Calanques National Park (French: Parc national des Calanques; Occitan: Parc Nacional dels Calanques) is a French national park located on the Mediterranean coast in Bouches-du-Rhône, Southern France. It was created in 2012 and covers an area of 520 km² (201 sq mi), with 85 km² (33 sq mi) being land and the rest being marine area. The park includes parts of the Massif des Calanques, which stretches between the southern areas of Marseille, Cassis, and La Ciotat. Notable features of the park include the calanques of Sormiou, Morgiou, Port-Miou, Sugiton, En-Vau, and the Cosquer Cave.

History

In 1923, the Comité de défense des Calanques was created to stop industrial development in En-Vau. In 1999, the groupement d'intérêt public (GIP) des Calanques was formed to prepare for the creation of a national park. Eleven years later, the GIP presented its first plan for the national park; the third plan was approved in 2011. On April 18, 2012, Prime Minister François Fillon signed a decree to create Calanques National Park.