A river flowing into the English Channel. English Channel

It is called Dover. The Eurotunnel passes under its bottom. This is the famous English Channel, which is a surprisingly curious piece of land. And it is interesting not only for its landscapes, but also for its origin. What is the name of the narrowest part of the English Channel? Its location and features will be discussed in this article.

Geographical position of the English Channel

The strait connects the Atlantic Ocean with the North Sea. Its length is 578 kilometers, the width in the western part is 250 km, in the eastern part - 130 km. The smallest depth is 23.5 meters.

It is important to note that a unique tunnel has been built between the cities of Calais and Dover (as the narrowest part of the English Channel is called, we will learn a little lower).

More than 52 km (38 km of the route is located directly under the strait) is its length.

The main ports are Le Havre, Portsmouth, Cherbourg and Southampton. There are also islands, the largest of which are located off the coast of Great Britain (Isle of Wight) and off the coast of France (Channel Islands).

The history of the formation of the island of Great Britain

In ancient Rome, this strait was called Oceanus Britannicus, which translates as "British Ocean". As time went on, it got smaller and smaller. In it had the name - "British Sea", and today the sailors call this place simply "the sleeve" (The Sleeve).

Theoretically, on the site of the English Channel in ancient times there were low-lying lands (something like the Netherlands). Then the level of the sea surface began to rise and fill the vast valleys with ocean waters. This place became the bottom of the current strait that separated Great Britain from the mainland.

Before we find out which is the narrowest part of the English Channel, let's consider another theory of the origin of this strait.

A new version

More than 20 years ago, another, one might say, catastrophic theory of the development of events appeared. Most geographers perceive it as a bit far-fetched.

In the journal Nature, a scientific article by London-based scientists from Imperial College was published, which stated that the strait separating Great Britain and France was formed as a result of other natural processes. They believe that the cause of the birth of the English Channel was the catastrophic outflow of water from a huge lake, which was formed as a result of the confluence of the Rhine and Thames in the Ice Age.

Sanjeev Gupta, the head of these studies, said that more than 420 thousand years ago, Britain and France were connected by the Veld-Artois anticline. This is a chalk ridge, the height of which reached 180 meters precisely in the area of ​​the strait under consideration, and lowlands lay in the western part of it. Water from the Rhine, Thames and other rivers flowed here through the North Sea.

And when the glaciers blocked the river water began to accumulate in a closed space, subsequently forming a huge lake, which was fed by rivers and the melting of the glacier.

What is the name of the narrowest part of the English Channel, its location

This site is located between the mother part of Europe and the island of Great Britain.

This is a magnificent place with beautiful landscapes, where on a clear sunny day you can see the buildings located on the other side of the strait, and at night you can see bright luminous lights.

The narrowest part of the English Channel is called the Pas de Calais or the Strait of Dover. Its width is only 32 km. It is located just between the French city of Calais and the English port of Dover. A passenger boat crosses the Pas de Calais in 1.5-2 hours. In this place, under water, the Eurotunnel was built.

Description

There is an expression in geology - a megaflood. They denote events that have occurred over the past 500 years in the territory that is now a water barrier between the islands of Britain and the continent. We are talking about the very La Manche.

Translated from French, the English Channel means "sleeve". In the UK it is called the "English Channel". Its length is about 560 km, and its maximum width is 240 km. Approximately 34 km wide is the narrowest part of the English Channel.

Curious facts about the strait in general

• During the First World War, the Heards Deep depression, located at the bottom of the English Channel, was used by the British to bury chemical weapons. And after World War II (1941-1945), German weapons were flooded here. From 1946 to 1973, radioactive isotopes were buried here.
• The very first swimmer in human history to swim across the English Channel was Matthew Webb. This swim in 1875 lasted almost 22 hours (15 minutes less).
• Eurostar trains travel through the Eurotunnel at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour.
• On one of the islands of the strait called Sark, feudalism remained until 2008. The island was ruled until this very moment by the last island in Europe with this kind of management.
• A giant eel lives in the English Channel, the weight of which exceeds 100 kilograms, and the length reaches 3 meters.
• The only railway operating on the island of Alderney (Channel Islands), built in 1847. Its length is 3 km. It works only in the summer and only on weekends and holidays.

We learned the name of the narrowest part of the English Channel, found out the history of the strait itself and realized that this place is one of the most interesting corners of the planet Earth.

