Sangatte

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Sangatte is a small (4,046 inhabitants at the 1999 census) harbour town and commune of the Pas-de-Calais département, on the northern coast of France, bordering the English Channel.

Like many placenames in French Flanders, the name is of Flemish (Dutch) origin (Zandgat) and means "gap in the sand".

Sangatte became internationally famous because of the works for the Channel Tunnel. It also achieved notoriety as the location of a controversial refugee camp. In addition, it is the French end-point for the HVDC Cross-Channel, the connection between the UK and French electricity grids.

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Coordinates: 50°56′N 1°45′E