| Basse-Normandie | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Region of France — | |||
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| Country | France | ||
| Prefecture | Caen | ||
| Departments | |||
| Government | |||
| - President | Laurent Beauvais (PS) | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 17,589 km2 (6,791.2 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2007-01-01) | |||
| - Total | 1,453,000 | ||
| - Density | 82.6/km2 (214/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| NUTS Region | FR2 | ||
| Website | cr-basse-normandie.fr | ||
Lower Normandy (French: Basse-Normandie; Norman: Basse-Normaundie) is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. The region includes three departments, Calvados, Manche and Orne, that cover the part of Normandy traditionally termed "Lower Normandy" lying west of the Dives River, the Pays d'Auge (except a small part remaining in Haute-Normandie), a small part of the Pays d'Ouche (the main part remaining in Haute-Normandie), the Norman Perche and part of the "French" Perche. It covers 10,857 square kilometers, 3.2 percent of the surface area of France[1].
Traditional regions of Lower Normandy include the Cotentin Peninsula and La Hague, the Campagne de Caen, the Norman Bocage, the Bessin and the Avranchin.
Contents |
The traditional province of Normandy, with an integral history reaching back to the 10th century, was divided in 1957 into two regions: Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy.
During the Roman era, the region was divided into several different city-states. That of Vieux was excavated in the 17th century, revealing numerous structures and vestiges bearing testimony to the prosperity of the Caen region.
The region was conquered by the Franks in the 5th century.
In the 9th century, the Norman conquests devastated the region. Much of the territory of Lower Normandy was added to the Duchy of Normandy in the 10th century.
In 1066, Duke William I of Normandy conquered England. He was buried in Caen.
The victory of Tinchebray in 1106 gave Normandy to the Plantagenets. Nearly one hundred years later, in 1204, King Philip II Augustus of France confiscated the region. Then, during the Hundred Years' War, the region was annexed by England.
The French regained the region from 1436 to 1450. By 1453 the French monarchy controlled all of France apart from Calais.
The main thrust of Operation Overlord during World War II was focused on Lower Normandy. The beaches of Calvados were the site of the D-Day landings in June 1944. Lower Normandy suffered badly during World War II, with many of the region's towns and villages being destroyed or badly damaged during the Battle of Normandy.
The region's economy is heavily agricultural, with livestock and dairy farming, textiles and fruit production among its major industries. The region is the leader in France in the sectors of butter, fromage frais, soft cheeses, cider apples, cider, leeks, turnips, and flax. The region also breeds more horses than any other in France. The western part of the region is used mainly for farming, because of the prairies. Iron ore is mined near Caen. Tourism is also a major industry. The region has direct ferry links to England (via the port of Cherbourg and Caen Ouistreham).
In addition to French, Normandy has its own regional language, Norman. It is still in use today in Lower Normandy, with the dialects of the Cotentin more in evidence than others. Lower Normandy has also been the home of many well-known French authors, including Guy de Maupassant, Marcel Proust, Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly. Notable Norman language authors connected especially with Lower Normandy include Alfred Rossel, Louis Beuve, and Côtis-Capel.
In terms of music, composer Erik Satie also hailed from this region. And in the visual arts, Jean-François Millet was a native of La Hague. Eugène Boudin was born in Honfleur and Fernand Léger in Argentan. Importants events include Deauville Asian Film Festival and Deauville American Film Festival.
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| Basse-Normandie | |||
| Flag | Region logo | ||
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| Location | |||
| File:Basse-Normandie | |||
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | ||
| Administration | |||
| Country | France | ||
| NUTS Region | FR2 | ||
| Départements | 3 | ||
| Capital | Caen | ||
| President | Laurent Beauvais (PS) | ||
| Basic statistics | |||
| Area | 17,589 km² (6,791 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 1,453,000 (01/2007) | ||
| - Density | 83 /km² (214 /sq mi) | ||
| Other information | |||
| Website | cr-basse-normandie.fr | ||
Basse-Normandie (English: Lower Normandy) is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie (English: Upper Normandy). The region includes three departments, Calvados, Manche and Orne, that cover the part of Normandy traditionally termed "Lower Normandy" lying west of the Dives River, the Pays d'Auge (except a small part remaining in Haute-Normandie), a small part of the Pays d'Ouche (the main part remaining in Haute-Normandie), the Norman Perche and part of the "French" Perche. It covers 10,857 square miles, 3.2 percent of the surface area of France[1].