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   Name: Gazizov Sergey Marsovich

The first people reached Britain by dry land. But about 8500 years ago, the sea level rose and on the site of the land "bridge" a strait was formed, known to us as the English Channel (from the French la manche - "sleeve"), and to the British as the English Channel ("English channel"). And a couple of centuries ago, people remembered what sport is, and the strait became an obstacle that can be conquered...

... swim

The mustachioed captain of the British merchant fleet Matthew Webb once read a story in the newspaper: a swimmer tried to cross the English Channel, but he did not succeed. “So I can do it!” - decided 27-year-old Webb and started training in cold water. On August 25, 1875, Matthew drank an energy drink of his own invention (cherry brandy with chicken eggs), rubbed himself with dolphin oil and stepped into the water. There were incidents along the way (Matthew suffered a severe burn from contact with a jellyfish) and difficulties (he hung out off the French coast for five hours, waiting for the strong tidal waves to subside). But 21 hours and 45 minutes after the start, the tired Englishman set foot on French soil. Webb drowned eight years later while trying to swim across. MH warns: Not all sports are healthy.

...by plane

In 1908, the British newspaper Daily Mail announced an award of £1,000 to the first person to cross the English Channel by plane. The first attempt, made by the Frenchman Hubert Latham, failed - Hubert was caught by sailors somewhere in the middle of the strait. Another Frenchman, Louis Blériot, took to the air in a Bleriot XI monoplane of his own design on July 25, 1909. This aircraft, for example, did not have a throttle (the engine operated in one mode, carrying the pilot over the water at an average speed of 70 km / h at an altitude of about 80 m). And Louis corrected his course, looking from above where exactly the ships were heading. But in the end, everything worked out for him as it should: after 37 minutes of flight, Louis Blériot safely landed the plane on the English coast.

...on a coracle

Bernard Thomas lived all his life in the tiny Welsh town of Llechryd - he fished in the local river Teifi and made coracles, local boats from wicker rods. Thomas turned 51 years old when he made his name in history: in 13 and a half hours, Bernard crossed the English Channel on one of his coracles. Thomas tried to draw attention to the popular story in Wales about Prince Madog, who in 1170 with like-minded people sailed (on coracles, of course) to North America.

...without arms and legs

26-year-old Frenchman Philippe Croison once climbed onto the roof of his house to fix a television antenna, and received a fair amount of electric shock. Doctors cut off Croison's arms (at the elbow) and legs (he was left without feet). 16 years after the incident on the roof, the disabled person threw himself into the English Channel, but not to drown himself. 14 hours after the start, on September 18, 2010, he swam on the other side. To cross the strait, 42-year-old Philip used special prosthetic arms and legs.

...the fastest

Picture this: On September 8, 2012, Trent Grimsey, a member of the Australian Open Water Swimming team, crawls towards the coast of France. His yellow cap now disappears under the waves, then again appears on the surface. There is a boat nearby; the sailor periodically hangs signs overboard - messages for the future record holder. “You have to do what you have in mind,” his mother tells the swimmer. Well, he did - he crossed the English Channel in a record 6 hours and 55 minutes.

How to swim across the English Channel on your own

In the entire history of the English Channel, a little more than 1,000 people have swum across - less than. Do you want to join the elite, or even set a record? Since 1995 (after several deaths), France has imposed a ban on swims that start from its shores, so now athletes travel exclusively from the UK.

You must inform the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation (cspf.co.uk) about your intention, for 250 euros the federation will help in organizing and registering the swim. You can cross the channel only when accompanied by a boat (with a doctor and a representative of the association), renting a boat will cost 1000 euros or more. Keep in mind that swimmers are not allowed to use wetsuits, but they can apply a special fat composition of petroleum jelly and lanolin to the body. During the swim, the athlete should not touch objects (people, boats), so that food and drinks are passed to him from the boat on a retractable pole.

32 kilometers - the width of the English Channel in its narrowest part, the "strait in the channel" Pas de Calais. But due to strong currents and heavy ship traffic, athletes usually have to overcome 50 kilometers or more.

The first Russian to cross the English Channel

Muscovite Pavel Kuznetsov actually just wanted to lose weight. I went to the gym, put myself on a diet. Then he took up swimming and got so carried away that he came up with the idea of ​​conquering not our column "I'm losing weight ...", but the whole English Channel. Pavel had been preparing for the swim for about two years. Starting on August 22, 2006, he moved for 14 hours and 33 minutes at a pace of 61-63 strokes per minute, the last hours - with a sea of ​​4 points and in complete darkness.

