Basse-Normandie

Coastal region of northwest France lying between Haute-Normandie and Brittany (Bretagne). It includes the départements of Calvados, Manche, and Orne; area 17,589 sq km/6,791 sq mi; population (1999 est) 1,422,200. Its administrative centre is Caen. Apart from stock farming, dairy farming (including the production of Camembert cheese), and textiles, the area produces apples, cider, and Calvados apple brandy. Tourism is important.

In World War II the invasion of Europe by Allied forces began on 6 June 1944 (D-day), when troops landed on the beaches of Calvados.

Physical The département forms the western half of what was once the historic province of Normandy. It is in general a fertile, richly cultivated area. Horses bred here are the best in the country, and fish are caught in its waters. There are iron-ore mines near Caen. Other main towns in the region include Alençon, Bayeux, Cherbourg, Deauville, and Lisieux. Off the coast of the département of Manche in the west of the region lies Mont-St-Michel, a rocky islet crowned by a medieval Benedictine abbey-fortress.