Pornichet (; br, link=no, Pornizhan) is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population o ...
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in western
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Geography
Location
Pornichet is a coastal town of the
Côte d'Amour, located ten kilometers west of the centre of
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany.
The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean ...
. The adjacent communes are Saint-Nazaire and
La Baule-Escoublac
La Baule-Escoublac (; br, Ar Baol-Skoubleg, ), commonly referred to as La Baule, is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department, Pays de la Loire, western France.
A century-old seaside resort in southern Brittany with villas, casino, luxury hot ...
.
Physical geography
The town of Pornichet is located
* on the line ''sillon de Guérande'', orientated NW-SE; the town border is located on the ''Route de Guérande'', D392d, at approximately 4 km from the shore, at a place called ''Pont de Terre'' (railway junction) at the ''Quatre Vents'';
* on a coastal rock belt located upfront of the ''sillon de Guérande'' (same orientation), between two rock heads, the ''Pointe du Bec'' and the ''Pointe de la Lande'' (border with Saint-Nazaire), separated of 4.25 km;
* on sandy terranes part of the sand dune unit of ''Escoublac'', between the place named ''Mazy'' (border with La Baule-Escoublac) and the ''Pointe du Bec'' (length: 2 km; width: 100 m at Mazy, 1 km at the head);
* on former swamp area (racetrack).
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
Plage may refer to:
*Plage (astronomy), a bright region in the chromosphere of the Sun
*Plage (mycology), a clear, unornamented area on the basal area of an ornamented fungal spore
* "Plage" (song), a 2011 song by English electronic band Crystal F ...
), 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
The commune of Pornichet was created in 1900 from parts of
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany.
The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean ...
and
La Baule-Escoublac
La Baule-Escoublac (; br, Ar Baol-Skoubleg, ), commonly referred to as La Baule, is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department, Pays de la Loire, western France.
A century-old seaside resort in southern Brittany with villas, casino, luxury hot ...
.
[
]
Population
Sister cities
* Bexbach
Bexbach () is a town in the Saarpfalz district, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Blies, approximatively 6 km east of Neunkirchen, and 25 km northeast of Saarbrücken. The Saarländisches Bergbaumuseum (Saarland Mining ...
(Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
)
* San Vicente de la Barquera
San Vicente de la Barquera is a municipality of Cantabria in northern Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English ...
(Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
)
See also
*Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department
The following is a list of the 207 communes of the Loire-Atlantique department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):[La Baule - Guérande Peninsula
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...]
* Parc naturel régional de Brière
References
Communes of Loire-Atlantique
Seaside resorts in France
{{LoireAtlantique-geo-stub