Oléron

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French coastal island

title: "Oléron" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["oléron", "tourist-attractions-in-charente-maritime", "islands-of-the-bay-of-biscay", "islands-of-charente-maritime", "aunis"] description: "French coastal island" topic_path: "general/oleron" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oléron" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary French coastal island ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox islands"]

FieldValue
nameIsle of Oléron
image_nameÎle d'Oléron aerial view.jpg
image_captionAerial photograph of Oléron
image_mapVert bois - 2016a.jpg
image_size250px
mapFrance Poitou-Charentes
map_captionVert bois Beach in the southwest of the island
locationAtlantic Ocean
coordinates
area_km2174
length_km30
width_km8
elevation_m34
countryFrance
country_admin_divisions_titleRegion
country_admin_divisionsNouvelle-Aquitaine
country_admin_divisions_title_1Department
country_admin_divisions_1Charente-Maritime
country_admin_divisions_title_2Arrondissement
country_admin_divisions_2Rochefort
country_largest_citySaint-Pierre-d'Oléron
country_largest_city_population
population
population_as_of2010
demonymOléronais(e)
density_km2126
ethnic_groupsFrench people
::

| name = Isle of Oléron | image_name = Île d'Oléron aerial view.jpg | image_caption = Aerial photograph of Oléron | image_map = Vert bois - 2016a.jpg | image_size = 250px | map = France Poitou-Charentes | map_caption = Vert bois Beach in the southwest of the island | native_name = | native_name_link = | nickname = | location = Atlantic Ocean | coordinates = | archipelago = | total_islands = | major_islands = | area_km2 = 174 | length_km = 30 | width_km = 8 | highest_mount = | elevation_m = 34 | country = France | country_admin_divisions_title = Region | country_admin_divisions = Nouvelle-Aquitaine | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = Department | country_admin_divisions_1 = Charente-Maritime | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = Arrondissement | country_admin_divisions_2 = Rochefort | country_capital_city = | country_largest_city = Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron | country_largest_city_population = | country_leader_title = | country_leader_name = | population = | population_as_of = 2010 | demonym = Oléronais(e) | density_km2 = 126 | ethnic_groups = French people ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Boyardville_Train_bateau.jpg" caption="Boyardville in 1910 (port in the north of Oléron island)"] ::

The Isle of Oléron or Oléron Island (, ; Saintongese: ilâte d'Olerun; , ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort), on the southern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Oleron_1686_BNF_leg.jpg" caption="1686 map of Oléron"] ::

It is the second largest island of metropolitan France, after Corsica, with a length of 30 km and a width of 8 km. It has an area of 174 km (67 sq. mi.) and more than 21,000 permanent inhabitants.

History

Oléron has been known since the 1st century, where Pliny the Elder refers to it in his Natural History as Uliaros ("in aquitanico sinu Vliaros"). ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/FR_17_Saint-Georges-d'Oléron_-_Château_Fournier.jpg" caption="Château Fournier, located in Saint-Georges d'Oléron, bears witness to the island's wine-growing past. Today, it has been transformed into a retirement home."] ::

Towards the end of the 3rd century, the Roman emperor Probus extended the privilege of owning vineyards and producing wine to all Gauls, and this led to a culture of winemaking developing on the island. This lasted until the end of the 19th century, when the arrival of phylloxera decimated almost all the vines. The vineyards did not recover, and grape production today is mainly for Cognac bois ordinaires.

In the 7th and 8th century, the island, along with Ré, formed the Vacetae Insulae or Vacetian Islands, according to the Cosmographia. Vaceti was another name for the Vascones, the reference is seen evidence of Basque (Gascon) control of the islands by that time.

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 Oléron. In 1306, Edward I of England granted the island to his son, Edward II, as part of the Duchy of Aquitaine.

