Pink flamingos in the Camargue, France
The Camargue (Occitan: Camarga in classical norm or Camargo in Mistralian norm) is located south of Arles, France, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the River Rhone delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhone; the western one is the Petit Rhône. Administratively it lies within the département of Bouches-du-Rhone, the appropriately named "Mouths of the Rhone". A further expanse of marshy plain, the Petite Camargue (little Camargue), just to the west of the Petit Rhone, is in the département of Gard. The area was also the inspiration for naming Operation Camargue during the First Indochina War. Camargue was designated a Ramsar site on December 01, 1986. With an area of over 930 km² (360 sq. miles), the Camargue is western Europe's largest river delta (technically an island, as it is surrounded by water). It is a vast plain comprising large brine lagoons or étangs, cut off from the sea by sandbars and encircled by reed-covered marshes which are in turn surrounded by a large cultivated area. Approximately a third of the Camargue is either lakes or marshland. The central area around the shoreline of the Etang de Vaccares has been protected as a regional park since 1927, in recognition of its great importance as a haven for wild birds, and was incorporated into the Parc Naturel Régional de Carmague in 2008. The Camargue is home to more than 400 species of birds, the brine ponds providing one of the few European habitats for the greater flamingo. The marshes are also a prime habitat for many species of insects, notably (and notoriously) some of the most ferocious mosquitos to be found anywhere in France. It is also famous for The Camargue Bull and the Camargue horse. The flora of the Camargue is specially adapted to cope with the saline conditions. Sea lavender and glasswort flourish along with tamarisks and reeds.
Size: 5242px × 3493px
Location: Saintes-Maries de la Mer, Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France, Europe
Photo credit: © DE ROCKER / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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