Camargue
The Camargue (/kæˈmɑːrɡ/, also UK: /kəˈ-/, US: /kɑːˈ-/, French: [kamaʁɡ]; Provençal: Camarga) is a coastal region in southern France located south of the city of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône river delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhône; the western is the Petit Rhône. It constitutes western Europe's largest river delta.
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Camargue |
| Designated | 1 December 1986 |
| Reference no. | 346 |
| Official name | La Petite Camargue |
| Designated | 8 January 1996 |
| Reference no. | 786 |
Administratively, it lies within the department of Bouches-du-Rhône (‘Mouths of the Rhône’); it spans portions of the communes of Arles, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône. A further expanse of marshy plain, known as the "Petite Camargue" (Little Camargue), just to the west of the "Petit Rhône", lies within the department of Gard.
The Camargue was designated a Ramsar site as a "Wetland of International Importance" on 1 December 1986. The Petite Camargue received this designation on 8 January 1996.