In the English Channel, 80 kilometers from the southern coast of Britain and 20 kilometers from France, there is a group of Channel Islands with a total area of more than 200 square meters. km, among which the largest are considered to be Jersey and Guernsey. Normandy on the map is located in the northwestern part of France.
It is off the coast of Northern Normandy that you can observe a group of islands, which are described in this article.
Channel Islands: a place to visit
These fabulous places truly fascinate with their impregnability and power: bays, giant cliffs, fortifications, mountain caves and passages, sandy shores stretch for miles, reminiscent of lunar landscapes at low tide. And all this magnificence - against the backdrop of lushly growing and abundantly flowering vegetation almost all year round, which is facilitated by the bright sun and a temperate climate, quite humid. This is especially felt in the autumn-winter period, when the islands are shrouded in fogs and it rains, and strong storms rage in the water area, brought by northern winds. Summer temperature in summer stays from 18 to 22 degrees Celsius, in winterthis indicator varies from +7 to +10 oC.
The population of the islands is about 164 thousand people: the French and the British are approximately equal. The official languages are English and French.
Fauna and flora of the islands
The Channel Islands cannot boast of a rich flora due to poor rocky soils; in total there are about 350 species of woody, shrubby and herbaceous plants, most of which were imported from the mainland. Animals are represented mainly by domestic mammals: these are huge herds of sheep that contribute to the development of textile production, especially in Jersey. The Channel Islands abound with feathered birds, a huge number of which immediately catches the eye. Some of them are permanent residents of the island, some fly to these parts for the winter. Coastal waters are rich in commercial fish, which leads to the development of fishing industry on the islands.
Jersey: Natural Gem of the Planet
Treasury of natural beauty is the island of Jersey, which covers an area of 116 square meters. km with a population of 87 thousand inhabitants. The coastline stretches for 80 kilometers and has a myriad of small coves. The island is located near the French port of Saint-Malo.
However, despite its proximity to the lands of France, the island of Jersey is loyal to the British crown thanks to the sixth Duke of Normandy, William, who in 1066 captured England and became its king. As once said aboutJersey French writer Victor Hugo, who lived on it for three years as an exile, "a piece of France that broke away, fell into the water and was picked up by the British."
War years for the Channel Islands
There are numerous fortifications on the territory, in which each stone is a piece of history. The whole island is almost immersed in flowers. They grow everywhere: in the homes of the local population, parks and nurseries, hedges, wooded valleys and cliff tops. Jersey is the only British territory captured in 1940 by the Germans without a fight during the Second World War. At that terrible time, about 8,000 residents were evacuated, about 1,200 people were sent to camps, and about 300 were sentenced to concentration camps.
The British succeeded in recapturing their territory without a fight, despite dozens of thick-walled concrete bunkers built by the Nazis. Today, one of them has a shop open, the second one is being rented as a residential apartment, the third one has been turned into a beer tavern. The Channel Islands have defined a public holiday associated with the liberation from the Nazi-German invaders - May 9.
Tidbit of land
The island of Jersey long before the Great Patriotic War was a tasty morsel for many who wanted to get it. First, in the 9th century, the Vikings began to attack it. They mercilessly plundered the island for a whole century, until a deal was made with Charles the Simple, the French king. In exchange for peace, the leader of the Vikings (otherwise,Normans) received the lands known as Rouen - now Upper Normandy. During the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), Jersey was often attacked and occupied by the French, but was eventually returned to England. In the 19th century, the island became one of the major shipbuilding centers in the British Isles. Over 900 ships have been built in Jersey.
The island of Jersey is independent, has its own legal system, parliament and currency. Its center is located on the south coast of the largest city of St. Helier with a population of 28,000 people. The monetary unit of the crown dependency of Jersey is the Jersey pound, the euro is in free circulation. The island of Jersey, with its liberal legislation, low taxes and guaranteed privacy, is a popular offshore zone and one of the largest banking centers in Europe.
Guernsey - an island with a rich military past
Guernsey is the second largest island among the Channel Islands (14 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide) and has another name - Sarnia. This territory is under the jurisdiction of the British crown, although it is territorially closer to the French coast. Like Jersey, the island also has its own government system.
Ancient fortresses, of which there are a large number, observation towers, castles and forts clearly speak of the rich heritage of the military past. The administrative center of the island, with a population of 16.5 thousand people, issmall town of St. Peter Port, located on the east coast. The monetary unit of the Guernsey crown dependency is the Guernsey pound, which is divided into 100 pence. This currency has the same exchange rate with the pound sterling, which, along with the euro, is also in circulation.
