Gulf of Morbihan
Encyclopedia
Morbihan
Morbihan is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan , the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline.-History:...
in the south of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, 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...
. This English name is taken from the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
version: le golfe du Morbihan. It is more accurately called 'the Morbihan' directly from its Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
name which is Ar Mor Bihan, meaning 'the little sea' (Compare the Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
y môr bychan), as opposed to the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
outside, (Ar Mor Bras). Legend says that there are as many islands in the Gulf as there are days of the year. However, this is untrue and the gulf has about 40, depending on the tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
. Many islands are private property, except the largest two, l'Île-aux-Moines
Île-aux-Moines
Île-aux-Moines is a commune in the Morbihan department in the region of Brittany in north-western France....
and l'Île-d'Arz.
The area around the gulf features an extraordinary range of megalithic monuments. There are passage dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s, stepped pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
s with underground dolmen chambers, stone circle
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
s, and giant menhir
Menhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
s, among others. The site best known to outsiders is Carnac
Carnac
Carnac is a commune beside the Gulf of Morbihan on the south coast of Brittany in the Morbihan department in north-western France.Its inhabitants are called Carnacois...
, where remains of a dozen rows of huge standing stones run for over ten kilometers. The passage grave
Passage grave
thumb|250px|right|A simple passage tomb in [[Carrowmore]] near [[Sligo]] in IrelandA passage grave or passage tomb consists of a narrow passage made of large stones and one or multiple burial chambers covered in earth or stone. Megaliths are usually used in the construction of passage tombs, which...
of Gavrinis
Gavrinis
Gavrinis is a small island, situated in the Gulf of Morbihan in Brittany, France. It contains the Gavrinis tomb, a megalithic monument notable for its abundance of megalithic art in the European Neolithic. Administratively, it is part of the commune of Larmor-Baden.-Geography:Reachable by boat...
, on a small island in the Gulf, is one of the most important such sites in Europe. Some of the ruins have been dated to at least 3300 BC — 200 years older than England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
.
Tides and currents
The gulf is sheltered from the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
by the peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
of Rhuys, but there is a 1 km long gap between Port-Navalo (in the commune of Arzon
Arzon
Arzon is a commune located at the extremity of the Rhuys peninsula in the Morbihan department in the Brittany region in north-western France.-Geography:...
) and Kerpenhir (commune of Locmariaquer
Locmariaquer
Locmariaquer is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.It lies south of Auray by road.-Coat of arms:This coat of arms was created 30 years ago by the local artist Jean-Baptiste Corlobé...
). Because of this gap, there are strong tidal
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
currents. At this gap, water speeds can reach up to 9.4 knots.
Communes located along the gulf
- LocmariaquerLocmariaquerLocmariaquer is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.It lies south of Auray by road.-Coat of arms:This coat of arms was created 30 years ago by the local artist Jean-Baptiste Corlobé...
- AurayAurayAuray is a commune located in the Morbihan department of Brittany in France. Inhabitants of Auray are called Alréens.-Geography:The city is surrounded by the communes of Crac'h to the south and west, Brech to the north and Pluneret to the east. It is crossed by the Loch, a small coastal river...
- PlougoumelenPlougoumelenPlougoumelen is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-Demography:The inhabitants of Plougoumelen are known in French as Plougoumelenois.-References:* * -External links:* *...
- Le Bono
- BadenBaden, MorbihanBaden is a commune in the Morbihan département in Brittany in north-western France.-Museum:The Passions and Wings museum is devoted to the story of Joseph Le Brix , and a collection of robots and old toys donated by John and Anne Farkas. It is a must-see!-References:* * -External links:* * * *...
- Larmor-BadenLarmor-BadenLarmor-Baden is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-Île de Berder:Île de Berder is a small island in the commune of Larmor-Baden in the département of Morbihan, Brittany, France....
- ArradonArradonArradon is a commune in the Morbihan department in the Brittany region in north-western France.-External links:* * * -References:* *...
- Île-aux-MoinesÎle-aux-MoinesÎle-aux-Moines is a commune in the Morbihan department in the region of Brittany in north-western France....
- Île-d'Arz
- VannesVannesVannes is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2000 years ago.-Geography:Vannes is located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin. It is around 100 km northwest of Nantes and 450 km south west...
- SénéSénéSéné is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-Breton language:The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on September 22 2006.-References:* * -External links:* * *...
- TheixTheixTheix is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-Breton language:In 2008, there was 25,37% of the children attended the bilingual schools in primary education.-Sightseeing:...
- NoyaloNoyaloNoyalo is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-References:* * -External links:* *...
- Le HézoLe HézoLe Hézo is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-References:* * -External links:* *...
- Saint-ArmelSaint-Armel, MorbihanSaint-Armel is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-References:* * -External links:* *...
- SarzeauSarzeauSarzeau is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.It is located on the Rhuys peninsula between the Gulf of Morbihan and the Atlantic Ocean.-History:...
- Saint-Gildas-de-RhuysSaint-Gildas-de-RhuysSaint-Gildas-de-Rhuys is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.Its French name refers to Saint Gildas, who was a monk at Rhuys.-References:* * -External links:* *...
- ArzonArzonArzon is a commune located at the extremity of the Rhuys peninsula in the Morbihan department in the Brittany region in north-western France.-Geography:...