Carqueiranne

Carqueiranne

An aerial view of the town

Coat of arms
Carqueiranne

Coordinates: 43°05′45″N 6°04′27″E / 43.0958°N 6.0742°E / 43.0958; 6.0742Coordinates: 43°05′45″N 6°04′27″E / 43.0958°N 6.0742°E / 43.0958; 6.0742
Country France
Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department Var
Arrondissement Toulon
Canton La Crau
Intercommunality Toulon Provence Méditerranée
Government
 • Mayor (2001–2008) Marc Giraud
Area1 14.48 km2 (5.59 sq mi)
Population (2006)2 9,648
 • Density 670/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 83034 / 83320
Elevation 0–305 m (0–1,001 ft)
(avg. 26 m or 85 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Carqueiranne is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

It is known now as a tourist seaside resort with good windsurfing nearby, at Almanarre Beach.

The town has a literary claim to fame as well. In early August 1944, an unidentifiable body wearing French military colours was found near here, which was long believed to be that of famous novelist Antoine de Saint Exupéry, author of The Little Prince.

In 1998, a bracelet known to be his, with a fragment of cloth still attached, was found in the sea east of Riou Island (south of Marseille). In 2000, a crashed P-38 Lightning was found in the seabed off the coast of Marseille, near where the bracelet was found, and it was confirmed to be the one that St. Exupéry was flying.

However, it remains plausible that ocean currents could have carried the body from the crash site to Carqueiranne - a distance less than 80 km by sea - over the course of several days, which is the time difference between the crash on 31 July 1944, and the discovery of the body.

See also

References

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