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Fort-Mahon-Plage

Coordinates: 50°20′31″N 1°34′11″E / 50.3419°N 1.5697°E / 50.3419; 1.5697
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Fort-Mahon-Plage
The town hall in Fort-Mahon
The town hall in Fort-Mahon
Coat of arms of Fort-Mahon-Plage
Location of Fort-Mahon-Plage
Map
Fort-Mahon-Plage is located in France
Fort-Mahon-Plage
Fort-Mahon-Plage
Fort-Mahon-Plage is located in Hauts-de-France
Fort-Mahon-Plage
Fort-Mahon-Plage
Coordinates: 50°20′31″N 1°34′11″E / 50.3419°N 1.5697°E / 50.3419; 1.5697
CountryFrance
RegionHauts-de-France
DepartmentSomme
ArrondissementAbbeville
CantonRue
IntercommunalityCC Ponthieu-Marquenterre
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Alain Baillet[1]
Area
1
13.04 km2 (5.03 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
1,294
 • Density99/km2 (260/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
80333 /80120
Elevation1–30 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.

Fort-Mahon-Plage (French pronunciation: [fɔʁ ma.ɔ̃ plaʒ]) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

Geography

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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

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 976—    
1975 978+0.03%
1982 962−0.24%
1990 1,042+1.00%
1999 1,140+1.00%
2007 1,298+1.64%
2012 1,234−1.01%
2017 1,259+0.40%
Source: INSEE[3]

History

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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. Considered rather cold and wild, this part of the coast would have welcomed only fishermen and shellfish gatherers. 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 1922, when it was officially identified as a separate village from its neighbour Quend.[4] 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

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  4. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Fort-Mahon-Plage, EHESS (in French).
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