Cherbourg-en-Cotentin in the context of "Caen"

Normandy 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 30,627 square kilometres (11,825 sq mi). Its population in 2017 was 3,499,280. The inhabitants of Normandy are known as Normans; the region is the historic homeland of the Norman language. Large settlements include Rouen, Caen, Le Havre and Cherbourg.

Cherbourg is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 February 2000, which was merged into the new commune of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin on 1 January 2016.

Cherbourg is protected by Cherbourg Harbour, between La Hague and Val de Saire, and the city has been a strategic position over the centuries, disputed between the English and French. Cited as one of the "keys to the kingdom" by Vauban, it became, by colossal maritime development work, a first-rate military port under the leadership of Napoleon I, and holds an arsenal of the French Navy. A stopping point for prestigious transatlantic liners in the first half of the 20th century, Cherbourg was the primary goal of US troops during the invasion of Normandy in 1944.

A maritime prefect (French: Préfet maritime) is a servant of the French government who exercises authority over the sea in a particular region known as a maritime prefecture (Préfecture maritime). As of 2025, there are three maritime prefects in metropolitan France, based in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (Channel and North Sea), Brest (Atlantic Ocean) and Toulon (Mediterranean Sea).

Cherbourg-Octeville (French: [ʃɛʁbuʁ ɔkt(ə)vil] ) is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. It was formed when Cherbourg and Octeville merged on 28 February 2000. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, of which it became a delegated commune.

Cherbourg-Octeville is represented by a delegate mayor (Sébastien Fagnen, elected in 2017) and a delegate municipal council.

Saint-Lô (US: /sæ̃ ˈloʊ, seɪnt -, sənt -/, French: [sɛ̃ lo] ; Breton: Sant Lo) is a commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy.

Although it is the second largest city of Manche after Cherbourg, it remains the prefecture of the department. It is also chef-lieu of an arrondissement and two cantons (Saint-Lô-1 and Saint-Lô-2). The place name derives from that of a local saint, Laud of Coutances.