White dot: Location of Belle Île in France
Red dot: Location of the city Le Palais on Belle Île

Belle Île or Belle Île en Mer is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the département of Morbihan. Traditional coat of arms This article is about the historical duchy and French province, as well as the cultural area of Brittany. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties and are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas régions. ... Morbihan is a département in the northwest of France named after the Morbihan (small sea in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline. ...

Administratively, the island is divided into several communes, including: The commune (in French: commune, word appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common) is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. ...

• Bangor
• Le Palais
• Locmaria
• Sauzon

The two main ports are Le Palais (accessible by ferry from Quiberon) and Sauzon (accessible by ferry from Quiberon and Lorient). Lorient is a commune and a seaport of Brittany, France, in the Morbihan département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ...

During the summer the island's population increases dramatically, with many people owning a second home on the island, because of its secluded location and beaches. 19th century Cottages in the small hamlet of Crafton, Buckinghamshire A cottage is a small house of any period. ...

It is the setting for a portion of The Man in the Iron Mask, an adventure novel by 19th century French writer Alexandre Dumas. The Man in the Iron Mask was a prisoner believed to have been held in the Bastille prison from an unknown date to his death in November 19, 1703. ... Alexandre Dumas redirects here. ...

External link

• Tourist office website (http://www.belle-ile.com/)