Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.Join Britannica's Publishing Partner Program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work!
Ré Island, French Île de Ré, island in the Bay of Biscay, Charente-Maritime département, Poitou-Charentes région of France. It is located off the west coast of France, opposite La Pallice and La Rochelle. It was for long separated from the mainland by the shallow water of Pertuis Breton, 2 miles (3.2 km) wide at the narrowest point, but a 2-mile toll bridge was constructed in the late 1980s.
The island is 18 miles (29 km) long and 2 to 3 miles wide; it has an area of 33 square miles (85 square km). On the island’s north coast an indentation, the Fier d’Ars, nearly divides it, leaving an isthmus only 240 feet (73 metres) across. The island is low-lying and fertile, specializing in the cultivation of early vegetables, notably asparagus, and there are vineyards. There are salt fields and oyster beds along the shores, which have long stretches of sand. The chief resort communities are Saint-Martin, a port on the north coast, and La Flotte, a fishing port. There are ruins of a medieval abbey of Saint-Laurent. Tourism is the island’s principal economic activity, and preservation of the island’s natural resources has become important because of the large number of summer visitors.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay, wide inlet of the North Atlantic Ocean indenting the coast of western Europe. Forming a roughly triangular body with an area of about 86,000 square miles (223,000 square km), it is bounded on the east by the west coast…
Poitou-Charentes, former régionof France. As a région, it encompassed the western départementsof Vienne, Charente, Charente-Maritime, and Deux-Sèvres. In 2016 the Poitou-Charentes régionwas joined with the régionsof Aquitaine and Limousin to form the new administrative entity of Nouvelle Aquitaine. The Massif Armoricain…
FranceFrance, country of northwestern Europe. Historically and culturally among the most important nations in the Western world, France has also played a highly significant role in international affairs, with former colonies in every corner of the globe. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the…