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 north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. It is the largest island in the

Embiez archipelago The Île des Embiez () is a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. 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, in the Var (department), Var Depart ...

. It is located off the coast of the port of Le Brusc in the commune of

Six-Fours-les-Plages Six-Fours-les-Plages (; oc, Sièis Forns lei Plaias, Sièis Four in provençal), is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (département), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in sou ...

, in the

Var Var or VAR may refer to: Places * Var (department), a department of France * Var (river), France * Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran * Vár, a village in Obreja commune, Ca ...

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 the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...

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 Sanary-sur-Mer (, literally ''Sanary on Sea''; oc, Sant Nari), popularly known as Sanary, is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (department), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region ...

. The island has a surface area of , with a coastline of . The island is high at its highest point. 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 ISO 14000 is a family of standards related to environmental management that exists to help organizations (a) minimize how their operations (processes, etc.) negatively affect the environment (i.e. cause adverse changes to air, water, or land); (b ...

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 non-gov ...

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, respectively ...

. 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) w ...

, the

plover Plovers ( , ) are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. Description There are about 66 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfa ...

, 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 northern ...

, 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 IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven ge ...

and the

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found 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 (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 (, ; oc, petanca, , also or ) is a sport that falls into the category of boules sports, along with raffa, bocce, boule lyonnaise, lawn bowls, and crown green bowling. In all of these sports, players or teams play their boules/balls ...

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

Côtes de Provence AOC Provence (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 first Roman pr ...

region. Its Côtes de Provence wine is made from Grenache and Cinsaut grapes. Its 'Pays des Embiez' wines are available in roseé, (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: *Étienne Pierre Sylvestre Ricard (1771–1843), French general under Napoleon *Hámilton Ricard (born 1974), Colombian footballer *Jean-François Ricard (born ...

, the

pastis Pastis (; oc, Pastís, ; or ) 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 ...

(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