Ushant ( / ˈ ʌ ʃ ə n t / ; Breton : Eusa , pronounced [ˈøsa] ; French : Ouessant , pronounced [wɛsɑ̃] ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France . It belongs to Brittany and in medieval times, Léon . In lower tiers of government, it is a commune in the Finistère department . It is the only place in Brittany, save for Brittany itself, with a separate name in English.
27-637: Neighbouring islets include Keller Island ( Île de Keller ) and Kadoran ( Île Cadoran ) to the north. The 200-meter (660 ft) channel between Ushant and Keller is called the Toull C'heller . Ushant marks the southern limit of the Celtic Sea and the southern end to the western English Channel , the northern end being the Isles of Scilly , southwest of Land's End in Cornwall , England . According to definitions of
54-629: A 1972 article states, "what British maps call the Western Approaches , and what the oil industry calls the Celtic Sea [...] certainly the residents on the western coast [of Great Britain] don't refer to it as such." The seabed under the Celtic Sea is referred to as the Celtic Shelf , part of the continental shelf of Europe. The northeast portion has a depth of between 90 and 100 m (300–330 ft), increasing towards Saint George's Channel. In
81-526: A common name came to be felt because of the area's common marine biology , geology and hydrology . It was adopted in France before being common in English-speaking countries. In 1957, Édouard Le Danois wrote, "the name Celtic Sea is hardly known even to oceanographers." Marine biologists and oceanographers adopted it, and later, by petroleum exploration firms. It is named in a 1963 British atlas, but
108-599: A few places. Apart from Ushant, these are in remote islands and mountains of Britain and Scandinavia and some places around the Baltic Sea . It is one of the smallest breeds of domestic sheep . It is usually black or dark brown (a few are white), and it is now kept elsewhere in the world as a heritage breed . The isolation of the island has helped the conservation of the European dark bee ( Apis mellifera mellifera ), unaffected by pollution, pesticides and Varroa parasites. In
135-527: A repetitive old Breton proverb, "Qui voit Molène voit sa peine / Qui voit Ouessant voit son sang / Qui voit Sein voit sa fin / Qui voit Groix voit sa croix." ("Who sees Molène sees his pains (or penalty) / who sees Ushant sees his blood / who sees Sein sees his end / who sees Groix sees his cross"). This proverb underlines local points, which are often deadly to navigate with many rocks, and tidal streams of more than ten knots . A standard start and finish line for traditional all-oceans circumnavigations
162-448: Is between Ushant and Lizard Point . There is a single school on the island, attended by the majority of the island's youth: L'École D'Ouessant, south-east of the main town. It was founded in 1865 by Scottish refugees fleeing English persecution. It is the only large workplace on the island, and a major employer. The sole village on the island is Lambaol (Lampaul), which has the mayoral office, school and post office. People also live in
189-946: Is covered by the Dumbarton constituency, which is in the West of Scotland region. An eastern portion of the Moray area is covered by the Gordon constituency, in the North East Scotland region. The Boundary Commission also recommended changes to the electoral regions used to elect "list" members of the Scottish Parliament. Highlands and Islands was amended so as to contain the newly redrawn constituencies of Argyll and Bute ; Caithness , Sutherland and Ross; Inverness and Nairn ; Moray ; Na h-Eileanan an Iar ; Orkney Islands ; Shetland Islands ; and Skye , Lochaber and Badenoch . N.B. This table
216-452: Is for presentation purposes only ( Conservative ) In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows: Elected candidates are highlighted in bold . In the 2011 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows: In the 2007 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows: In the 2003 Scottish Parliament election the region elected MSPs as follows: Changes: Changes: In
243-588: The International Hydrographic Organization the island lies outside the English Channel and is in the Celtic Sea . The island is a rocky landmass at most eight by three kilometres (five by two miles), covering 15 km ( 5 + 3 ⁄ 4 sq mi). Ushant is famous for its maritime past, both as a fishing community and as a key landmark in the Channel approaches. It is named in
270-508: The 1980s and 1990s. The water is too deep for fixed wind turbines. The area has potential for 50 GW of floating wind farms , and TotalEnergies plans a project with almost 100 MW. The Celtic Sea has a rich fishery with total annual catches of 1.8 million tonnes as of 2007. Four cetacean species occur frequently: minke whale , bottlenose dolphin , short-beaked common dolphin and harbor porpoise . Formerly, it held an abundance of marine mammals . There are no land features to divide
297-470: The 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) . The name Highlands and Islands is much older than the electoral region. The Highlands and Islands area has a large area of overlap with the Scottish Highlands , and the two names are often regarded as representing the same area. The Highlands and Islands region is the largest of the eight electoral regions in terms of area, but
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#1732859575147324-667: The British system of the Shipping Forecast . In 2007, Ushant hosted a Scottish book festival and subsequently created their own tartan registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans ; and in August 2010, the islanders were reported to be seeking to establish cultural links with a Scottish island . Rob Gibson , Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands welcomed
351-623: The Celtic Sea from the open Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. For these limits, Holt suggested the 200- fathom (370 m; 1,200 ft) marine contour and the island of Ushant off the tip of Brittany. The definition approved in 1974 by the UK Hydrographer of the Navy for use in Admiralty Charts was "bounded roughly by lines joining Ushant, Land's End , Hartland Point , Lundy Island , St. Govan's Head and Rosslare , thence following
378-708: The Irish coast south to Mizen Head and then along the 200-metre isobath to approximately the latitude of Ushant." The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Celtic Sea as follows: On the North. The Southern limit of the Irish Sea [a line joining St David's Head to Carnsore Point ], the South coast of Ireland, thence from Mizen Head a line drawn to a position 51°0′N 11°30′W / 51.000°N 11.500°W / 51.000; -11.500 . On
405-522: The Molène archipelago support Europe's southernmost colony of grey seals . They are mostly at Point Cadoran, on Ushant's north coast, where the strong currents keep the water temperature below 15 degrees Celsius (59 °F), the warmest that the seals can tolerate. The island awards annual literary prizes to worldwide writers. Celtic Sea The Celtic Sea is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off
432-622: The West and South. A line from the position 51°0′N 11°30′W / 51.000°N 11.500°W / 51.000; -11.500 South to 49°N , thence to latitude 46°30'N on the Western limit of the Bay of Biscay [a line joining Cape Ortegal to Penmarch Point ], thence along that line to Penmarch Point. On the East. The Western limit of the English Channel [a line joining Île Vierge to Land's End] and
459-522: The Western limit of the Bristol Channel [a line joining Hartland Point to St. Govan's Head]. Highlands and Islands (Scottish Parliament electoral region) The Highlands and Islands is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament , created in 1999. Eight of the parliament's first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of
486-450: The last part of France he would see. During World War II, a force of British Commandos and US Army Rangers of the 29th Provisional Rangers successfully attacked a German radar installation on the island. In March 1978, the oil tanker Amoco Cadiz ran aground at Portsall about 19 miles (31 km) from the island, leading to major pollution of the Brittany coast. According to
513-725: The names and boundaries of Westminster constituencies, as existing at that time. They covered all of four council areas , the Highland council area , Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles council area) , the Orkney Isles council area and the Shetland Isles council area , and most of two others, the Argyll and Bute council area and the Moray council area : A south-eastern portion of the Argyll and Bute area
540-473: The opposite direction, sand ridges pointing southwest have a similar height, separated by troughs approximately 50 m (160 ft) deeper. These ridges were formed by tidal effects when the sea level was lower. South of 50°N , the topography is more irregular. Oil and gas exploration in the Celtic Sea has had limited commercial success. The Kinsale Head gas field supplied much of the Republic of Ireland in
567-564: The outlying hamlets of Feuteun Vélen, Frugullou, Pen ar Lan, and Porsguen. Ushant's climate is oceanic ( Cfb ) under the Köppen climate classification : temperate, fully humid, temperate summer, with generally cool, rainy winters and temperate, drier summers. The Creac'h lighthouse ( Phare du Creach ) is reputedly the most powerful in Europe. Ouessant is the French system name for Plymouth in
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#1732859575147594-515: The refrain of the sea shanty " Spanish Ladies ": We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors, We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas, Until we strike soundings in the channel of old England, From Ushant to Scilly 'tis thirty-five leagues. Several naval battles have been fought near Ushant between the British and French navies. On 23 July 1815 the captive Emperor Napoleon – aboard HMS Bellerophon towards his final exile – spent several hours on deck watching Ushant,
621-500: The rest of France, it has been substituted by Apis mellifera ligustica . As a side effect, populations of the bee louse, Braula coeca , that has elsewhere perished through pesticides can still be found among the island's bee population. The association Conservatoire de l'Abeille Noire Bretonne is attempting to conserve and increase the numbers of the European dark bee, intending to reintroduce it in Western France. Ushant and
648-552: The sea. The Celtic Sea receives its name from the Celtic heritage of the bounding lands to the north and east. E. W. L. Holt proposed the name at a 1921 meeting of fisheries experts from Great Britain , France , and Ireland in Dublin. This sea's northern portion was considered part of Saint George's Channel , and the southern portion was an undifferentiated part of the " Southwest Approaches " to Great Britain . The desire for
675-518: The smallest in terms of population and electorate. It has boundaries with the North East Scotland , Mid Scotland and Fife and the West Scotland electoral regions. As a result of the First Periodic Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries the boundaries of the region and constituencies were redrawn for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election . The constituencies were created in 1999 with
702-579: The southern coast of Ireland bounded to the north by Saint George's Channel ; other limits include the Bristol Channel , the English Channel , and the Bay of Biscay , as well as adjacent portions of Wales , Cornwall , and Brittany . The continental shelf , which drops away sharply, delimits the southern and western boundaries. The Iroise Sea off Brittany is entirely included within it. The Isles of Scilly are an archipelago of small islands in
729-591: The suggestion. Ushant is connected to the French mainland by air and sea. Passenger ferries of the Penn Ar Bed company operate from Brest and Le Conquet year-round, and also from Camaret in summer, stopping at the island of Molène en route. The airline Finistair operates flights on Cessna 208 planes from Brest Bretagne Airport . Ouessant sheep form a rare breed, originating here. These are northern European short-tailed sheep , ubiquitous in northern Europe up to Roman times , but which now survives only in
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