Mont Saint-Michel: The Island Monastery Surrounded by a Waterless River

Just at the northwestern part of France, in Normandy, there is a commune of about 40 people living on a mini rocky island used as a strategic fortification point since long ago. The location and the granite structure of the land make it a unique isolated place: a fact that may not be noticed from the ground, but something you could not have missed from an aerial view.

The mount is the seat of the Saint-Michel monastery since the 8th century, a UNESCO heritage site and an attractive tourist destination. Each year, more than 3 million people want to see the coastal island made from sea erosion and tidal processes in the ancient period. There are several similar islands in the surrounding, but Mont Saint-Michel is the largest. To keep it an island, a dam has been built to direct the waters of the nearby Couesnon river in shaping the area around the rocky mount.