Traditional regions of Lower Normandy include the Cotentin Peninsula and La Hague, the Campagne de Caen, the Norman Bocage, the Bessin and the Avranchin.
Contents |
The traditional province of Normandy, with an integral history reaching back to the 10th century, was divided in 1957 into two regions: Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie ("Upper Normandy").
During the Roman era, the region was divided into several different city-states. That of Vieux was excavated in the 17th century, revealing numerous structures and vestiges bearing testimony to the prosperity of the Caen region.
The region was conquered by the Franks in the 5th century.
In the 9th century, the Norman conquests devastated the region. Much of the territory of Lower Normandy was added to the Duchy of Normandy in the 10th century.
In 1066, Duke William I of Normandy conquered England. He was buried in Caen.
The victory of Tinchebray in 1106 gave Normandy to the Plantagenets. Nearly one hundred years later, in 1204, Philippe Auguste confiscated the region. Then, during the Hundred Years' War, the region was annexed by England.
The French regained the region from 1436 to 1450. By 1453 the French monarchy controlled all of France apart from Calais.
The main thrust of Operation Overlord during World War II was focused on Basse-Normandie. The beaches of Calvados were the site of the D-Day landings in June 1944. Basse-Normandie suffered badly during World War II, with many of the region's towns and villages being destroyed during the Battle of Normandy.
The region's economy is heavily agricultural, with livestock and dairy farming, textiles and fruit production among its major industries. The region is the leader in France in the sectors of butter, fromage frais, soft cheeses, cider apples, cider, leeks, turnips, and flax. The region also breeds more horses than any other in France. The western part of the region is used mainly for farming, because of the prairies. Iron ore is mined near Caen. Tourism is also a major industry. The region has direct ferry links to England (via the port of Cherbourg and Caen Ouistreham).
In addition to French, Normandy has its own regional language, Norman. It is still in use today in Basse-Normandie, with the dialects of the Cotentin more in evidence than others. Lower Normandy has also been the home of many well-known French authors, including Guy de Maupassant, Marcel Proust, Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly. Notable Norman language authors connected especially with Lower Normandy include Alfred Rossel, Louis Beuve, and Côtis-Capel.
In terms of music, composer Erik Satie also hailed from this region. And in the visual arts, Jean-François Millet was a native of La Hague. Eugène Boudin was born in Honfleur and Fernand Léger in Argentan. Importants events include Deauville Asian Film Festival and Deauville American Film Festival.
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Coordinates: 49°00′N 1°00′W / 49°N 1°W
Basse-Normandie is a region of northern France and comprises the lower, western half of the historical Normandy. This part of France was the focus of the D-Day landings in June 1944.
Départements:
Basse-Normandie is just over 2 hours from Paris on the A13 motorway, which can be joined from Le Havre via the Pont de Normandie and the A29 motorway, linking the region to Haute-Normandie, Northern France and Belgium. The A84 motorway also links the region to Rennes and Brittany, and the A28 to Le Mans.
The are trains to Caen and Cherbourg from Paris (Saint-Lazare station), and also to Lisieux and Deauville. There are also trains to Rennes and Le Mans from Caen.
There are international airports in Caen and Deauville.
Ferries links to the UK, Ireland and the Channel Islands are in Ouistreham, near Caen (Portsmouth), Cherbourg (Poole, Portsmouth, Rosslare), Dielette (Alderney, Guernsey) and Carteret (Guernsey, Jersey).
France is a pretty safe country, and Normandy doesn't have any
big cities with no-go areas, although as in any place, you should
stick to a few obvious rules (don't walk down dark alleyways at 4
in the morning, etc...).
If in trouble, speak to a policeman (Policier or
Gendarme) or go to a police station (Comissariat)
where you will be given help.
For health issues, go see a doctor (médecin, around 20€).
For ER/A&E, ask for Urgences. You can call SOS Médecin
(Tél: 36 24), who can send out a doctor (very useful in rural
areas). Chemist are Pharmacies, and most major towns will
have a Pharmacien de garde who will stay open all night
for emergencies (they take turns, check in the local paper to get
the name and phone number).
Emergency phone numbers are:
The European Emergency number 112 will also
work.
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