In 1793, during the French Revolution, the villages of the isle of Oléron were renamed. The Château d'Oléron became "Equality", Saint-Trojan became "La Montagne", Dolus became "Sans-Culotte", Saint-Pierre became "La Fraternité" and Saint-Georges became "L'Unité". The overall territory of Oléron became the island of Liberty. A few years later, the original names were given back to the villages and towns.

During the Second World War, the island was occupied by German forces and fortified. It was liberated by Free French Forces in an amphibious assault code-named Operation Jupiter on 29 April 1945. The French cruiser Duquesne fired 550 heavy shells at the German artillery batteries, and the garrison surrendered on the following day.

The isle of Oléron is known today for the quality of its oyster production.

On 5 November 2025, a driver deliberately drove into a crowd of pedestrians and cyclists while shouting "Allahu Akbar" in Dolus-d'Oléron, injuring at least five people, including two critically.

Geography and climate

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Île_d'Oléron.svg" caption="Map of Oléron"] ::

The island has an area of about 174 km2. It is a fertile and well cultivated island on the Atlantic coast of France, that is on the Bay of Biscay.

The climate is generally mild (maritime temperate) with sufficient but not excessive rainfall, but with probably from 3 to 15 days of intense heat in the summer months of July and August, mostly grouped.

Oléron is located on the sunniest part of the French Atlantic coast, receiving more than 2100 hours of sunshine per year. |location = Île d'Oléron (Chassiron), 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1884–present |collapsed = yes |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan record high C = 17.2 |Feb record high C = 20.4 |Mar record high C = 23.4 |Apr record high C = 26.7 |May record high C = 31.2 |Jun record high C = 35.6 |Jul record high C = 35.0 |Aug record high C = 35.9 |Sep record high C = 32.8 |Oct record high C = 28.8 |Nov record high C = 21.2 |Dec record high C = 18.6 |year record high C = 35.9 |Jan high C = 9.3 |Feb high C = 9.8 |Mar high C = 12.3 |Apr high C = 14.4 |May high C = 17.8 |Jun high C = 20.7 |Jul high C = 22.5 |Aug high C = 22.7 |Sep high C = 21.0 |Oct high C = 17.6 |Nov high C = 13.1 |Dec high C = 10.1 |year high C = 16.0 |Jan mean C = 7.3 |Feb mean C = 7.6 |Mar mean C = 9.8 |Apr mean C = 11.7 |May mean C = 15.0 |Jun mean C = 17.9 |Jul mean C = 19.8 |Aug mean C = 20.0 |Sep mean C = 18.2 |Oct mean C = 15.1 |Nov mean C = 10.9 |Dec mean C = 8.0 |year mean C = 13.5 |Jan low C = 5.3 |Feb low C = 5.3 |Mar low C = 7.4 |Apr low C = 9.1 |May low C = 12.3 |Jun low C = 15.1 |Jul low C = 17.1 |Aug low C = 17.3 |Sep low C = 15.3 |Oct low C = 12.6 |Nov low C = 8.7 |Dec low C = 5.9 |year low C = 11.0 |Jan record low C = -10.0 |Feb record low C = -9.2 |Mar record low C = -5.2 |Apr record low C = -0.8 |May record low C = 4.6 |Jun record low C = 7.2 |Jul record low C = 10.2 |Aug record low C = 10.0 |Sep record low C = 7.8 |Oct record low C = 1.0 |Nov record low C = -2.0 |Dec record low C = -8.8 |year record low C = -10.0 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 68.0 |Feb precipitation mm = 51.9 |Mar precipitation mm = 46.9 |Apr precipitation mm = 58.9 |May precipitation mm = 50.9 |Jun precipitation mm = 38.7 |Jul precipitation mm = 41.8 |Aug precipitation mm = 37.1 |Sep precipitation mm = 56.8 |Oct precipitation mm = 80.7 |Nov precipitation mm = 87.4 |Dec precipitation mm = 83.7 |year precipitation mm = 702.8 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 11.9 |Feb precipitation days = 9.4 |Mar precipitation days = 9.2 |Apr precipitation days = 10.5 |May precipitation days = 9.2 |Jun precipitation days = 6.6 |Jul precipitation days = 6.6 |Aug precipitation days = 5.9 |Sep precipitation days = 7.4 |Oct precipitation days = 11.6 |Nov precipitation days = 12.3 |Dec precipitation days = 12.9 |year precipitation days = 113.6 |Jan sun = 78.8 |Feb sun = 112.5 |Mar sun = 155.5 |Apr sun = 205.7 |May sun = 238.5 |Jun sun = 252.4 |Jul sun = 282.2 |Aug sun = 264.6 |Sep sun = 195.0 |Oct sun = 131.7 |Nov sun = 94.2 |Dec sun = 68.6 |year sun = 2079.8 |source 1 = Meteociel |source 2 = Météo Climat |location = Île d'Oléron (Château-d'Oléron), 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1989–present |collapsed = yes |single line = Y |metric first = Y |Jan record high C = 16.5 |Feb record high C = 20.3 |Mar record high C = 23.5 |Apr record high C = 29.1 |May record high C = 31.0 |Jun record high C = 36.3 |Jul record high C = 37.1 |Aug record high C = 39.0 |Sep record high C = 34.6 |Oct record high C = 29.4 |Nov record high C = 22.7 |Dec record high C = 19.1 |year record high C = 39.0 |Jan avg record high C = |Feb avg record high C = |Mar avg record high C = |Apr avg record high C = |May avg record high C = |Jun avg record high C = |Jul avg record high C = |Aug avg record high C = |Sep avg record high C = |Oct avg record high C = |Nov avg record high C = |Dec avg record high C = |year avg record high C = |Jan high C = 9.6 |Feb high C = 10.7 |Mar high C = 13.5 |Apr high C = 15.6 |May high C = 19.7 |Jun high C = 22.6 |Jul high C = 24.5 |Aug high C = 25.0 |Sep high C = 22.2 |Oct high C = 18.1 |Nov high C = 13.1 |Dec high C = 9.8 |year high C = 17.1 |Jan mean C = 7.1 |Feb mean C = 7.8 |Mar mean C = 10.2 |Apr mean C = 12.2 |May mean C = 16.0 |Jun mean C = 18.8 |Jul mean C = 20.6 |Aug mean C = 21.0 |Sep mean C = 18.4 |Oct mean C = 15.0 |Nov mean C = 10.4 |Dec mean C = 7.3 |year mean C = 13.8 |Jan low C = 4.7 |Feb low C = 4.9 |Mar low C = 6.9 |Apr low C = 8.7 |May low C = 12.3 |Jun low C = 15.0 |Jul low C = 16.7 |Aug low C = 17.0 |Sep low C = 14.5 |Oct low C = 12.0 |Nov low C = 7.8 |Dec low C = 4.9 |year low C = 10.5 |Jan avg record low C = |Feb avg record low C = |Mar avg record low C = |Apr avg record low C = |May avg record low C = |Jun avg record low C = |Jul avg record low C = |Aug avg record low C = |Sep avg record low C = |Oct avg record low C = |Nov avg record low C = |Dec avg record low C = |year avg record low C = |Jan record low C = -6.6 |Feb record low C = -6.5 |Mar record low C = -4.6 |Apr record low C = 0.8 |May record low C = 5.1 |Jun record low C = 9.6 |Jul record low C = 10.0 |Aug record low C = 11.4 |Sep record low C = 7.7 |Oct record low C = 1.1 |Nov record low C = -3.7 |Dec record low C = -7.9 |year record low C = -7.9 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 76.5 |Feb precipitation mm = 56.6 |Mar precipitation mm = 55.0 |Apr precipitation mm = 67.0 |May precipitation mm = 57.1 |Jun precipitation mm = 42.0 |Jul precipitation mm = 40.6 |Aug precipitation mm = 41.0 |Sep precipitation mm = 64.9 |Oct precipitation mm = 96.0 |Nov precipitation mm = 94.6 |Dec precipitation mm = 93.3 |year precipitation mm = 784.6 |unit precipitation days = 1 mm |Jan precipitation days = 12.0 |Feb precipitation days = 9.8 |Mar precipitation days = 10.2 |Apr precipitation days = 10.6 |May precipitation days = 9.3 |Jun precipitation days = 7.1 |Jul precipitation days = 6.9 |Aug precipitation days = 6.4 |Sep precipitation days = 7.6 |Oct precipitation days = 12.2 |Nov precipitation days = 12.8 |Dec precipitation days = 13.1 |year precipitation days = 118.1 |Jan sun = |Feb sun = |Mar sun = |Apr sun = |May sun = |Jun sun = |Jul sun = |Aug sun = |Sep sun = |Oct sun = |Nov sun = |Dec sun = |year sun = |source 1 = Meteociel

