MONT SAINT-MICHEL BAY

France

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General Information
about Mont Saint-Michel Bay

Located in France, The Mont Saint-Michel Bay lays between Brittany (to the south-west) and the Normandy peninsula of Cotentin (to the south and east). It is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. Due to the significant tidal movements in this region (over 10 meters) a large part of the bay is uncovered at low tide. Ranked fourth in the world for its tides, the bay is sand silting at a rate of 700,000 m3 per year.

There are two granitic islands in the bay: Tombelaine and the Mont Saint-Michel.

This small granite island, with a circumference of 950 meters and 80 meters high, has attracted man since prehistoric times. Behind the ramparts, there is a village with the mount as a crown and the magnificent Benedictine Abbey buildings.

The bay is a favoured site for growing mussels and flat and cupped oysters (Vivier-sur-Mer and Cancale), with numerous birds living in it.

Située en France, la baie du mont Saint-Michel est une baie située entre la Bretagne (au sud-ouest) et la péninsule normande du Cotentin (au sud et à l’est). La baie est inscrite au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO. Le marnage très important dans la région (plus de 10 mètres) permet à une grande partie de cette baie d’être découverte à marée basse. Classée la quatrième baie au monde pour ses marées, son ensablement équivaut à un taux de sédimentation de 700 000 m³ par an.

Deux îlots granitiques se trouvent dans la baie du mont Saint-Michel, Tombelaine et le mont Saint-Michel.

Cette petite île granitique avec 950 m de circonférence et 80 m d’altitude attire l’homme depuis la pré-histoire. Derrière ses remparts, on retrouve un petit village, dont le mont est la couronne, et les magnifiques bâtiments de l’abbaye bénédictine.

La baie est un lieu de prédilection pour l’élevage de moules et d’huîtres plates et creuses ((Vivier-sur-Mer et Cancale), attirant de nombreux oiseaux.

Natural Environment 

Coastline
Flat shore with marshes and foreshores

Climate
Humid and temperate climate with cool summers

Temperatures
Annual average : 8.5°C
Annual amplitude : from 1°C to 16°C

Precipitations
Annual : 576 mm
Distribution : May to September

Biogeographic Classification
Temperate forest with leaves (Western Palearctic)

Human Environment

Language
French

Local Economy
Tourism and primary sector : Agriculture, fishery, oyster and mussel farming,

Demography
Population (inhab.) : 30 000
Density (inhab/km2) : 80

Human Development Index
0,925

Ecological Footprint
5,26

Heritage and Credentials

Natural Heritage
Natura 2000, RAMSAR, ZICO. ZNIEFF, Classified Site, Natural Reserve, Special Protected Area.

Cultural Heritage
UNESCO Criteria: (i) (iii) (vi) '' Date of Inscription: 1979 Criteria: (i) (iii) (vi) ‘ Between Normandy and Bretagne on a rocky islet in the middle of large sand bars subject to powerful tides erects the ‘Western Wonder’, a Gothic Benedictine Abbey devoted to Saint Michael the Archangel, with a village built in the shadow of its walls. Constructed between the XI and XVI Century, the abbey has been technically and artistically a feat which has been able to adapt to a unique natural site.’

Coastal Management
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Criteria retained by the club
BN5: Homogeneous and coherent setup; BC1: Architectural Masterpiece (Benedictine Abbey and village)

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