Andernos-les-Bains
Encyclopedia
Andernos-les-Bains is a commune
in the Gironde
department in southwestern France
.
Andernos-les-Bains is a located on the northeast shore of Arcachon Bay
. To its northwest is the town of Arès
.
Andernos-les-Bains consists of four other small communities: Taussat, Cassy, Lanton and Audenge. All these villages are characterized by their oyster
farms and small fisheries. For many years, the oyster and fishing industry provided the main income to the area. More recently, tourism has become a strong economic factor in the area.
The bay was well known for the Portuguese oyster which died out during 1970-1972 because of gill disease. But a new oyster was found, the "Pacific oyster". Nevertheless, in 1974 the new oyster developed a disease caused by the paint used on fishing boats. An oil tanker spill in 1978 further damaged the oyster industry, which continued to suffer until 1981. The oyster industry suffered substantially around the bay. This was a disaster for whole of France and Europe as the Archachon oyster is a world famous delicacy.
Since 2000 the oyster industry has been recovering and now nearly 15,000 metric tons are produced per year.
Andernos-les-Bains has a 5.4 km (3.4 mi) long sand beach.
, a French actress, is known to have visited Andernos during the First World War.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
department in southwestern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Andernos-les-Bains is a located on the northeast shore of Arcachon Bay
Arcachon Bay
Arcachon Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest coast of France, situated between the Côte d'Argent and the Côte des Landes, in the region of Aquitaine. The bay covers an area of 150 km² at high tide and 40 km² at low tide...
. To its northwest is the town of Arès
Arès
Arès is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
.
Andernos-les-Bains consists of four other small communities: Taussat, Cassy, Lanton and Audenge. All these villages are characterized by their oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
farms and small fisheries. For many years, the oyster and fishing industry provided the main income to the area. More recently, tourism has become a strong economic factor in the area.
The bay was well known for the Portuguese oyster which died out during 1970-1972 because of gill disease. But a new oyster was found, the "Pacific oyster". Nevertheless, in 1974 the new oyster developed a disease caused by the paint used on fishing boats. An oil tanker spill in 1978 further damaged the oyster industry, which continued to suffer until 1981. The oyster industry suffered substantially around the bay. This was a disaster for whole of France and Europe as the Archachon oyster is a world famous delicacy.
Since 2000 the oyster industry has been recovering and now nearly 15,000 metric tons are produced per year.
Andernos-les-Bains has a 5.4 km (3.4 mi) long sand beach.
Population
Transportation
The closest airport is Bordeaux-Mérignac (30 km).Personalities
Sarah BernhardtSarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
, a French actress, is known to have visited Andernos during the First World War.
Sights
- The Great Dune of PylaThe Great Dune of PylaThe Great Dune of Pyla is the tallest sand dune in Europe. It is located in La Teste-de-Buch in the Arcachon Bay area, France, 60 km from Bordeaux....
- the longest in Europe - Island of Birds - with two bird houses in the middle of the bay which act as landmarks
- Cape Ferret light house at the tip of the Arcachon Bay