Tatihou
Tidal island of Normandy in France
title: "Tatihou" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["tidal-islands-of-france", "landforms-of-manche", "islands-of-normandy"] description: "Tidal island of Normandy in France" topic_path: "geography/france" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatihou" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Tidal island of Normandy in France ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox islands"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Tatihou |
| image_name | Île de Tatihou.jpg |
| image_caption | Tatihou seen from La Pernelle |
| image_size | 250px |
| map | France |
| location | English Channel |
| coordinates | |
| area_km2 | 0.29 |
| country | France |
| country_admin_divisions_title | Region |
| country_admin_divisions | Normandy |
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 | Department |
| country_admin_divisions_1 | Manche |
| country_admin_divisions_title_2 | Commune |
| country_admin_divisions_2 | Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue |
| population | 0 |
| :: |
| archipelago = | total_islands = | major_islands = | area_km2 = 0.29 | rank = | length_km = | width_km = | coastline_km = | highest_mount = | elevation_m = | Country_heading = | country = France | country_admin_divisions_title = Region | country_admin_divisions = Normandy | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = Department | country_admin_divisions_1 = Manche | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = Commune | country_admin_divisions_2 = Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue | population = 0 | population_as_of = | density_km2 = | ethnic_groups = | additional_info = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Tour_Vauban,_Tatihou,_Saint_Vaast_La_Hougue_01.jpg" caption="[[Vauban]]'s tower in Tatihou"] ::
Tatihou is an islet of Normandy in France with an area of 29 ha. It is located to the east of the Cotentin peninsula just off the coast near Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue. It is almost uninhabited, and is usually reached by amphibious craft although, being a tidal island, it is also possible to walk there over the local oyster beds at low tide. Access to the island is limited to 500 visitors per day.
History
Tatihou, like the names of many of the islets of the Channel Islands, contains the -hou suffix.
In 1692 the naval Battle of La Hougue took place between the English and the French close to the island of Tatihou. In 1756 the surroundings of La Hougue were defended by many batteries and forts, but the lack of regular maintenance ensured that these quickly fell into disrepair. In 1720 Tatihou was used for quarantining plague victims from Marseille.
On 10 December 1803, the 36-gun frigate HMS Shannon grounded on Tatihou. All her crew survived to be captured by troops from a battery. The next day a party from HMS Merlin burned Shannon to prevent her arms and stores falling into French hands. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/No.3_Shannon_on_shore_near_Cape_Barfleur_Dec_17_1803.jpg" caption="''Shannon'' on shore, by [[Edward Pelham Brenton]], c.1803, in the [[National Maritime Museum]], Greenwich"] ::
Culture
Tatihou has hosted a small folk festival since 1995, Les Traversées de Tatihou, every August 15. The hours are selected according to the tides to allow the festival goers to get home. The island also hosts music courses several times a year.
The watch-tower on Tatihou is among the Fortifications of Vauban UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Flora and fauna
An ornithological reserve was founded in 1990 with an area of 3 ha. The island is a stopping place for many migrating birds, including the herring gull, great black-backed gull, common shelduck, little egret, eider, wigeon and yellow-legged gull. There is also a botanical garden on the island.
Twinning
Tatihou is twinned with:
- UK Brownsea Island, United Kingdom
References
References
- "Dorset Twinning Association List". The Dorset Twinning Association.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::