Pornichet is a commune

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 Loire-Atlantique

Loire-Atlantique

Loire-Atlantique is a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.-History:...

 department in western 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...

.

Location

Pornichet is a coastal town of the Côte d'Amour, located a tens of kilometers west of Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...

.

The adjacent towns are Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...

 and La Baule-Escoublac

La Baule-Escoublac

La Baule-Escoublac, commonly referred to as La Baule, is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.A century-old seaside resort at the gateway to Britany with beautiful villas, casino, luxury hotels and an original mix of old Breton and exclusive seaside culture boasting a 12...

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Physical geography

The town of Pornichet is located

• on the line sillon de Guérande, orientated NW-SE ; the town border is located on the Route de Guérande, D392d, at approximately 4 km from the shore, at a place called Pont de Terre (railway junction) at the Quatre Vents ;
• on a coastal rock belt located upfront of the sillon de Guérande (same orientation), between two rock heads, the Pointe du Bec and the Pointe de la Lande (border with Saint-Nazaire), separated of 4,25 km ;
• on sandy terranes part of the sand dune unit of Escoublac, between the place named Mazy (border with La Baule-Escoublac) and the Pointe du Bec (length : 2 km ; width : 100 m at Mazy, 1 km at the head) ;
• on former swamp area (racetrack).

The lowest altitude (except shoreline) is of 4 m at the racetrack ; The dune behind the beach of the Libraires reaches 9 m. The cliffs of Bonne Source and Sainte-Marguerite can reach 12 m. Going in lands, altitudes progressively increase up to 44 m ; the highest point is located in the hamlet called Ville ès Blais.

Shore and beaches

Pornichet has three beaches : in the West, the Beach of the Libraires (plage des Libraires), of 2 km length, is part of the Bay of Pouliguen (baie du Pouliguen), shared with La Baule ; the border is marked by the Mazy creek (currently underground). In the Est, between the Pointe du Bec and the Pointe de la Lande, are located the beaches of Bonne-Source (2,5 km) and Sainte-Marguerite (1,5 km), separated by a rocky head called the Pointe de Congrigoux.

Toponymy

The name of Pornichet comes from Port Niché, which could be translated by Port in a niche. The town is named following its principal characteristic a port located in an alcove along a salt-work channel, which was connecting the salt-works (current racetrack) and the bay.

Ironically, Pornichet has become one of the premier locations for French porn shoots; specifically beachside porn. There has also been a popular pregnancy fetish porno flick entitled "Born in Pornichet" where a woman fornicates with a man then gives birth on the beach of this beautiful city.

History

Until the town was created in 1900, Pornichet was a hamlet of Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...

. The town is rumored to have once housed The Notorious B.I.G.

See also

• Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department
• La Baule - Guérande Peninsula
• Parc naturel régional de Brière