Normandy

Normandy is a former country (a Duchy) situated in northern France occupying the lower Seine area (upper or Haute-Normandie) and the region to the west (lower or Basse-Normandie) as far as the Cotentin Peninsula. Upper Normandy consists of the French départements of Seine-Maritime and Eure, and lower Normandy of the départements of Orne, Calvados, and Manche. Normandy was historically a province of France.

Table of contents

1 Population

2 Geography

3 History

4 Culture

Population

Normandy has 3.2 million inhabitants, with an average population density of 107 per square kilometer, just under the French national average, but rising to 145 for upper Normandy. The principal cities are Rouen (population 385,000, including suburbs), the capital of upper Normandy and formerly of the whole province; Le Havre (247,000); Caen (200,000), the capital of lower Normandy; and Cherbourg (89,000).

Other towns include:

Geography

The region is bordered along the northern coasts by the English Channel. Granite cliffs in the west and limestone cliffs in the east frame long stretches of beach in the centre of the region. The bocage, patchwork of small fields with high hedges, typical of the western areas caused problems for the invading forces in the Battle of Normandy. In the south, the Suisse normande (Norman Switzerland) presents hillier terrain. The meanders of the Seine as it approaches its estuary form a notable feature of the landscape.

The Pont de Normandie crossing the estuary of the Seine is regarded as a feat of modern engineering.

History

Normandy was the home of the Norman people in the early Middle Ages, the last people to successfully invade England. The Normans were a mixture of the indigenous Gauls and of the Viking invaders under the leadership of Rollo (Gånge Rolf), who besieged Paris and was given the area of Normandy (Treaty of St.-Claire-sur-Epte, 911) in return for defending it against future pirate attacks.

Rollo's descendant William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England in 1066 and became king William I of England. Normandy remained associated with England until 1087, in 1106-1144 and in 1154-1204, and was occupied by English forces during the Hundred Years' War in 1346-1360 and again in 1415-1450.

During World War II, the town of Dieppe was the site of the ill-fated Dieppe Raid by Canadian and other British units in 1942. Later, Normandy was also the site of the Normandy Invasion or Operation Overlord that began on June 6, 1944, which day is also known as D-Day. This was the successful invasion of German-occupied France by U.S., British, and Canadian troops. Caen and other Norman towns endured many casualties in the fight for the province, which continued until the liberation of Le Havre on (September 12).

Since the Channel Islands are still under governance of the British, yet not are not part of the UK but rather the Duchy of Normandy, the British monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth II) is toasted as Duke of Normandy. However, she is not technically Duke of Normandy as any claims by a British monarch to the title were given up by the Treaty of Paris of 1295. Additionally, the rights of succession to that title are subject to Salic Law, which does not allow for female inheritance of the ducal title.

Culture

The Norman language, a regional language, is spoken by a minority of the population: the Cotentin peninsula especially in the far West and in the Pays de Caux in the East. Many place names show the influence of this Norse-influenced oïl language.

Writers in the French language connected with Normandy include:

Painters were attracted to Normandy by the ease of railway access from Paris. Claude Monet's waterlily garden at Giverny is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the region. Eugène Boudin's paintings of fashionable seaside scenes are also typical. Jean-François Millet, Marcel Duchamp, Fernand Léger and André Breton were Norman by birth.

Erik Satie, composer, was born in Normandy.

Normandy is famous for its rich, rolling countryside providing plentiful pasture for dairy cattle and orchards for apples. The dairy produce of the region is renowned: its cheeses are world famous and include Camembert, Livarot and Pont l'Evêque. Normandy butter is highly prized, as is Normandy cream, both of which are lavishly used in local gastronomic specialities.

Normandy is a major cider-producing region (very little wine is produced). The apple brandy, of which the most famous variety is calvados, is also popular. The mealtime trou normand, or Norman break, is a pause between meal courses in which diners partake of a glassful of calvados, is still observed in many homes and restaurants. Pommeau is an aperitif produced by blending unfermented cider and apple brandy. Another aperitif is the kir normand, a measure of cassis topped up with cider. Benedictine is produced in Fécamp.

Apples are also used in cooking: for example, moules à la normande are mussels cooked with apples and cream.

Other regional specialities include tripes à la mode de Caen and seafood.

The unofficial anthem of the region is the song Ma Normandie.