Camargue

The Camargue is in southern France.

It sits by the sea and a big river.

This land is a flat plain. It has many lakes and wet marshes.

Many birds live in the water. You can see pink flamingos there.

White horses and cattle roam the grass.

They live in the wild lands.

People grow rice in the soil. It is a special place for nature.

The Camargue is a large area in southern France.

It sits near the Mediterranean Sea. It is also where the Rhône river splits into two parts. One part is the Grand Rhône. The other is the Petit Rhône. This land is a wide, flat plain. It has many salty lakes and wet marshes.

About one third of the area is water or marsh. This makes it a great home for many animals. Over 400 kinds of birds live here. You can even see greater flamingos in the salt ponds.

White Camargues horses and cattle roam the land. Local cowboys, called gardians, look after these animals. People also use the land for farming. They grow rice, grapes, and grains. Near the sea, people collect salt from the water. The land is always changing. The river brings in much mud every year. This mud makes the coast move outward over time.

Many people work hard to protect this special place.

The Camargue is a vast coastal region in southern France.

It sits right between the Mediterranean Sea and the Rhône river. The river splits into two main arms here. One arm is called the Grand Rhône. The other arm is known as the Petit Rhône. This area is one of the largest river deltas in western Europe. It is a wide, flat plain made of many parts. About one third of the land is made of lakes or marshes.

Large salty lagoons called étangs sit behind sandbars near the sea. These lagoons are surrounded by marshes filled with tall reeds.

Many different living things call this place home. The marshes are a perfect place for over 400 types of birds. You can find greater flamingos living in the salty ponds. White Camargues horses roam the wide marshlands. You will also see Camargue cattle living there. These animals often live in large, free-running herds called manades. Local cowboys known as gardians look after them. They ride the horses to care for the cattle and sheep. Even tiny insects like mosquitoes live in the wet marshes.

Humans have lived in this region for thousands of years. In the Middle Ages, monks worked the land. They even ran salt abbeys to collect salt. Later, rich landlords built large estates called mas. People have changed the land by building dykes and rice paddies. They also built dams to help control the water. In 1858, a sea dyke was built to stop erosion. These changes help people live safely near the water. However, flooding is still a problem for the people here.

There are several important towns in the Camargue. The city of Arles is near the north end. Some people call it the capital of the delta. Another town called Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is also known as a capital. It sits near the coast to the southwest. The medieval town of Aigues-Mortes sits on the western edge. This town is located in the Petite Camargue. People visit these places to see the history and the sea.

A local museum can teach you about the plants and animals.

The landscape is always changing because of the river. Every year, the Rhône carries 20 million cubic meters of mud downstream. This mud settles and makes the coastline move outward. This means some old areas now sit further inland. Because the land is so special, it is highly protected. The central area is part of a regional park. This park was started in 1927 to protect wild birds. In 1986, the area was named a wetland of international importance. This helps keep the Camargue safe for the future.

The Camargue is a vast coastal region located in southern France. It sits in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, south of the city of Arles. The region lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône river delta. These two river branches are named the Grand Rhône and the Petit Rhône. The area is one of the largest river deltas in western Europe.

It is a wide, flat plain that includes a smaller area called the Petite Camargue. This smaller part sits just west of the Petit Rhône in the Gard department.

The physical landscape of the Camargue is shaped by water and salt. Approximately one third of the region consists of lakes or marshland. Large, salty lagoons known as étangs are common features of the plain. These lagoons are cut off from the sea by natural sandbars. Surrounding these lagoons are marshes filled with thick reeds. The native plants must be able to survive in these saline, or salty, conditions. Species such as sea lavender, glasswort, tamarisks, and reeds all flourish here.

This unique environment supports a massive variety of life. The Camargue is home to more than 400 species of birds. Because of this, BirdLife International has identified it as an Important Bird Area. The brine ponds are a rare European habitat for the greater flamingo.

The marshes also host many insects, including some of the most ferocious mosquitoes in France. Larger animals also roam the landscape. White Camarguais horses and Camargue cattle live in the marshlands. These animals often live in semi-feral conditions within a manade, which is a free-running herd.

Human activity has deeply influenced the Camargue for millennia. People have used drainage schemes, dykes, and salt pans to manage the land. Much of the outer Camargue has been drained to create space for agriculture. In the north, the land is used to grow cereals, grapes, and rice. Near the coast, humans have extracted salt since prehistoric times. In the Middle Ages, Cistercian and Benedictine monks operated salt abbeys at Ulmet, Franquevaux, and Psalmody. By the 19th century, industrial salt collection led to the creation of the mining city, Salin-de-Giraud.

Local culture is closely tied to the animals of the region. The white Camarguais horses are ridden by men known as gardians. These cowboys act as herders for the cattle and sheep. They rear Camargue cattle to produce fighting bulls for regional use and for export to Spain.

You can still see the traditional way of life in the region.

Some gardians live in traditional homes that feature tall poles for checking on animals.

The geography of the delta is constantly shifting due to the power of the Rhône. Every year, the river transports as much as 20 million cubic meters of mud downstream. This sediment is deposited at the river's mouth, causing the coastline to move outward. Some of the existing étangs are actually the remains of old river arms. This process of change is so constant that the medieval town of Aigues-Mortes is now located inland. While man-made barriers like dams and sea dykes modify this pace, flooding remains a persistent challenge.

To protect this changing landscape, several conservation efforts are in place. The central area around the Étang de Vaccarès has been a protected regional park since 1927. In 2008, this area became part of the larger Parc naturel régional de Camargue. This park covers 144,800 hectares and is one of the most protected territories in Europe. On December 1, 1986, the Camargue was designated a Ramsar site. This means it is recognized as a Wetland of International Importance. The Petite Camargue received this same status on January 8, 1996.