Manche

Manche (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. When Saint-Lô was rebuilt, it once again became the capital. The department includes the Cotentin Peninsula down to the famous Mont St Michel. Of the off-shore Channel Islands, only the island of Chausey forms part of the territory of the department. Manche borders the Normandy departments of Calvados to the east and Orne to the southeast. Mayenne, a department of the Pays de la Loire, is to the south-east, and Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany is to the south-west. The salient of this department is the longest in France. It also being the second longest salient in Europe, after Odesa Oblast in Ukraine. The region is lush and green with sandy beaches, remaining very rural and farming oriented. The peninsula was originally joined as a single land mass to Cornwall and Dorset in England, meaning that the underlying geological strata of both countrysides are very similar. Consequently, there are substantial regional differences today in terms of flora and fauna, and farming practices have varied considerably between the United Kingdom and France. Flat marsh areas in the department are known for their bird watching. The region in and around St Lô is also the horse capital of France, where the cooler climate compared to the south is ideal for breeding and training. France's first EPR nuclear reactor is under construction at Flamanville near Cherbourg, and is planned to start up in late 2023. The most populous commune is Cherbourg-en-Cotentin; the prefecture Saint-Lô is the second-most populous.