Lower Normandy

Lower Normandy Former French Region (until 2015)
Basic data
Today part of	Normandy
Administrative headquarters	Caen
population  - total January 1, 2017  - density	1,474,257 inhabitants 83.8 inhabitants per km²
surface  - total  - share in France :	17,589 km² 2.7%
Departments	3
Arrondissements	11
Cantons	141
Communities	1,812
Formerly ISO 3166-2 code	FR-P

The Lower Normandy [ bɑsnɔʀmɑdi ] ( Lower Normandy ) was a region in the north of France , consisting of the departments of Calvados , Manche and Orne consisted. It had an area of ​​17,589 km² and 1,474,257 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017). The capital of the region was Caen . On January 1, 2016, Lower Normandy merged with Upper Normandy to form the Normandy region . The provisional capital of the new region is Rouen .

geography

The Roche d'Oëtre , Orne

The Bayeux Tapestry , Calvados

The region lies on the English Channel , into which the Cotentin peninsula protrudes. In the west it borders at Mont-Saint-Michel on Brittany , in the south on the Pays de la Loire and in the east on the Seine estuary on Haute-Normandie ("Upper Normandy").

coat of arms

Description: In red, two blue-tongued and thus armored golden, walking leopards .

history

The name Normandy for the region goes back to the fact that the historical sites of the Normans are located here, from where William the Conqueror conquered England in 1066 ( Battle of Hastings ).

This is where the Allied landings on the beaches of Omaha- and Utah Beach , as well as Gold , Juno and Sword , and also the parachute jump in Sainte-Mère-Église and Bénouville took place on June 6, 1944 , with which the liberation of France and Europe started by National Socialism .

The region of Lower Normandy was formed in 1956 when historical Normandy was divided into two regions, Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy, when France was divided into program regions . On January 1, 2016 , the region of Lower Normandy merged with the neighboring region of Upper Normandy to form the new region of Normandy.

Cities

The most populous cities in Lower Normandy are:

Le Vieux Bassin in Honfleur, Calvados

city	Inhabitants (year)	Department
Caen	105,354 (2017)	Calvados
Cherbourg-en-Cotentin	79,200 (2017)	Some
Alencon	25,848 (2017)	Orne
Hérouville-Saint-Clair	22,954 (2017)	Calvados
Lisieux	20,318 (2017)	Calvados
Saint-Lô	19,116 (2017)	Some
Flers	14,734 (2017)	Orne
Argentan	13,823 (2017)	Orne

Political structure

The region of Lower Normandy is divided into three departments :

Department	prefecture	ISO 3166-2	Arrondissements	Cantons	Communities	Inhabitants (year)	Area (km²)	Density (inh / km²)
Calvados	Caen	FR-14	4th	25th	538	694.002 (2017)	5,548	125.1
Some	Saint-Lô	FR-50	4th	27	477	496,883 (2017)	5,938	83.7
Orne	Alencon	FR-61	3	21st	394	283,372 (2017)	6.103	46.4

economy

Camembert, cheese made from raw milk

When compared with the GDP of the European Union expressed in purchasing power standards , the region achieved an index of 89.4 in 2006 (EU-27 = 100).

The best known products of Lower Normandy are the raw milk cheese varieties Camembert , Pont-l'Évêque , Livarot and drinks cider , perry (pear cider), Pommeau and Calvados .

tourism

On January 3, 1987, a law was passed in France that the regional councils (frz. Conseil régional) of the French regions should set up so-called “Comité Régional de Tourisme” (German tourism association of a region). The task of the "Comité Régional de Tourisme de Normandie" (German Tourism Association of Normandy) is to market Normandy as a holiday destination at home and abroad. The specialty of this tourism association is that two administrative regions ( Upper and Lower Normandy) pool their resources and their commitment in order to promote the Normandy region together. In addition to marketing, market analyzes and the improvement of the tourist offer in cooperation with the Norman service providers are also important tasks of this organization.

Attractions

The Mont Saint Michel , Manche

• Pirou Castle
• Jardin des Plantes of Coutances
• Lessay
• Mont-Saint-Michel
• La Cité de la Mer
• Park and garden of the Château de la Motte
• Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin Regional Nature Park
• Tatihou
• Train Touristique du Cotentin
• Tumulus of Colombiers-sur-Seulles

See also

• List of Presidents of the Regional Council of Lower Normandy since 1986
• Reunification of Normandy

Web links

Commons : Basse-Normandie  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: Basse-Normandie  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• Lower Normandy Region (French)
• Prefecture of the Lower Normandy Region (French)
• Basse-Normandie: Marked by memories, France's official website (German)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Eurostat press release 23/2009: Regional GDP per inhabitant in the EU27 (PDF file; 360 kB)

Coordinates: 49 ° 0 ′  N , 0 ° 23 ′  W