Everything about The Cotentin totally explained
The
Cotentin Peninsula, also known as the
Cherbourg Peninsula, is a
peninsula in
Normandy, forming part of the north-western coast of
France. It juts out northwards into the
English Channel, towards
Great Britain. To its west lie the
Channel Islands.
The peninsula lies wholly within the
département of
Manche, in the
région of
Basse-Normandie.
Geography
It is part of the Armorican Massif and lies between the
estuary of the
Vire River and
Mont Saint Michel Bay. It is divided into three areas: the headland of
La Hague, the Cotentin Pass, and the valley of the
Saire River (Val-de-Saire).
It forms the bulk of the
Manche département.
The largest town in the peninsula is
Cherbourg on the north coast, a major cross-channel
port.
Other towns of note:
Coutances,
Barfleur,
Saint-Lô,
Bricquebec,
Granville,
Barneville-Carteret,
Carentan,
Avranches.
The western coast of the peninsula, known as
la Côte des Îles (the coast of the islands) faces the
Channel Islands and
ferry links serve Carteret, Granville and the islands (including
Chausey).
Off the east coast of the peninsula lie the island of
Tatihou and the
Îles Saint-Marcouf.
History
The town known today as Coutances, capital of the
Unelli, a
Gaulish tribe, acquired the name of
Constantia in
298 during the reign of Roman emperor
Constantius Chlorus. The whole peninsula, called in
Latin the
pagus Constantinus subsequently became known as the Cotentin.
Until the construction of modern roads, the peninsula was almost inaccessible in winter due to the band of marshland cutting off the higher ground of the promontory itself. this explains occasional historical references to the Cotentin as an
island.
The town of
Valognes was, until the
French Revolution, a provincial social resort for the aristocracy, nicknamed the
Versailles of Normandy. Little remains of the grand houses and
châteaux as a result of the destruction of the
Battle of Normandy. The social scene was described in the novels of
Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly (himself from the Cotentin).
The
Battle of La Hougue took place in
1692 at
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue near
Barfleur.
A significant portion of
World War II, through the summer of
1944, was fought in the area.
Economy
The main economical ressource is agriculture. Dairy farming is an a prominent activity. Along the west coast, renown vegetables are grown (carots of
Créances).
The region is also famous for its shellfish culture, like the oysters from
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and
Pirou, and the manufacturing of alcoholic beverages like cider and
calvados, made from local grown apples and pears.
Nuclear activity is prominent in this remote region of France. At
Flamanville there's a
nuclear power plant, which in the coming years will see its capacity considerably enlarged by the addition of an extra reactor. Just a few miles to the north of this nuclear site, at Beaumont-Hague, the sprawling, infamous
COGEMA La Hague site is located, a treatment plant for
nuclear waste. The roads used for transport of nuclear waste to this heavily guarded site have been blocked many times in the past by environmental actiongroup
Greenpeace.
Local environment groups have voiced concerns about the radioactivity levels of the cooling water of both these nuclear sites, which is being flushed into the bay of Vauville. The nuclear sites employ a lot of people from the region.
Tourism is also an important economic activity in this region. Many tourists visit the D-Day invasion beaches, the paratrooper linked town of
Sainte-Mère-Église, the American war cemetery at
Colleville-sur-Mer and the German war cemetery at
La Cambe.
Culture
After quitting political life, the political thinker
Alexis de Tocqueville retreated to the family estate of
Tocqueville where he wrote much of his work.
Due to its comparative isolation, the peninsula is one of the remaining strongholds of the
Norman language, and the local dialect is known as
Cotentinais. The Norman language poet
Côtis-Capel described the environment of the peninsula, while French language poet
Jacques Prévert made his home at Omonville-la-Petite. The painter
Jean-François Millet was born in the peninsula.
The Norman language writer Alfred Rossel, native of Cherbourg, composed many songs which form part of the heritage of the region. Rossel's song
Sus la mé ("on the sea") is often sung as a regional patriotic song.
Footnotes
Further Information
Get more info on 'Cotentin'.
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