Tristan Island or the Île Tristan is located at the mouth of the Pouldavid Estuary off the French port of Douarnenez in south-western Brittany. It is only about 450 m long and 250 m wide but despite its small size, it has a rich history, especially since the Middle Ages when a priory was built there. In the 19th century, it became famous as the site of the first canning factory for sardines fished in the Bay of Douarnenez. It is also closely associated with Breton legends and the island of Ys. Now uninhabited, the island has become a nature reserve which is only accessible to tourists once or twice a year or by special arrangement with the local tourist office. At low tide, the island is connected to the mainland on the Douarnenez (or eastern) side of the estuary.
Read more about Tristan Island: History, Landscape, Fauna and Flora, Offices For The Marine Park, Gallery, External Links
Famous quotes containing the word island:
“We crossed a deep and wide bay which makes eastward north of Kineo, leaving an island on our left, and keeping to the eastern side of the lake. This way or that led to some Tomhegan or Socatarian stream, up which the Indian had hunted, and whither I longed to go. The last name, however, had a bogus sound, too much like sectarian for me, as if a missionary had tampered with it; but I knew that the Indians were very liberal. I think I should have inclined to the Tomhegan first.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)