LOWER NORMANDY INFORMATION
LOWER NORMANDY Topography
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 (English : Lower Normandy) and Haute-Normandie (English: Upper Normandy). It is bounded Upper Normandy, Brittany, Pays de Loire and Centre. 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.
Traditional regions of Lower Normandy include the Cotentin Peninsula and La Hague, the Campagne de Caen, the Norman Bocage, the Bessin and the Avranchin.
Upper Normandy is also surround by regions of Picardy in the north-east, Ile-de-France and Centre in the south.
LOWER-NORMANDY History
Regions relating to Lower Normandy: Gallia Lugdunensis, Neustria, and Normandy.
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.
LOWER-NORMANDY Culture
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. Important events include Deauville Asian Film Festival and Deauville American Film Festival.
LOWER NORMANDY Climate
Continental and Oceanic. Average Temperature in the Summer: 17°c. In the Winter: 4.5°c.
Average sunshine, more or less 1,750 hours per year (Caen).
Average rainfall :
In the Summer : 47.7 mm
In the Winter : 63.5 mm
LOWER NORMANDY Demographics
In January 2006 the population of Normandy (including the part of Perche which lies inside the Orne département but excluding the Channel Islands) was estimated at 3,260,000 with an average population density of 109 inhabitants per km², just under the French national average, but rising to 147 for Upper Normandy.
LOWER NORMANDY Main cities
Arromanches, Bayeux, Bellou, Caen, Colleville sur Mer, Crepon, Deauville, Fervaques, Grandcamp Maisy, Honfleur,
Les Moutiers Hubert, Lisieux, Livarot, Longues sur Mer, Mont Saint Michel, Pointe du Hoc, Port en Bessin, Saint Germain de Livet, Saint Laurent sur Mer, Trouville, Vimoutiers.
LOWER-NORMANDY HOLIDAY RENTALS in Region of FRANCE
MORE THAN 10.000 B&B in all France
MORE THAN 10.000 Gîtes in all France
with our portal Dream French Property.eu