Administration

Administratively, the island belongs to the Charente-Maritime département, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine région. The island is divided into 8 communes: ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/StGeorges_Oleron_eglise.jpg" caption="[[Saint George]]'s church, Oléron"] ::

The island has about 22,000 inhabitants.

Transportation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Oleron_pont.jpg" caption="Île d'Oléron bridge, seen from Le Château d'Oléron"] ::

Since 1966, the island has been connected to the mainland by a road bridge, the . With a length of 2,862 m between abutments, it was the longest bridge in France at the time of construction. It is now the third one, after the Saint-Nazaire bridge and the Île de Ré bridge. It has been toll-free since 1991.

To get to the island, it is possible to arrive at the stations of Surgères, Saintes or Rochefort, then take the bus. On the island itself, the easiest way to get around is by car or by bicycle. During the last ten years, a network of 110 km of bicycle paths have been built. These bicycle lanes are mostly car-free.

Tourism

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Chateau_d_Oleron_1703_military_mock_up.jpg" caption="[[Le Château-d'Oléron]], 1703 military mock-up."] ::

As a large Atlantic island only 3 km off the Aquitanian coast of France, Oléron is a popular tourist destination. Several companies operate boat trips from the towns of Boyardville and Saint-Denis to the nearby Île d'Aix, La Rochelle, and past the Fort Boyard. The port towns are frequently visited by tourists, especially the village of La Cotiniere. This village is the base for a hundred trawlers who sell their fish every day at 5 am and 4 pm. La Cotiniere was the first fishing port in the department of Charente-Maritime, and the 8th of France.

Notes

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. .

References

  1. Henderson, Jeffrey. "Pliny Natural History: Book IV: Chapter XIX".
  2. "Historique".
  3. AlejTech.sk. "Coulon XO Île d'Oléron Très Vieille Réserve".
  4. [[#Sources. Collins' book]], p. 214.
  5. "Noms des communes de la Charente-Maritime sous la Révolution française — Geneawiki".
  6. (1959). "The French Navy in World War II". United States Naval Institute.
  7. "Historique {{!}} huîtres Marennes Oléron".
  8. Gozzi, Laura. (2025-11-05). "Two critically injured after driver rams into people on French island". BBC News.
  9. http://www.ile-oleron-marennes.com/ {{Webarchive. link. (2006-07-05 by La Maison du Tourisme de l'île d'Oléron et du bassin de Marennes 2007)
  10. Paris, Meteo. "Actualités météo: L'ensoleillement en France et son évolution ces dernières années 26/04/2022".
  11. "Normales et records pour Chassiron (17)". Meteociel.
  12. "Île d'Oléron weather extremes". Météo Climat.
  13. "Normales et records pour Chateau d'Oleron (17)". Meteociel.
  14. [[:fr:Île d'Oléron]]

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olérontourist-attractions-in-charente-maritimeislands-of-the-bay-of-biscayislands-of-charente-maritimeaunis