The Mont-Saint-Michel Bay (french: baie du Mont-Saint-Michel, br, Bae Menez-Mikael) is located between
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
(to the south west) and the
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
peninsula of
Cotentin
The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its ...
(to the south and east). The bay was listed as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
world heritage site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
in 1979 for its aesthetic quality and its importance to the Christian tradition. Due to the significant
tidal movements in this region (over 10 meters) a large part of the bay is uncovered at low
tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
. There are two granitic islands in the bay:
Tombelaine
Tombelaine is a small tidal island off the coast of Normandy in France. It lies a few kilometres north of Mont Saint-Michel. At low tide the island can be reached on foot (with a guide) from the coast of Cotentin, to the northeast, and from Mo ...
and the
Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France.
The island lies approximately off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is ...
. Many birds and
harbor seal
The harbor (or harbour) seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared s ...
s live in this area.
General considerations
Mont-Saint-Michel Bay is about in size.
Adjacent towns and villages
The following towns and villages surround the bay, from north to south:
* In
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
:
Carolles,
Champeaux,
Saint-Jean-le-Thomas,
Dragey-Ronthon,
Genêts,
Vains,
Marcey-les-Grèves,
Avranches
Avranches (; nrf, Avraunches) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''.
History
By the end of the Roman period ...
,
Le Val-Saint-Père,
Céaux,
Courtils,
Huisnes-sur-Mer,
Pontorson
Pontorson () is a commune in the Manche department in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, the former communes of Macey and Vessey were merged into Pontorson.
Geography
Pontorson is situated about 10 kilometres from the Mont Saint-Miche ...
,
Le Mont-Saint-Michel,
Beauvoir.
* In
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
:
Saint-Georges-de-Gréhaigne,
Roz-sur-Couesnon,
Saint-Broladre,
Cherrueix,
Mont-Dol
Mont-Dol (; br, Menez-Dol; Gallo: ''Mont-Dou'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
Population
Inhabitants of Mont-Dol are called ''Mont-Dolois'' in French.
See also
*Communes of the Ille-et-V ...
,
Le Vivier-sur-Mer,
Hirel,
Saint-Benoît-des-Ondes,
Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes and
Cancale
Cancale (; ; Gallo: ''Cauncall'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is known as the birthplace of Saint Jeanne Jugan.
Population
Inhabitants of Cancale are called ''Cancalais'' in French.
T ...
.
Geography
Rivers
Three small rivers end in the bay (and cross it at low tide): the
Couesnon
The Couesnon (; br, Kouenon) is a river running from the ''département'' of Mayenne in north-western France, forming an estuary at Mont Saint-Michel. It is long, and its drainage basin is . Its final stretch forms the border between the histor ...
, now blocked to the west of
Mont Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France.
The island lies approximately off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is ...
by a
causeway
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tr ...
, the
Sée and the
Sélune. The very low slope of the bay and the very large
tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
s formed a
mascaret in those rivers that can travel upstream for many kilometers.
Three larger rivers end in the bay: the
Sélune, the
Sée and mainly the
Couesnon
The Couesnon (; br, Kouenon) is a river running from the ''département'' of Mayenne in north-western France, forming an estuary at Mont Saint-Michel. It is long, and its drainage basin is . Its final stretch forms the border between the histor ...
that, accordingly to some local folk stories, was originally the boundary between
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
and
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
but then moved to the West of the Mont placing it in Normandy. In reality the boundary is not at the river location but further to the west, at the foot of Mont
Saint-Broladre.
Biggest tides in Europe
Some of the biggest
tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
s in Europe occur in Mont-Saint-Michel Bay: with an average amplitude, they reach in average and up to during the highest
tides
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables ca ...
. This is due in part to the low depth of the bay and the barrier effect from the
Cotentin Peninsula
The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...
.
The ocean moves very fast, both at low and at high
tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
, up to away. The
tides
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables ca ...
have been described by
Victor Hugo as "''à la vitesse d'un cheval au galop'' (as swiftly as a galloping horse)". In reality the full extent of the
tides
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables ca ...
is only visible at the entry of the
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a ...
(the sea level around the
mont Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France.
The island lies approximately off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is ...
is above the low
tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
level) and its actual speed is closer to a walking human, the fastest observed being around 6.1 km/h.
[Fernand Verger, « A la vitesse d'un cheval au galop ? », ''Pour la Science'', January 2010, p. 20]
The
tides
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables ca ...
mix the water, creating a rich local
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
. The
intertidal zone
The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species of ...
, the coastal area affected by the tides is about 200 km2 wide.
During the highest tide, a
tidal bore
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (serv ...
can be observedless so since the bay has been under restoration work.
Levee and polders
The levee
Polder
A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are:
# Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed
# Flood plai ...
s have been developed in Mont-Saint-Michel Bay from the 8th century or earlier than that. Between "Pointe de Château-Richeux" and Mont Saint-Broladre
seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washe ...
deposits have been used to create
levee
A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually earthen and that often runs parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastli ...
s around Dol marsh. To the East of Sainte-Anne
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...
is the "Duchesse-Anne" levee. It is long. It was built during the 11th century using granite rocks. It marks the southern border of the polders.
In 1856, M. Mosselman, founder of the "Cie des Polders de l'Ouest", was given a
concession to cultivate 3,800 hectares of shoreline between Sainte-Anne
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...
, Moidrey
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a ...
, Roche-Torin and the
Mont Saint Michel.
References
{{Authority control
Mont St Michel
Landforms of Brittany
Landforms of Normandy
Ramsar sites in Metropolitan France