ORIGINAL COASTLINE

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Linear measurement of an irregular coastline (the rocky coast of the Provence Alpes - Côte d’Azur region, the west coast of Corsica or the western end of the coast of Roussillon) gives very different results according to the scale of the maps used. The data presented in MEDAM are standardised: they were all obtained by measurements (same method) on maps of the same scale: 1/10 000. The data available elsewhere (sometimes appreciably different) refer, depending on the region, to maps of different and / or smaller scales (many measurements were made on 1/25 000 scale maps), but most often the scale of the maps used is not specified.

The coastline measured is the natural (original) coastline prior to any reclamation from the sea. In the case of constructions on reclaimed areas (harbours, landfills, etc.), we have attempted to trace the outline of the original coastline. This outline was based on examination of either aerial photographs (for constructions dating from the last century), or on very early maps (as for the roadstead of Toulon, the coastline of the harbour at Marseille or the harbour at Nice). The outline of the coast adopted can be seen in the cartographical data.

The list of early maps used is available (see list of early maps).

Several particular cases related especially to redevelopments partly constructed by excavating the land, superimposed constructions and urban or rural district borders that overlap a reclamation area are cited for each reclamation concerned in the descriptions of reclamation (under the heading ‘Comments’ in each descriptive note).

Measurements were made on a large number of maps.

The total length of coastline for the whole of the French Mediterranean coast is 2 057 km, 5 km for the coast of Monaco and 100 km for the coastline of the Etang de Berre (or 2 162 km for the whole coastline included in MEDAM).

The total length of the continental French coastline (including Monaco) is 1 085 km including 853 km for the coast of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (not including Monaco and Berre) and 227 km for the coast of Languedoc Roussillon. The length of the coast of Corsica is: 977 km.
Details by county (département ), by urban or rural district (commune) and by ECD water mass are available in  the numerical data.

CONSTRUCTION AND REDEVELOPMENT ON AREAS RECLAIMED FROM THE SEA GREATER THAN 100 m²

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The characteristics of the redevelopments considered have been specified on the Home Page under the heading « See the definitions and characteristics of these types of reclamations ».

The total number of reclamations from the sea for the whole of the French Mediterranean coast is 1 050.

The number is 10 for the coast of Monaco and 106 for the coast of the Etang de Berre (or 1 166 for the whole of the coast included in MEDAM).
The distribution of these reclamations and therefore of the resulting impact is very unequal from region to region. The total number of reclamations from the sea for the continental French Mediterranean coast (not including Monaco or Berre) is 947 (= PACA without Berre + Languedoc Roussillon), including :
 - 674 for the coast of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (not including Monaco or Berre),
 - 273 for the coast of Languedoc Roussillon.
The number is 103 for the coast of Corsica.
Among all the reclamations from the sea on the French Mediterranean (1 050 – not including Monaco or Berre), we have identified:
 - 176 harbours,
 - 82 ports of refuge,
 - 173 landfills,
 - 64 artificial horseshoe-shaped beaches,
 - 432 jetties,
 - 48 pontoons,
 - 37 river-mouth dykes.
The numbers of reclamations from the sea by county (département), by urban or rural district (commune) or by ECD water mass are available in the « numerical data ».
The characteristics of each reclamation are given under the heading « reclamations ».

COASTLINE ARTIFICIALISED BY RECLAMATIONS FROM THE SEA

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Le cumul du linéaire du trait de côte sous forme d’amoncellement de blocs rocheux, de tétrapodes en beton ou de murs en béton ( km pour l’ensemble des côtes françaises de la Méditerranée, hors Monaco et Berre) est très inégal selon les régions.

En effet, ce linéaire naturel (initial) artificialisé s’élève, pour toutes les côtes continentales françaises de la Méditerranée (hors Monaco et Berre), à  km (= PACA sans Berre + Languedoc Roussillon), dont :

 -  km pour les côtes de Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (sans Monaco et sans Berre),

 -  km pour les côtes du Languedoc Roussillon.

Il est de  km pour les côtes de la Corse.

Pour Monaco nous avons distingué  km de littoral artificialisé par des aménagements gagnés sur la mer et pour Berre  km.

Le linéaire artificialisé par les aménagements gagnés sur la mer par département, par commune ou par masse d’eau DCE est disponible dans les « données chiffrées ».

Le linéaire artificialisé par chaque aménagement est donné dans « aménagements ».

 

The accumulated length of coastline taking the form of piles of rock blocks, concrete tetrapods of concrete sea walls ( km for the whole of the French Mediterranean coast, not including Monaco and Berre) is very unequal from region to region.
The natural (original) coastline that has been artificialised amounts for the whole of the continental French Mediterranean coast (not including Monaco and Berre), to  km (= PACA without Berre + Languedoc Roussillon), including :
 -  km for the coast of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (not including Monaco and Berre),
 -  km for the coast of Languedoc Roussillon.
The figure is  km for the coast of Corsica.

For Monaco, we have estimated  km of coastline artificialised by reclamations from the sea and for Berre  km.
The coastline artificialised by reclamations by county (département), by urban or rural district (commune) or by ECD water mass is available in the « numerical data ».
The coastline artificialised by each reclamation is given under the heading « reclamations ».