Sanary-sur-Mer

Sister cities

• Luino
• Kościerzyna
• Purkersdorf
• Bad Säckingen
• Noginsk

History

The seafront location was part of the commune of Ollioules. In the 16th century the seigneur established a fishing village here, clustered around the medieval watchtower, under the protection of Sanct Nazari of Lérins Abbey. The port was constructed and the harbour deepened in the mid-16th century. The little fishing port known in the Provençal dialect of Occitan (or in Provençal if considered as a distinct language) as 'Sant Nazari', later 'Sant Nàri', contracted later on as 'Sanàri', was finally granted its independence from Ollioules by Louis XIV on 10 July 1688. On 12 November 1890 it officially received its Francised name, 'Sanary', which was formalised and distinguished as 'sur-Mer' (on Sea) on 27 July 1923. As a tourist rendezvous, the village underwent a strong decade of growth in the 1980s. Sanary-sur-Mer's coastline has a number of small beaches; it is an active village all year round, unlike most small towns on the Mediterranean coast. Sanary-sur-Mer is one of the sunniest places in France, with an average of only 61 days of rain, mostly in winter, as well as major solar radiation (6,156 MJ/m2/yr), comparable to Sicily. It is regularly swept by the Mistral, a strong wind coming from the Rhône Valley, which brings low humidity around 20%, gusts up to , cool temperatures, sun and deep blue skies. Wind is near gale force or higher on average 115 days per year (storm force eight days per year), making Sanary a favourite destination for windsurfers.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  1,784
• Mastic Tree

  Pistacia lentiscus L. · Magnoliopsida
  1,546
• Japanese Cheesewood

  Pittosporum tobira (Murray) Aiton fil. · Magnoliopsida
  1,497
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,457
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,413
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,381
• Grey-leaved Cistus

  Cistus albidus L. · Magnoliopsida
  1,361
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,351

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2008-12-23
  4 km ENE of Éguilles, France
• M 2.7 — 2008-10-02
  75 km SSW of Six-Fours-les-Plages, France
• M 2.5 — 2008-07-23
  8 km N of Fayence, France
• M 2.5 — 2008-07-19
  77 km SSW of Six-Fours-les-Plages, France
• M 2.7 — 2008-05-21
  6 km SSW of Carqueiranne, France
• M 2.7 — 2008-03-04
  28 km S of Le Lavandou, France