Île d'Yeu

Île d'Yeu (French pronunciation: ​[il djø]) is an island and commune just off the Vendée coast of western France. The island's two harbours, Port-Joinville in the north, and Port de la Meule, which itself is located in a rocky inlet of the southern granite coast, are famous for the fishing of tuna and lobster.

L'Île-d'Yeu
Commune
A satellite image of the island
Coat of arms
Location of L'Île-d'Yeu
L'Île-d'Yeu
L'Île-d'Yeu
Coordinates: 46°43′30″N 2°20′49″W
CountryFrance
RegionPays de la Loire
DepartmentVendée
ArrondissementLes Sables-d'Olonne
CantonL'Île-d'Yeu
Area
1
23.32 km2 (9.00 sq mi)
Population
 (2006)
5,001
 • Density210/km2 (560/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
85113 /85350
Elevation0–32 m (0–105 ft)
(avg. 20 m or 66 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Port de la Meule

Administratively, the commune of L'Île-d'Yeu is part of the Vendée department and the Pays de la Loire region of France.

History
An aerial view of Port de la Meule

Neolithic markings in the native stone and an unusual concentration of megalithic dolmens and menhirs attest to the island's early sanctity. Irish monks from Bangor, County Down, dedicated their monastery on the Île d'Yeu to Hilaire; Saint Amand, from Poitou received early training there, but it was destroyed by Viking raiders in the ninth century.

During the tenth century, monks from Marmoutier near Tours and monks of Saint-Cyprien at Poitiers built a new monastery and dedicated it to Saint Stephen. The castle built on an islet linked to the coast by a bridge is first mentioned in 1356.

Since the nineteenth century Île d'Yeu has attracted many artists. Jean Rigaud (1912–1999), official painter to the French Navy, had a house there, as did Maurice Boitel (1919–2007). Jean Dufy (1888-1964) made about twenty paintings of l'Ile d'Yeu during several summer stays between 1926 and 1930.

Philippe Pétain, the proclaimed hero of Verdun during World War I who later became the leader of France's wartime collaborationist Vichy régime, was sentenced to life imprisonment for treason on Île d'Yeu. He died in a private home in Port-Joinville in 1951 and is buried in the local cemetery (Cimetière communal de Port-Joinville).[1]

The poet Marc-Adolphe Guégan, an early French exponent of haiku, lived on the island until his death in 1959.

The island's seaweeds have been the subject of studies by the French marine biologist Françoise Ardré.

Transport

The island is reached by ferry from Fromentine or Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. Air transportation is available at Île d'Yeu Aerodrome (IATA: IDY, ICAO: LFEY), with commercial service from Nantes Airport.

Climate

Île d'Yeu has a Warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb) with mild weather year-round and significantly more precipitation in winter than in summer.

Climate data for Île d'Yeu (1981–2010 averages)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.4
(59.7)		 16.4
(61.5)		 23.1
(73.6)		 26.3
(79.3)		 30.6
(87.1)		 35.2
(95.4)		 34.8
(94.6)		 35.1
(95.2)		 32.9
(91.2)		 26.0
(78.8)		 20.1
(68.2)		 16.8
(62.2)		 35.2
(95.4)
Average high °C (°F) 9.7
(49.5)		 9.9
(49.8)		 12.2
(54.0)		 14.4
(57.9)		 17.6
(63.7)		 20.5
(68.9)		 22.6
(72.7)		 22.9
(73.2)		 20.9
(69.6)		 17.2
(63.0)		 13.2
(55.8)		 10.4
(50.7)		 16.0
(60.8)
Average low °C (°F) 5.3
(41.5)		 4.8
(40.6)		 6.5
(43.7)		 8.0
(46.4)		 11.1
(52.0)		 13.7
(56.7)		 15.5
(59.9)		 15.6
(60.1)		 13.9
(57.0)		 11.8
(53.2)		 8.4
(47.1)		 6.0
(42.8)		 10.1
(50.2)
Record low °C (°F) −9.8
(14.4)		 −9.4
(15.1)		 −7.1
(19.2)		 0.2
(32.4)		 2.8
(37.0)		 5.4
(41.7)		 9.1
(48.4)		 10.0
(50.0)		 5.5
(41.9)		 1.8
(35.2)		 −3.5
(25.7)		 −7.9
(17.8)		 −9.8
(14.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 83.7
(3.30)		 62.3
(2.45)		 57.9
(2.28)		 57.8
(2.28)		 57.7
(2.27)		 40.0
(1.57)		 38.0
(1.50)		 36.9
(1.45)		 61.9
(2.44)		 91.9
(3.62)		 91.6
(3.61)		 90.1
(3.55)		 769.8
(30.31)
Average precipitation days 13.2 10.3 10.4 10.1 9.4 6.7 7.3 6.2 8.1 12.3 13.5 13.9 121.3
Average relative humidity (%) 88 87 84 83 84 82 81 82 83 86 86 88 84.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 74.7 111.2 149.2 201.3 231.2 252.5 274.7 260.3 195.5 137.6 94.0 72.1 2,053.8
Source 1: Meteo France[2][3]
Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity, 1961–1990)[4]
  • Le Port de la Meule (Stack Harbour)
  • La pointe des Corbeaux (Crows' Edge)
  • La plage des Sapins (Fir Tree Beach)
  • Beach with the Old Castle in the back
  • La pointe du But
  • Port-Joinville

See also

References
  1. Paxton, Robert O. (1982). Vichy France: Old Guard and New Order, 1940–1944, pp. 36–37. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-12469-4.
  2. "Données climatiques de la station de Beaucouzé" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  3. "Climat Pays de la Loire" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  4. "Normes et records 1961-1990: Ile d'Yeu - St Sauveur (85) - altitude 32m" (in French). Infoclimat. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
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