An important swim for our country ended on August 23 at 01:20 am on the beach near the French city of Calais (read more about this story on Kuznetsov's website paulkuz.ru). In the photo - Pavel after the finish.

Pavel Kuznetsov about how he sailed across the English Channel:

“... Most of all, for some reason, my hips froze. And towards the end, I felt a sharp pain in my right arm. I endured for about forty minutes, then I could not stand it and asked for painkillers. They handed me two pills on a long pole. I finished in deep darkness: I got up and felt the sand under my feet. At that moment, I felt like the happiest person. Because he swam? Because everything ended well? I don't know why..."

15-18ºC - water temperature in the English Channel in summer and early autumn, when swimming is most often arranged.

Oceans, lakes and rivers

English Channel (English Channel)

The English Channel or English Channel is located between the south coast of England and the north coast of France. It connects the Atlantic Ocean with the North Sea. Part of the canal is the Pas de Calais or the Dover Canal as the English call it.

Geographic data

The total length of the considered strait is 560 km. The maximum width in the west is 240 km, the minimum width in the eastern part is 33.1 km. As for the depth, the maximum reaches 174 meters, and the average depth is 63 meters. The total area of ​​the English Channel corresponds to 75 thousand square meters. km.

The western border of the strait runs between Cape Land's End (Land's End) in England and the island of Ile Virg, 1.5 km from the French coast of Brittany. On the island is the highest stone lighthouse in Europe. The eastern border runs between the French lighthouse Walde, located 6 km east of the city of Calais, and the northern tip of St. Margaret's Bay in England. It is next to the port city of Dover.

The Pas de Calais is 33.3 km long with an average depth of 30 meters. On a clear day, standing on the French coast, you can see the English coast. It is here that the most popular route for swimmers seeking to swim from one coast to another is located.

English Channel on the map

Strait name

The name "English Channel" has been widely used since the beginning of the 18th century. It was so designated on nautical charts, only in the Dutch manner "Engelse Kanaal", from the 16th century. As for the French name "English Channel", it was used in France as early as the 17th century. The Spaniards from time immemorial call the strait "El Canal de la Mancha", and the Portuguese say "Canal da Mancha". The word "mancha" in Spanish and Portuguese means "spot".

Cities

In terms of population, the English Channel is more densely populated on the English coast than on the French. The largest is the English city of Portsmouth with a population of 422 thousand people. Then comes Southampton with a population of 304 thousand people. This is followed by Plymouth with a population of 259 thousand people, Brighton with a population of 156 thousand people, Torbay (130 thousand people) and other cities with a smaller population.

Le Havre is the largest city on the French coast. Its population is 248 thousand inhabitants. Next comes Calais with 105 thousand inhabitants, Boulogne-sur-Mer with 93 thousand inhabitants and other smaller cities.

In terms of cargo transportation, the English Channel is the busiest sea route in the world. 500 ships pass through it daily. At the same time, ships going towards the North Sea move along the French coast, and hurrying to the Atlantic, adhere to the English coast. This division is associated with a whole series of collisions that were characteristic of the early 70s of the last century. It was after this that two-way traffic was created with a separation zone in the middle.

Eurotunnel

A railway tunnel was built under the English Channel. It is double-tracked and has a length of 51 km. At the same time, 39 km pass directly under the strait. The Eurotunnel was put into operation on May 6, 1994. Passengers traveling by train are in the tunnel for 30 minutes. It connects the English port city of Folkestone and the French town of Coculles, located near Calais.

This engineering structure consists of 3 tunnels. Two of them have rail tracks, and between them there is a service tunnel. Every 380 meters it is connected by passages with working tunnels. It was created for service personnel, and also performs emergency functions. In the event of a breakdown of the rolling stock, passengers can be evacuated through it.

There are interchanges in the tunnels, which allows trains to move freely. By the way, it is left-handed, like on all railway lines in Great Britain and France. With the advent of the railway tunnel, the number of ferry crossings in the Pas de Calais has been reduced.

The train leaves the eurotunnel

First people to swim and fly across the English Channel

The English Channel was first flown in a balloon on January 7, 1785 by the Frenchman Jean Pierre Blanchard and the American John Jeffreys. The flight was attempted to be repeated on June 15, 1785 by the French Pilatre de Rozier and Pierre Romain. But their balloon did not fly from France to England, as the direction of the wind changed. The ball fell to the ground 5 km from the point of departure, and people died.

The Englishman Matthew Webb was the first to swim across the canal. He began sailing on 24 August 1875 from Admiralty Wharf at Dover. He swam breaststroke and planned to get to the French coast in 5 hours. But a strong current carried the swimmer to the side. So Webb took 21 hours and 45 minutes to sail to Calais. Its zigzag route was 64 km long.

On July 25, 1909, the French pilot Louis Charles Blériot flew across the strait for the first time on an airplane. A double flight back and forth was made by the English pilot Charles Stuart Rolls on June 2, 1910. The first flight with passengers dates back to August 23, 1910. The American pilot John Bevins Moisant made this risky act. The passengers on the plane were a mechanic and a cat named Fifi.

The first woman swam across the canal on August 23, 1926. It was the American swimmer Gertrude Caroline Ederle. The Queen of the Waves - that's what they called her in the USA. She crossed the English Channel breaststroke, spending 14 hours and 39 minutes on it. The listed people were the first, so their names are widely known in the world.

Ecology

Given the busy traffic of ships, the strait is experiencing certain environmental problems. They are associated with an oil spill and damage to toxic cargo. Over 30% of the world's water pollution incidents occur in the English Channel. The most infamous happened on January 18, 2007, when the container ship Napoli crashed in the waters of the English Channel.

It carried 41,773 tons of cargo. At the same time, 1684 tons were classified as dangerous. 103 containers fell into the sea. A large oil slick also formed, which adversely affected seabirds. And similar incidents, however, in smaller volumes, happen in these waters regularly.

Sergey Gubanov

Very interesting facts.

1. The length of the tunnel under the English Channel is 51 km, of which 39 pass directly under the strait. Trains from London to Paris and back are in the tunnel from 20 to 35 minutes.

2. Thanks to the Eurotunnel, you can get from Paris to London by train in just 2 hours and 15 minutes.

3. Contrary to the misconception, the Channel Tunnel is not the longest railway tunnel in the world, but only ranks third.

The second place is at the Japanese Seikan Tunnel connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, the length of which is 53.85 km.

And the longest in the world is the Gotthard railway tunnel in the Swiss Alps, the official opening of which is scheduled for 2017. Its length is 57 km.

4. For the first time, the idea of ​​building a tunnel connecting England and continental Europe was voiced at the beginning of the 19th century, but for a long time it was rejected due to British fears that the structure could be used for a military invasion of the island.

5. The construction of the tunnel began in 1881 and in 1922. For the first time, the builders managed to walk 2026 meters from the English side and 1829 meters from the French side. In the second tunnel drilling stopped at only 128 meters. Both times construction was interrupted for political reasons.

6. In the post-war period, the Channel Tunnel project progressed extremely slowly.

The research team began working in 1957, the project was approved in 1973, after which it was frozen again, and the real construction of the tunnel began only on December 15, 1987.

Project for the Channel Tunnel, ca.

Where is the English Channel (Strait)?

7. The Eurotunnel technically consists of three tunnels - two main tunnels with tracks for trains traveling north and south, and one small service tunnel.

The service tunnel every 375 meters has passages connecting it with the main ones. It is designed for access to the main tunnels for service personnel and emergency evacuation of people in case of danger.

8. Road transport overcomes the tunnel under the English Channel in the carriages of special trains.

At the same time, drivers and passengers of cars transported by Eurotunnel Shuttle trains do not leave their vehicles. The procedure for loading a car into a wagon takes no more than eight minutes.

Construction of the Channel Tunnel, 1993.

9. Over the twenty years of operation of the Eurotunnel, seven major incidents have occurred in it, due to which the normal operation of the tunnel was disrupted for a period of several hours to several months.

Most of the incidents were related to fires, however, thanks to the professional actions of rescuers, victims were avoided.

10. The Eurotunnel cost a total of around £10bn and was overpriced by 80 per cent.

According to experts, the payback period of the project may exceed 1000 years.

