MancheManche (mɒ̃ʃ, mɑ̃ʃ) is a coastal French département in Normandy, on the English Channel, which is known as La Manche, literally "the sleeve", in French. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019. Manche is one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Normandie. The first capital was Coutances until 1796, and it resumed that role after World War II because of the almost complete destruction of Saint-Lô during the battle of Normandy following D-Day.
AlderneyAlderney (ˈɔːldərni; Aurigny oʁiɲi; Auregnais: Aoeur'gny) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The island's area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick. It is around to the west of the town of La Hague on the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy, in France, to the northeast of Guernsey and from the south coast of Great Britain.
Cotentin PeninsulaThe Cotentin Peninsula (USˌkoʊtɒ̃ˈtæ̃, kɔtɑ̃tɛ̃; Cotentîn kotɑ̃ˈtẽ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its west lie the Gulf of Saint-Malo and the Channel Islands, and to the southwest lies the peninsula of Brittany. The peninsula lies wholly within the department of Manche, in the region of Normandy.
Channel IslandsThe Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, consisting of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm and some smaller islands. They are considered the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy and, although they are not part of the United Kingdom, the UK is responsible for the defence and international relations of the islands.
NormandyNormandy (ˈnɔrməndi; Normandie nɔʁmɑ̃di; Normaundie, Nouormandie nɔʁ.mɛnde; from Old French Normanz, plural of Normant, originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular Normandy (mostly the British Channel Islands). It covers . Its population is 3,499,280.
GuernseyGuernsey (ˈɡɜːrnzi; Guernésiais: Guernési; Guernesey) is the second largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It forms the major part of the jurisdiction of the same name, which also comprises three other inhabited islands (Herm, Jethou and Lihou) and many small islets and rocks. The jurisdiction has a population of 63,950 and the island has a land area of . Guernsey was part of the Duchy of Normandy until 1204, when the Channel Islands remained loyal to the English crown, splitting from mainland Normandy.