Geography of Jersey

This article describes the geography of Jersey, an island territory in the English Channel. The island of Jersey has an area of 116 square kilometres, with 70 kilometres of coastline. Jersey claims a territorial sea of 3 nautical miles and an exclusive fishing zone of 12 nm.

Jersey is the largest and southernmost of the Channel Islands. It is located north of Brittany and west of the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. About 30% of the population of the island is concentrated in Saint Helier.

Physical geography

Besides the main island, the bailiwick includes other islets and reefs with no permanent population: Les Écréhous, Les Minquiers, Les Pierres de Lecq, Les Dirouilles.

The climate in the island is temperate, with mild winters and cool summers. The terrain is generally low-lying on the south coast, with some rocky headlands, rising gradually to rugged cliffs along the north coast. On the west coast there are sand dunes. Small valleys run north to south across the island. Very large tidal variation exposes large expanses of sand and rock to the southeast at low tide.

The lowest point in the island is the Atlantic Ocean, and the highest is Les Platons, at 143 metres.

Natural resources

The main natural resource on ths island is arable land. 66% of the island's land is used as such, and the remaining 34% is used for other purposes.

Environment

Current environmental issues for Jersey include waste disposal, air pollution and traffic.

External links

• Jersey Tourism: Island Maps: all roads and features, and when magnified includes Parish borders
• Jersey Meteorological Department
• Jersey Tourism Coastal Microsite
• Prehistoric Jersey