Côte de Jade
Riviera in France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Jade Coast (French: Côte de Jade [kot də ʒad]; Breton: Arvor Jade) constitutes the coastal fringe of the Pays de Retz in Loire-Atlantique, extending from the Loire estuary in the north to the Marais breton in the south, thus bordering the Bay of Bourgneuf on its southern part. Its jagged coasts and its numerous beaches are of summer tourist interest.
Jade Coast
Côte de Jade | |
|---|---|
   From top down, left to right: Carrelets at la Roussellerie (Saint-Brévin-les-Pins), Port de Comberge at Tharon-Plage, La pointe Saint-Gildas in Prefailles, Noëveillard beach in Pornic. | |
 Interactive map of Jade Coast | |
| Coordinates: 47.135°N 2.245°W | |
| Country | France |
Description
There is a notable disparity between the coasts north and south of Pointe Saint-Gildas.
To the north, from Mindin (Saint-Brevin-les-Pins) to Cormier (La Plaine-sur-Mer) stretch long fine sandy beaches with vast foreshores, bordered by pine-wooded dunes or low cliffs.
To the south, from La Plaine-sur-Mer to La Bernerie-en-Retz, the coast is wilder and presents a succession of coves and more or less reduced beaches, separated by rocky areas with larger schist cliffs. These then fade into the mudflats, salt marshes and polders of the Marais Breton around Les Moutiers-en-Retz.[1][2]
Development
Toponymy
The Côte de Jade was named from jade-green colours of the sea during the expansion of tourism during the 1930s.[5]
Resorts
The principal resorts of the Côte de Jade are: