Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Normandie.

The first capital was Coutances until 1796, and it resumed that role after World War II because of the almost complete destruction of Saint-Lô during the battle of Normandy following D-Day. When Saint-Lô was rebuilt, it again became the capital.

The department includes the Cotentin Peninsula down to the famous Mont St Michel; though of the off-shore Channel Islands only Chausey forms part of the territory of the department.

Manche borders the Normandy departments of Calvados to the east and Orne to the southeast. Mayenne, a department of the Pays de la Loire, is to the south-east, and Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany is to the south-west.

The region is lush and green with sandy beaches, remaining very rural and farming oriented. The peninsula was originally joined as a single land mass to Cornwall and Dorset in England, meaning that the underlying geological strata of both countrysides are very similar. Consequently there are substantial regional differences today in terms of flora and fauna, and farming practices have varied considerably between the UK and France. Flat marsh areas in the department are known for their bird watching. The region and around St Lo is also the horse capital of France, where the cooler climate compared to the south is ideal for breeding and training.

France's first EPR reactor is near completion at Cherbourg and the TGV fast trains are now running from Paris to Caen and Cherbourg for 2020.

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