Manche

Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche ("the sleeve"), which is the French name for the English Channel. Manche is one of the original 83 departments 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 D-Day invas... more

Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche ("the sleeve"), which is the French name for the English Channel. Manche is one of the original 83 departments 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 D-Day invasion of Normandy. When Saint-Lô was rebuilt, it again became the capital. The department includes the Cotentin Peninsula and the islands of Chausey. It is part of the region of Basse-Normandie and is surrounded on three sides by the English Channel, with 350 km of coastline, and on the other by the departments of Calvados, Orne, Mayenne, and Ille-et-Vilaine. Geologically, the department is connected to the Massif Armoricain. The climate is oceanic, with mild winters, temperatures rarely reaching below freezing, and temperate summers, around 25... less