In the II century, BC. e. the ancient Greek scientist Herodotus called this water isthmus "Oceanus Britannicus".
An interesting situation has developed around the name "English Channel". The French version has been known since the 17th century. and means sleeve. The Spaniards called the strait El Canal de la Mancha, the Portuguese called Canal da Mancha, the Italians La Manica, the Germans Ermelkanal.
The desire of each of the peoples to remake the name in their own way betrayed a persistent desire to claim ownership of these small, but significant waters. Control of the strait provided colossal advantages. Firstly, it was the closest way to England, and secondly, the shortest way to. Despite the wayward nature of the English Channel - frequent fogs, gale-force winds, high tides and treacherous currents - political and commercial importance outweighed all natural barriers.
According to the most rough estimates, the remains of several million people and tens of thousands of ships lie at the bottom of the strait: from Roman galleys to diesel submarines. Such is the price of the centuries-old battle for the strait.
None of this would have happened if the British Isles had remained part of continental Europe 10,000 years ago, during the last glaciation (Pleistocene). But the land in these places lay 120 m below sea level, and as the glaciers melted, water filled the lowlands, forming what we now call the English Channel.
In times of peace, the strait served a noble purpose: it was a kind of water bridge, through which there was a cultural exchange between the Celts and the peoples of inner Europe, contributing to the formation of new languages ​​and nationalities. This is indicated by the obvious similarity of many dialects and customs common on both sides of the strait.
However, in difficult times for the population of Britain, the strait became a natural barrier to the conquerors, although not for everyone. The ancient Romans managed to successfully cross the strait and conquer Britain in the 1st century BC. n. e., Normans in 1066, William III of Orange in 1688.
Beginning with Elizabeth I (1533-1603), the policy of the English kings in the area of ​​the strait was to prevent an invasion of England from the continent. To do this, the British ensured that none of the major European powers controlled important ports on the other side of the strait. The formation of the British Empire would have been impossible if the British had not established the most severe control over the English Channel in their time.
The rise of England as "Queen of the Seas" began after 1588, when the Spanish "Invincible Armada" perished along its coast, partly in the English Channel, where it was covered by one of the fierce English Channel storms. On the occasion of the victory, Queen Elizabeth III ordered the minting of a medal with the Latin inscription Adflavit Deus et dissipati sunt ("God blew and they scattered").
France tried twice more to conquer England: during the Seven Years' War (1756-63) and during the Napoleonic Wars (1800-15). Both times the "guests from the continent" gathered a huge fleet, but never invaded the island. A significant role was played here by all the same famous English Channel winds and storms, which, to spite the French, began on the most favorable day for the invasion.
Fisher, First Lord of the British Admiralty, declared shortly before the outbreak of the First World War: "Five keys keep the world shut: Singapore, Cape Town, Alexandria, Gibraltar and Dover." The importance of the English Channel port of Dover remained decisive for the defense of the strait.
On July 25, 1909, Frenchman Louis Blériot crossed the English Channel for the first time in his monoplane, starting at Calais and landing at Dover. The British were made clear that the English Channel was no longer an insurmountable barrier to enemy forces. In addition, Germany began to hastily build submarines, which was an even greater threat to England. The British had to fight on land in order to get close to the German submarine bases, but only in 1918, when the war was drawing to a close, the threat of an invasion of England from under the water was finally eliminated during the famous Zeebrugee Raid and the complete naval blockade of Germany .
During World War II, the theater of operations at sea moved to the Atlantic, as the shallow waters and narrow inlets of the English Channel were too dangerous for large-capacity ships. Having abandoned a direct invasion (Operation Sea Lion), the German troops concentrated on submarine warfare, laying minefields and rocket and artillery shelling of England across the strait.
In May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force, which fought on the side of France, retreated through Dunkirk along with the remnants of the French army under the onslaught of the advancing German army. It was the most ambitious rescue operation in the history of wars: in just a few days, 338,000 soldiers were evacuated during Operation Dainemo.
During 1940-1945, the Germans built the most powerful fortifications on the continental side of the strait, called the Atlantic Wall. Many have survived to this day, becoming tourist attractions. German troops managed to occupy several islands in the strait, but did not advance further. The Atlantic Wall fell in 1944, during the opening of the Second Front and the implementation of Operation Overlord to land Allied troops in Normandy.
After the end of the war and with the beginning of the unification of Europe, the issue of transport links between the British Isles and the continent became acute. Ferry crossings were morally and technologically outdated and could not cope with the transportation of goods, cars and railway cars. About 3.5 million people lived on the banks of the English Channel, in dire need of a modern crossing.
The idea of ​​building a tunnel under the English Channel has a long history. Back in 1802, the French engineer Albert Mathieu-Favier proposed a project for a tunnel for traveling in carriages by the light of oil lamps. There were other projects, and even construction began: twice in 1876 and 1922. But both times the construction was frozen for political reasons.
The new project was launched in 1973. The underground crossing was opened in 1994 and was named the Eurotunnel. This is a double-track railway with a length of about 51 km (39 km under the English Channel). Thanks to the tunnel, it is now possible to get from Paris to London in 2 hours and 15 minutes; in the tunnel itself, the trains are 20-35 min.

