Somewhere in the department of Morbihan, there is a tiny island which answers to the sweet name of Saint-Cado. An island which is not in the Gulf of Morbihan but in the Ria d’Etel. This inhabited island is the smallest inhabitable island in the world and is located in France.

Do you know the islet of Saint-Cado? the smallest inhabited island in the world

Somewhere in the north of the Gulf of Morbihan is located the Etel river. A small river on which there is a tiny island which answers to the sweet name of Saint-Cado. An island which is just in front of the pretty town of Belz, a tiny town of Brittany.

The highest point of the island would be two meters tall – at high tide. Of course, the height of the house is not taken into account. The surface of the island is estimated to be about 200 square meters.

A small granite house with blue shutters is called Nichtarguer’s home. A name that is translated as the house of the oyster. A fantastic place you can observe from the small city of Belz. A small commune of Morbihan which to protect itself and barricade itself from tourists has put a broad sense prohibited at the entrance of the village.

The Etel river, a surprising landscape

In Norway, there are the fjords, which are ancient glacial valleys. The Ria of Etel is the result of the same phenomenon. Eighteen thousand years ago a glacier occupied the area. When it melted, the sea invaded the place, which is why the waters of the Ria d’Etel are salty. This river or small inland sea is also subject to the tidal regime.

The problem with the Ria of Etel is its proximity to the military base of Lorient. Impossible to send a drone to fly over the island. It is forbidden, and the whole area is classified in a non-fly drone zone. Requesting the DGAC (french administration) would take weeks for lack of response and therefore no authorization. To be continued…

photos credits: Yann Ve