Fort-Mahon-Plage

Fort-Mahon-Plage
Commune

Coat of arms
Fort-Mahon-Plage

Coordinates: 50°20′31″N 1°34′11″E / 50.3419°N 1.5697°E / 50.3419; 1.5697Coordinates: 50°20′31″N 1°34′11″E / 50.3419°N 1.5697°E / 50.3419; 1.5697
Country France
Region Hauts-de-France
Department Somme
Arrondissement Abbeville
Canton Rue
Intercommunality CC Ponthieu-Marquenterre
Government
 • Mayor (2001–2008) Jean-Claude Vannicatte
Area1 13.04 km2 (5.03 sq mi)
Population (2006)2 1,296
 • Density 99/km2 (260/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 80333 /80120
Elevation 1–30 m (3.3–98.4 ft)
(avg. 4 m or 13 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Fort-Mahon-Plage is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Geography

The commune is situated on the coast of the English Channel and endowed with a sandy beach and massive sand dunes, Fort-Mahon-Plage attracts many tourists, especially during the summer and at the weekends. Thanks to investment and the fact the town meets many environmental criteria, the town is officially classified (since 2006), as a “station balnéaire”.

Population

Historical population of Fort-Mahon-Plage
Year19621968197519821990199920062009
Population9429769789621042114012961311
From the year 1962 on: No double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) are counted only once.

History

Fort-Mahon-Plage is not a very old town. It seems certain that it did not exist before the 18th century, except, of course, the superb sand dunes and the sea. Then considered rather cold and wild, this part of the coast would have welcomed only fishermen and shellfish gatherers. Indeed, the first town was raised there only a little more than two centuries ago, with a few small shepherds’ huts in 1790. Fort-Mahon-Plage was not considered a commune at all until 1923, when it was officially identified as a separate village from its neighbour Quend-Plage-Les-Pins. Urbanization was steady, notably in the 1950s, with the immense beach of fine sand, in contrast to many of the pebble beaches of Normandy, doing a lot to attract tourists, as well as a soft and pleasant sea during the summer. The huge beach later became famous for its water activities, most notably landyacht racing, wind-surfing and kiting. The town also invested heavily in its infrastructure, most notably the very long principal promenade, the "Avenue de la plage" (Beach Avenue), of a quality design and layout that reinforces the attractiveness of the town.

Sand dunes

Twin towns

See also

References

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