general information

The English Channel, together with the Pas de Calais, connects the North Sea with the Atlantic Ocean

The most important ports: Great Britain- Portsmouth, Southampton, Dover; France- Le Havre, Calais, Cherbourg, Dunkirk, Dieppe, Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Largest islands: Isle of Wight (Great Britain), (Jersey and Guernsey), under the jurisdiction of Great Britain, off the coast of France.
Peninsulas: Cornwall (UK), Cotentin (France).
Rivers flowing into the strait: Seine, Somme, Orna, Vira (France); Ex, Dort, Tamer, Fal (Great Britain).
Languages: English, French, dialects of the population of the shores of the strait (Gallo, Mor Bretannec, Het Canaal, Ermel Canal, etc.).
Monetary units: pound sterling, euro.

Numbers

Area: 75,000 km2.
Length: 560 km.
Width: from 34 km (between Dover, UK, and Calais, France) to 240 km (between Mont Saint-Michel, France, and Devon, UK).
Average depth at widest section: 120 m
Average depth at the narrowest section: 45 m
Minimum depth on the fairway: 23.5 m
Maximum depth on the fairway: 172 m (underwater low Heards Deep).
Average current speed: 12-13 km/h near the city of Portland. Great Britain, 15-18.5 km/h at Cape Ag France.
Maximum tidal wave height: 15 m (city of Saint-Malo, France).
Average salinity: over 35% ° .

Economy

Shipping.
Minerals: building sand and gravel.
Fishing: turbot (halibut), flounder, stingray, mackerel, whiting, sea eel (conger). Breeding oysters.
Services sector: tourism, transport.

Climate and weather

Moderate maritime, significant influence of the Atlantic Ocean.
Average air temperature:+4°С in winter, +18°С in summer.
The average temperature of the surface layer of water: January: +6°С; July: +19°С.
Average annual rainfall: 830 mm.
Average annual cloudiness: 7 points.
Average number of foggy days per year: in the west - 34, in the east - 101. Storms in autumn and winter.
Relative humidity: 85-100%.

Attractions

■ Eurotunnel (France - Great Britain);
■ Seven Sisters Cretaceous Reefs (Great Britain);
■ Allied landing site (Normandy, France);
■ Guernsey Island (Channel Islands, UK): Cornet Castle (1206-1256), Victoria Tower (1848), forts, small chapel, mills;
■ The ruins of the "Atlantic wall" (France);
■ Cotentin Peninsula: Cherbourg city, Cape Flamanville (France);
■ Lighthouses of the Brittany Peninsula (France);
■ Needle Rocks (Great Britain).

Curious facts

■ Herds Deep - a depression at the bottom of the English Channel - was used by the British during the First World War to bury chemical weapons. After the Second World War, German weapons were flooded here. Similar operations continued until 1974. In the period 194673. the depression was used to flood radioactive waste.
■ Eurostar trains travel through the Eurotunnel at a speed of 160 km/h.
■ The Channel Islands, part of the two Crown Dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey, are under the jurisdiction of the British Monarchy, but are not part of the UK and are not part of the EU, although they are part of the customs territory of the EU.
■ The island of Sark (Channel Islands) until 2008 retained a feudal system of government - the last in Europe. The island was governed by a council of elders.
■ The giant sea eel, or conger, living in the English Channel, reaches a length of 3 m and weighs more than 100 kg.
■ Alderney Island (Channel Islands) has the only railway on the islands. Built in 1847, 3 km long, open only in summer, on weekends and public holidays.
■ The British swimmer Matthew Webb was the first in the history of mankind to cross the English Channel in 1875 in 21 hours and 45 minutes. The slowest swim across the strait - 28 hours 44 minutes. (Jackie Cobell, UK, 2010)