Argelès-sur-Mer
Encyclopedia
Argelès-sur-Mer is a commune
in the Pyrénées-Orientales
department in southern France
.
It lies near Perpignan
.
at the foot of the Albères mountain range, just a short drive away from the Spanish border. Argelès-sur-Mer is the longest beach of Pyrenées Orientales.
.
, and numerous little rocky creeks for scuba diving
. The Tramontane
and Marin
winds makes windsurfing and surfing more challenging than in some resorts and all manner of water sports are available here.
Argelès has recently earned the title of 'Handiplage' due to its many facilities for the disabled. The town is undertaking a special programme to make the resort more accessible to disabled visitors, including training the staff in the tourist office and the police to better understand the needs of the visually impaired.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It lies near Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
.
Geography
Argelès-sur-Mer is located in the coast sector of the Côte VermeilleCôte Vermeille
The Côte Vermeille is a region in the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales, near the border with Spain. The Côte Vermeille stretches from Argelès-sur-Mer to the border village of Cerbère, quaint and relatively quiet seaside hideaway in the valley of Cervera...
at the foot of the Albères mountain range, just a short drive away from the Spanish border. Argelès-sur-Mer is the longest beach of Pyrenées Orientales.
History
Argelès was also the location of a french concentration camp, the so called Camp de concentration d'Argelès-sur-MerCamp de concentration d'Argelès-sur-Mer
The Camp de concentration d'Argelès-sur-Mer was a concentration camp established in February 1939 on the territory of the French commune of Argelès-sur-Mer for members of the retirada. The retirada was the retreat of the remains of the Spanish Republican Popular Army after their defeat in the...
.
Sports
Argelès-sur-Mer has seven kilometres of wide sandy beach, safe and supervised bathingBathing
Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....
, and numerous little rocky creeks for scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
. The Tramontane
Tramontane
Tramontane is a classical name for a northern wind. The exact form of the name and precise direction varies from country to country. The word came to English from Italian tramontana, which developed from Latin trānsmontānus , "beyond the mountains/across the mountains", referring to the alps in...
and Marin
Marin (wind)
The Marin is a warm, moist wind in the Gulf of Lion of France, blowing from the southeast or south-southeast onto the coast of Languedoc and Roussillon. It brings rain to this region which it has picked up crossing the Mediterranean, and also can bring coastal fog...
winds makes windsurfing and surfing more challenging than in some resorts and all manner of water sports are available here.
Argelès has recently earned the title of 'Handiplage' due to its many facilities for the disabled. The town is undertaking a special programme to make the resort more accessible to disabled visitors, including training the staff in the tourist office and the police to better understand the needs of the visually impaired.