Photo : Pia Parolin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Camargue
The Camargue is the delta of the Rhône, a vast territory of lagoons, marshes, saltmarsh scrub and rice fields straddling the Bouches-du-Rhône and Gard. It is often described as a triangle of about 150,000 hectares whose corners are Arles, Le Grau-du-Roi and Fos-sur-Mer. It includes the Camargue proper, between the two arms of the river, the Petite Camargue west of the Petit-Rhône and the Plan du Bourg.
The region has long been protected: regional nature park since 1970, UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1977 and wetland of international importance (Ramsar) since 1986. It shelters thousands of pink flamingos, hundreds of thousands of waterbirds over the year, as well as two emblematic local breeds: the Camargue horse and the Camargue bull.
Rice growing, salt extraction, livestock farming and tourism sustain the delta. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and a sometimes harsh mistral in winter.
