L'Île-aux-Marins (literally "The Island of the Sailors"; before 1931 called ''Île-aux-Chiens'', literally "Island of the Dogs") is a small uninhabited island located off the coast of

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon (), officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (french: link=no, Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon ), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in t ...

History

L'Île-aux-Marins was settled in 1604 and once had a population approaching 700. It was a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

until 1945, when it was annexed by the commune of Saint-Pierre. Since the 1960s, the town has become a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

after the last of the population left for

Saint Pierre Island In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

; however, a small number of people live there on a seasonal basis between May to November. Several of the town's buildings are still standing, among them are the church (Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Marins), the Jézéquel house, a number of fisherman's homes, and the Archipélitude Museum located in the town's former school. Several of the buildings were designated with protected status by the French

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in 2011, with the addition of the Jézéquel house in 2014. The bow section of the wrecked ship '' Transpacific'', which grounded near the islands in 1971, is located on the northern side of the island and is still accessible.

Geography

The island is long with its width varying from . The highest point, Cape Beaudry, is only

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

and is also located on the northern end of the island. Two smaller islands,

Île aux Vainqueurs Île aux Vainqueurs (French: Isle of Winners/Vanquishers) is a small uninhabited island located about off the coast of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France and the last remaining part of New Fran ...

and

Île aux Pigeons Île aux Pigeons (French: Pigeon Island; formerly called ''Île Canaille'') is a small uninhabited island located about off the coast of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France and the last remainin ...

, are located to the northeast of the island.

References

Islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon Uninhabited islands of France Former populated places in North America {{SaintPierreMiquelon-geo-stub