The Île des Embiez () is a French island in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. It is the largest island in the Embiez archipelago. It is located off the coast of the port of Le Brusc in the commune of

Six-Fours-les-Plages Six-Fours-les-Plages (; , Sièis Four in provençal) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Inhabitants of Six-Fours-les-Plages refer to themselves as "Six-Fournais". It is located ...

, in the Var department in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

region in South Eastern France. The island has a permanent population of 10. A frequent daily ferry service runs to the island from Le Brusc. Summer boat trips leave from Sanary. The island is 0.9 square kilometers (0.35 sq mi) in size, and its shoreline is 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) long. The island's highest peak is 57 meters (187 feet) high. The port has moorings for 750 boats, and is the home of ''Le Garlaban'', a three mast sailing boat that belonged to

Paul Ricard Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...

and is now a seafood restaurant (only open in July and August). The island has a strict environmental policy and its port was the first in the Var to be awarded

ISO 14001 The ISO 14000 family is a set of international standards for Natural environment, environment management systems. It was developed in March 1996 by International Organization for Standardization. The goal of these standards is to help organizations ...

certification. The island also has

Blue Flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a Not-for-profit organi ...

es and the surface is protected under

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

. Birds visible on the island include the

avocet The four species of avocets are a genus, ''Recurvirostra'', of waders in the same avian family as the stilts. The genus name comes from Latin , 'curved backwards' and , 'bill'. The common name is thought to derive from the Italian ( Ferrarese) ...

, the

plover Plovers ( , ) are members of a widely distributed group of wader, wading birds of subfamily Charadriinae. The term "plover" applies to all the members of the subfamily, though only about half of them include it in their name. Species lis ...

, the

grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...

, the

cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...

and the

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

. The Île des Embiez has a main hotel with 60 rooms and one suite and 150 appartements, one hotel in the pinewood with 20 rooms and a house for private or professional events. The island also has five restaurants, and is the location of the

Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute The Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute is an oceanographic institute situated on the Île des Embiez. The island is in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in South Western France. Founded by Paul Ricard and Alain Bomb ...

(Institut océanographique Paul Ricard). Natural attractions include seven beaches, a pine forest and nature trail, and a vineyard. Sporting facilities include tennis pitches and

pétanque Pétanque (, ; ; ) is a sport that falls into the category of boules sports (along with Raffa (boules), raffa, bocce, boule lyonnaise, Bowls, lawn bowls, and Crown green bowls, crown green bowling). In these sports, players or teams play thei ...

. The 10 hectare (25 acre) vineyard is part of the

Côtes de Provence AOC Provence wine or Provençal wine (, ) comes from the French wine-producing region of Provence in southeast France. The Romans called the area ''provincia nostra'' ("our province"), giving the region its name. Just south of the Alps, it was the fi ...

region. Its Côtes de Provence wine is made from Grenache and Cinsaut grapes. Its 'Pays des Embiez' wines are available in rosé, (made from Cinsaut and Grenache grape varieties); white wine, (made from Ugni and Sauvignon), and red wine, with (Merlot and Cabernet grapes). In 1958, the island was bought by industrialist

(1909-1997) the founder of

Ricard Ricard is a surname, as well as a Catalan name. Notable people with the surname include: *Amable Ricard (1828–1876), French politician *Étienne Pierre Sylvestre Ricard (1771–1843), French general under Napoleon *Hámilton Ricard (born 1974), C ...

, the

pastis Pastis (, , ; ) is an anise-flavoured spirit and apéritif traditionally from France, typically containing less than 100 g/L sugar and 40–45% ABV (alcohol by volume). Origins Pastis was first commercialized by Paul Ricard in 1932 and enj ...

(liquor) manufacturer. Ricard is buried on the Île des Embiez. His grave is on the island's highest point, facing the sea. The island commemorates Ricard's birthday on the 9 July every year.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Embiez Landforms of Var (department) Islands of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Mediterranean islands Natura 2000 in France Tourist attractions in Var (department)

See also

References

External links