Island of Oléron
Aerial photograph of Oléron
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 Île d'Oléron
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 45°54′N 1°18′W / 45.9°N 1.3°WCoordinates: 45°54′N 1°18′W / 45.9°N 1.3°W |
| Area | 174 km2 (67 sq mi) |
| Length | 30 km (19 mi) |
| Width | 8 km (5 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 34 m (112 ft) |
| Administration | |
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France
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| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Charente-Maritime |
| Arrondissement | Rochefort |
| Largest settlement | Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron (pop. 6,687) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 21,871 (2010) |
| Pop. density | 126 /km2 (326 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | French people |
Île d'Oléron (pronounced [il doleʁɔ̃]) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort), on the southern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait.
It is the second largest island of Metropolitan France, after Corsica.
In the 7th and 8th century, the island, along with Ré, formed the Vacetae Insulae or Vacetian Islands, according to the Cosmographia. Vaceti being another name for the Vascones, the reference is evidence to Basque (Gascon) settlement or control of the islands by that date.
It was at Oléron in about 1152 to 1160 that Eleanor of Aquitaine introduced the first 'maritime' or 'admiralty' laws in that part of the world: the Rolls of Oleron. In 1306, Edward I of England granted the island to his son, Edward II, as part of the Duchy of Aquitaine.
On 20 March 1586, the island was taken by Agrippa d'Aubigné.
During the Second World War, the island was occupied by German forces and fortified. It was liberated by Free French Forces in an amphibious assault code named Operation Jupiter on 29 April 1945. The French cruiser Duquesne fired 550 heavy shells at the German artillery batteries. The garrison surrendered on the following day.
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Wikipedia