Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer

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Coordinates: 43°04′60″N 5°55′60″E / 43.0833, 05.9333

Administration
Commune of Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer: view of the harbor
Location

Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Var
Arrondissement	Toulon
Canton	Saint Mandrier sur Mer
Intercommunality	Communauté d'agglomération Toulon Provence Méditerranée
Mayor	Gilles Vincent (UMP) (1995-)
Statistics
Elevation	0 m–124 m
Land area^¹	5,12 km²
Population^² (2006)	6 674
- Density	1 024/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	830153/ 83430
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer is a town and commune in the Var département of southeastern France. Across the harbour from the port of Toulon, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer is home to a fishing port of its own, tucked in to a small inlet.

1 History
2 Economics
3 References
4 See also

[edit] History

Situated on the Isle de Sépet until a causway was constructed between 1630 and 1657, what is now the town shows evidence of long habitation. A Phonecian tower once stood on the island, while the area was cleared for farming in the 6th century. The Phonecian tower was converted to a Christian chapel in 566 and the church of Saint-Honorat was built in 1020.

The causway to the mainland (the isthme des Sablettes) not only led to the creation of an independent town, but the use of the area as a battery station for the heavily fortified port of Toulon. Fishing and naval work dominated the town, with the construction of the "Infirmerie Royale Saint-Louis" naval hospital, becoming the 1818 the "Hôpital Maritime Saint-Mandrier" in 1818. In the 19th century, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer also was home to sailmaking. Naval aviation and the Fleet Mechanics and Pilots School (école des Mécaniciens et Chauffeurs de la flotte - GEM) were located in the town in the 1930s.

[edit] Economics

Once home to a French Naval Air station, its location near the homeport of the French Navy at Toulon has meant that the military has played a huge economic role in the life of the town. Increasingly, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer is focused on the tourist industry.