OUESSANT ISLAND

French le D'ouessant, also called Ushant Island, a rocky island, Finistre dpartement, off the western tip of Bretagne, western France. The island, about 5 miles (8 km) long and 2 miles (3 km) wide, has an area of 6 square miles (15 square km). Its lighthouse, the Phare de Crac'h, marks the south entrance to the English Channel, the north entrance light being at Land's End, England. Lampaul, the little port that is the capital of Ouessant, is the chief settlement of the island's fishermen; its fields, which cover only a small fraction of the island, traditionally have been worked by the fishermen's wives. A large but indecisive action was fought off Ouessant in July 1778 between British and French fleets. Pop. (1982) 817.