Island of Ré

Île de Ré

Satellite photo of Île de Ré
Île de Ré
Geography
Location	Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	46°12′N 1°25′W / 46.200°N 1.417°W / 46.200; -1.417Coordinates: 46°12′N 1°25′W / 46.200°N 1.417°W / 46.200; -1.417
Area	85 km2 (33 sq mi)
Length	30 km (19 mi)
Width	5 km (3.1 mi)
Highest elevation	20 m (70 ft)
Highest point	Peu des Aumonts
Administration
France
Region	Poitou-Charentes
Department	Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement	La Rochelle
Largest settlement	La Flotte
Demographics
Population	17,723 (2012)
Pop. density	208.5 /km2 (540 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	French people

Île de Ré (pronounced: [il də ʁe]; variously spelled Rhé, Rhéa or Rhea; in English Isle of Rhé) is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait. Its highest point has an elevation of 20 metres (66 feet). It is 30 kilometres (19 miles) long and 5 kilometres (3 miles) wide. The 2.9 km (1.8 mi) Île de Ré bridge, completed in 1988, connects it to La Rochelle on the mainland.

Administratively, the island is part of the Charente-Maritime département, in the Poitou-Charentes région. The island is also a part of the Charente-Maritime's 1st constituency.

Located in the arrondissement of La Rochelle, Île de Ré includes two cantons: Saint-Martin-de-Ré eastwards and Ars-en-Ré westwards. The island is divided into 10 communes, from East to West: Rivedoux-Plage, La Flotte, Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, Saint-Martin-de-Ré, Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, La Couarde-sur-Mer, Loix, Ars-en-Ré, Saint-Clément-des-Baleines, Les Portes-en-Ré.