Île Sainte-Marguerite
Native name: Île Sainte-Marguerite Nickname: Lero | |
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Map of Sainte Marguerite Island | |
Interactive map of Sainte Marguerite Island | |
| Etymology | Martyr Saint Margaret of Antioch |
| Geography | |
| Location | Mediterranean Sea |
| Coordinates | 43°31′10″N 7°03′00″E / 43.51944°N 7.05000°E |
| Archipelago | Lérins Islands |
| Area | 2.1 km2 (0.81 sq mi) |
| Length | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
| Width | 900 m (3000 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 27.6 m (90.6 ft) |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-Maritimes |
| Municipality | Cannes |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 20 (2016) |
| Pop. density | 9.52/km2 (24.66/sq mi) |
| Languages | French |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
Sainte Marguerite Island Sainte Marguerite Island | |
Île Sainte-Marguerite (pronounced [il sɛ̃tmaʁɡ(ə)ʁit]; French: Île Sainte-Marguerite, transl. Saint Margaret Island) is the largest of the Lérins Islands, about half a mile offshore from the French Riviera city of Cannes, situated in the Bay of Cannes. The island is approximately 3,200 metres (2.0 miles) in length (east to west) and 950 metres (0.59 miles) across (north to south). Sainte Marguerite Island is the closest of the Lérins Islands to Cannes, just 700 metres from the Palm-Beach headland, and the most extensive, covering an area of 2.1 square kilometres (210 hectares). It reaches an altitude of only 27.6 metres (0.0171 miles) in the north, near the fort.
The island is most famous for its fortress prison, entitled the "Fort Royal" (French: "Fort Royal"), in which the so-called Man in the Iron Mask was held for 11 years (1687–1698) of his 34 years of imprisonment.