The Opal Coast (in French pronounced as /kot dɔpal/;) is a coastal region in northern France on the English Channel, popular with tourists.
The Côte d'Opale is a coastal region in northeastern France, in the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. It extends over of French coast between the Belgian border and the border with Picardy. This coastline faces the English Channel and the North Sea, and is situated directly opposite the chalk cliffs of southeast England, which at the closest point are only 34km (21miles) away.
The Côte d'Opale is composed of many varied landscapes including beaches, dunes, swamps, estuaries and cliffs. The coast is marked by the presence of two large promontories situated between Calais and Boulogne: the Cap Gris Nez (literally "grey nose cape" in English), reaching an elevation of 50m (160feet) above sea level, and the Cap Blanc Nez (literally "white nose cape" in English), which reaches 132m (433feet). These capes are the closest points to England on the entire French coast.
From south to north:
From south to north:
Many artists have been inspired by the coast's landscapes, among them the composer Henri Dutilleux, the writers Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens, and the painters J. M. W. Turner, Carolus-Duran, Maurice Boitel and Eugène Boudin. It was the painter who coined the name for this area in 1911 to describe the distinctive quality of its light.[1]