Where Is Normandy?
Normandy is situated along the English Channel coast of Northern France and comprises territory in both France and Britain. It is sandwiched between Brittany to the west and Picardy to the east. The name of the region comes from the people, Vikings, who conquered it in the 9-10th century. They were called ‘Normand’ (Northmen)’ and later the name got corrupted into its current form.
Normandy covers 30,627 square kilometers in France and the British only have 194 square kilometers. About 5% of the French population lives in Normandy and the French have divided the area, for administrative purposes, into two parts: Basse Normandie and Haute Normandie. The British Normandy comprises of two islands Guernsey and Jersey, which are British Crown dependencies.
Basse-Normandie is a predominantly agricultural area whereas Haute Normandie contains more industry. Rouen, Caen, Le Havre and Cherbourg are principal cities in Normandy.
The area is famous because of the Allies’ invasion during the Second World War; the Germans had captured this region and were then defending it. The Allied invasion, called Operation Overlord, was the biggest amphibious invasion of all times. Some 175,000 allied troops landed on the Normandy coast to push the Germans out of the region. The invasion began on 6 June, 1944 and the region was liberated on 9 May, 1945.
Category: Geography