Molène

Île-Molène Molenez
Commune
A general view of Molène
Île-Molène
Location within Brittany region  Île-Molène
Coordinates: 48°23′50″N 4°57′20″W / 48.3972°N 4.9556°W / 48.3972; -4.9556Coordinates: 48°23′50″N 4°57′20″W / 48.3972°N 4.9556°W / 48.3972; -4.9556
Country	France
Region	Brittany
Department	Finistère
Arrondissement	Brest
Canton	Saint-Renan
Intercommunality	Pays d'Iroise
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Daniel Masson
Area1	0.75 km2 (0.29 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	214
• Density	290/km2 (740/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	29084 /29259
Elevation	0–26 m (0–85 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Molène (Breton: Molenez) is an island off the west coast of Brittany and one of the Ponant Islands, the largest of an archipelago of some twenty islands. Administratively, it is part of a commune of the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France, the commune of Île-Molène, which also comprises several neighbouring islets.

The island is small, less than 1 by 0.9 km (0.56 mi), and has an area of 75 hectares. The community and only port are located to the east of the island, opposite a small island called the Lédénes of Molène that becomes connected at low tide.

Inhabitants of Île-Molène are called in French Molénais. The population has declined in recent decades, but Molène remains inhabited, with a population of 169 (2013 census).

The island's electricity is produced by a small diesel generator. Potable water supplies are from rainwater catchment, with each household additionally maintaining its own cistern.

A local delicacy is Molène sausage, which has the distinction of being smoked with seaweed.