A coastal network

Covering almost 3 271 hectares, the Municipality of Carnac lies on the Bay of Quiberon on the Atlantic coast of southern Brittany. The city has been classified as a climatic station since 1934 and defies the region's reputation for rain with its particularly mild climate on the Atlantic coast. Carnac is also internationally famous for its standing rocks, which dot the countryside as far as the eye can see. Nevertheless, despite its unique character, Carnac has since megalithic times shared a culture common to the coastal regions of Western Europe. On the strength of its prehistory and the similarities of the outlying regions - incomes varying according to the seasons, dependence on tourism and fisheries and remoteness from the country's centre - the Carnac association Tourisme littoral européen (European Coastal Tourism), created in 1998, took the initiative in establishing a network of several European coastal towns. "Atlantic Coast" encourages the exchange of information between Carnac, Llanes and Santander in Spain, Shannon and County Clare in Ireland and Alta and Finmark in Norway. The network enables the participating towns to share their tourist, environmental and cultural know-how. The aim is to develop off-season tourism based on the experience of the network's members. Among the very tangible results of the work of Tourisme littoral européen are four interactive terminals that have been installed in Carnac. These give details in five languages of archaeological sites in four of the participating towns: Alta, Altamira, Carnac and Llanes. Plans for the extension of the network of terminals to allow Irish towns to share the story behind their archaeological heritage is already planned. Finally, a major event, "Megaliths in Europe", is planned for October 2001.