Arcachon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Commune of Arcachon Arcachon from the sea |
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| Location | |
| Longitude | 01° 10' 03" W |
| Latitude | 44° 39' 34" N |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Aquitaine |
| Department | Gironde |
| Arrondissement | Arcachon |
| Canton | Arcachon (chief town) |
| Mayor | Yves Foulon (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Altitude | 0 m–45 m (avg. 8 m) |
| Land area¹ | 7.56 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
11,459 |
| - Density (1999) | 1,515/km² |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 33009/ 33120 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| ² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel). | |
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Arcachon is a commune of the Gironde département, in France.
Arcachon is a popular watering-place, with a fine beach and a mild climate, favourable for invalids suffering from pulmonary complaints, on the Atlantic coast of southwest France, 34 miles southwest of Bordeaux in the Landes forest.
Arcachon is known for the "Arcachon villa", which is the architectural style of many of the older houses there. It is a type of Victorian architecture. The Arcachon villa style was criticized for generations, but it is now considered to be charming and deeply human.
Close by on the Bassin d'Arcachon is Europe's largest sand dune, the Dune du Pyla (or Pilat), nearly 3 kilometres long, 500 metres wide reaching 107 metres in height, and moving inland at rate of 5 metres per annum.
The area is served by La Teste-de-Buch Airport.
[edit] Notable natives and residents
- Yaruch Bann writer, musician and linguistic searcher
[edit] Reference
- This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.
[edit] External links
- Arcachon's Sand Dune - Picture
- Aerial view of the Dune du Pyla
- Dune du Pyla site
- air photography of Arcachon
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