La bande côtière, ensemble des terres situées à moins de 500 m des côtes, possède des caractéristiques sociodémographiques proches des valeurs moyennes des pôles urbains métropolitains : densité de population, nombre de personnes par ménage… L’arrière-pays, défini ici comme les territoires situés entre 5 000 et 10 000 m des côtes, est souvent comparable à la moyenne des communes périurbaines. Érosion et submersion marines concentrent leurs effets sur les territoires proches de la mer, où les densités de population sont fortes. Plus de 250 000 personnes résident à moins de 500 m des côtes en érosion et 200 000 personnes habitent dans la partie des zones basses littorales située à moins d’un kilomètre de la mer, où les risques de submersion sont les plus prégnants.
Distance from the sea: the prime factor for the socio-demographic characteristics of the coastal area
The coastal strip, the land located less than 500 m from the shoreline, has socio-demographic characteristics that are close to the averages for metropolitan urban centres: population density, size of households, etc. The hinterland, defined here as land lying between 5,000 and 10,000 m from the shoreline, is often comparable to the averages for peri-urban areas. Erosion and marine flooding are concentrated in these areas close to the sea, where population densities are high. More than 250,000 people live less than 500 m from parts of the coastline subject to erosion and 200,000 live in low-lying coastal areas less than a kilometre from the sea, where risk of flooding is highest.
The coastal strip, the land located less than 500 m from the shoreline, has socio-demographic characteristics that are close to the averages for metropolitan urban centres: population density, size of households, etc. The hinterland, defined here as land lying between 5,000 and 10,000 m from the shoreline, is often comparable to the averages for peri-urban areas. Erosion and marine flooding are concentrated in these areas close to the sea, where population densities are high. More than 250,000 people live less than 500 m from parts of the coastline subject to erosion and 200,000 live in low-lying coastal areas less than a kilometre from the sea, where risk of flooding is highest.
