L'Épine
* La Guérinière
* Noirmoutier-en-l'Île

The island is most notable for the Passage du Gois, a paved-over sandbank with a length of 4.5 kilometers that connects the island to the mainland. It is flooded twice a day by the high tide. Every year, a foot race – the "Foulées du Gois" – is held across it, starting at the onset of the high tide.

St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier was born on this island on July 31, 1796.

External links

* [http://www.ile-noirmoutier.com/default-english.cfm Tourist office website]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=46.967134,-2.230911&spn=0.213225,0.343117&t=k&hl=fr Google image]