Manche
Department
From top down, left to right: Mont-Saint-Michel, Watchtowers in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Islands of Chausey and Château de Gratot
Flag of Manche
Flag
Coat of arms of Manche
Coat of arms
Location of Manche in France
Location of Manche in France
Coordinates: 49°03′N 01°15′E / 49.050°N 1.250°E / 49.050; 1.250
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
PrefectureSaint-Lô
SubprefecturesAvranches
Cherbourg
Coutances
Government
 • President of the Departmental CouncilJean Morin[1] (DVD)
Area
1
 • Total5,951 km2 (2,298 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2021)[2]
 • Total495,508
 • Rank53rd
 • Density83/km2 (220/sq mi)
DemonymsManchois,
Manchots
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number50
Arrondissements4
Constituency4
Cantons27
Intercommunality8
Communes446
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Manche (/mɒ̃ʃ/, French pronunciation: [mɑ̃ʃ] ⓘ; Norman: Maunche) is a coastal French département in Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as La Manche, literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by Ille-et-Vilaine and Mayenne to the south, Orne and Calvados to the east, as well it borders the English Channel to the west and north and by sharing maritime borders with the Crown Dependencies of Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey of the United Kingdom to the west. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019.[3]

History

Manche is one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the province of Normandie.

The 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.

Geography

Map of Cotentin peninsula

The department includes the Cotentin Peninsula down to the famous Mont St Michel. Of the 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 and it shares maritime borders with Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey of the United Kingdom to the west. The salient of this department is the longest in France. It is also the second longest salient in Europe, after Odesa Oblast in Ukraine.

The region is lush and green with sandy beaches and remains oriented towards farming. The peninsula was originally joined as a single land mass to Cornwall and Dorset in England, meaning that the underlying geological strata of both regions are very similar. However, 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 attract many bird-watchers. The region in and around St Lô is also the equestrian 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 operations in late 2023.[4]

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Cherbourg-en-Cotentin; and the prefecture Saint-Lô is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are six communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:[3]

Commune Population (2019)
Cherbourg-en-Cotentin 78,549
Saint-Lô 19,050
Granville 12,513
La Hague 11,173
Avranches 10,264
Carentan-les-Marais 10,052

Climate

The climate is oceanic with relatively mild winters in which temperatures go below zero only for a few days. Summer temperatures are usually around 20 °C, and can occasionally reach 35 °C in direct sunlight. Precipitation is heavy but varies greatly by region, from 700mm on the coast to 1300mm in the southern central area. Highly localised but not life-threatening flash flooding has been experienced during the last few springs.

The west coast benefits from the influence of the Gulf Stream and this has enabled the naturalization of Mediterranean and exotic plants such as mimosas, palms, and agaves.

There is often a sea breeze on the coast, which combined with tides, contributes to rapid temperature changes in the course of a single day. Sea temperatures can be very pleasant for swimming between June and October.

Demographics

Inhabitants of the department are called Manchots or Manchois.

Population development since 1801:

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1801530,631—    
1806581,429+1.85%
1821594,196+0.14%
1831591,284−0.05%
1841597,334+0.10%
1851600,882+0.06%
1861591,421−0.16%
1872544,776−0.74%
1881526,377−0.38%
1891513,815−0.24%
1901491,372−0.45%
1911476,119−0.31%
1921425,512−1.12%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1931433,473+0.19%
1936438,539+0.23%
1946435,468−0.07%
1954446,860+0.32%
1962446,878+0.00%
1968451,939+0.19%
1975451,662−0.01%
1982465,948+0.45%
1990479,636+0.36%
1999481,471+0.04%
2006492,565+0.33%
2011499,531+0.28%
2016498,362−0.05%
source:[5][6]

Politics

The president of the Departmental Council is Jean Morin, elected in July 2021.

Presidential elections 2nd round

ElectionWinning CandidateParty%2nd Place CandidateParty%
2022 Emmanuel Macron LREM 59.61 Marine Le Pen FN 40.39
2017[7] Emmanuel Macron LREM 67.23 Marine Le Pen FN 32.77
2012 Nicolas Sarkozy UMP 50.10 François Hollande PS 49.90
2007 Nicolas Sarkozy UMP 56.17 Ségolène Royal PS 43.83
2002 Jacques Chirac RPR 85.31 Jean-Marie Le Pen FN 14.69

Current National Assembly Representatives

ConstituencyMember[8]Party
Manche's 1st constituency Philippe Gosselin The Republicans
Manche's 2nd constituency Bertrand Sorre La République En Marche!
Manche's 3rd constituency Stéphane Travert La République En Marche!
Manche's 4th constituency Anna Pic Socialist Party

Sports

A neighbourhood in Saint-André-de-l'Épine
  • Football: main clubs: AS Cherbourg, US Avranches, FC Saint-Lô, US Granville, CS Villedieu, FC Équeurdreville-Hainneville...
  • Cycling: the Tour de France has visited the department 21 times with stages ending at Cherbourg (16), Avranches (2), Granville (1), Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët (1), and the Mont-Saint-Michel (1).
  • Sailing: the Solitaire du Figaro has come to Cherbourg several times.
  • Tennis: hosts the Challenger La Manche tournament.
  • Thai boxing: Villedieu-les-Poêles
  • Badminton: Two local clubs compete in the national championship (N3): St Hilaire du Harcouet and Hainneville.
  • Golf: course: Granville, Bréhal, Coutainville, Cherbourg, Centre Manche, Fontenay, Côte des Isles

Tourism

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
  2. ↑ "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 Populations légales 2019: 50 Hérault, INSEE
  4. ↑ Boselli, Muriel (12 January 2022). "EDF delays Flamanville start-up to end 2023 on weld issue". Montel.
  5. ↑ "Historique de la Manche". Le SPLAF.
  6. ↑ "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
  7. ↑ "Résultats élections: Manche". Le Monde.
  8. ↑ Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale.
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