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'Île d'Oléron' (English: 'Island of Oleron') is an island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort), on the southern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait. It is the second largest French island after Corsica (not counting French overseas possessions).

Contents

History

Administration

Transportation

Sources

External links

Notes

History

In the seventh and eighth century the island, along with Ré, formed the ''Vacetae Insulae'' or Vacetian Islands, according to the ''Cosmographia''.^[1] Vaceti being another name for the Vascones, the reference is evidence to Basque (Gascon) settlement or control of the islands by that date.
It was at Oléron in about 1152 to 1160 that Eleanor of Aquitaine introduced the first "maritime" or "admiralty" laws in that part of the world: the Rolls of Oleron. In 1306, Edward I of England granted the island to his son, Edward II, as part of the duchy of Aquitaine.
On March 20th 1586, the Island is taken by Agrippa d'Aubigne.

Administration

Administratively, the island belongs to the Charente-Maritime ''département'', in the Poitou-Charentes ''région''. The island is divided into 8 communes:

★ La Brée-les-Bains

★ Le Château-d'Oléron

★ Dolus-d'Oléron

★ Le Grand-Village-Plage

★ Saint-Denis-d'Oléron

★ Saint-Georges-d'Oléron

★ Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron

★ Saint-Trojan-les-Bains
The island has about 19,000 inhabitants.

Transportation

Since 1966, the island has been connected to the mainland by a road bridge. With a length of 3027 m, it is the longest bridge in France. It has been toll-free since 1991.

Sources

★ Collins, Roger. "The ''Vaccaei'', the ''Vaceti'', and the rise of ''Vasconia''." ''Studia Historica VI''. Salamanca, 1988. Reprinted in Roger Collins, ''Law, Culture and Regionalism in Early Medieval Spain''. Variorum, 1992. ISBN 0 86078 308 1.

External links

★ The official tourist office website for Oleron Island.

★ Map of Oleron:[1]

★ Webcam Ile d'oleron

Notes

1. Collins, 214.