Calvados

Calvados, a French maritime department of Normandy. The principal rivers are the Touques, Orne, Dives, Seulles, Aure, and Vire. The coast, which has few bays or inlets, is partly formed by bold ridges, and partly by sand-downs, cliffs, and reefs; the dangerous reef extending for 16 miles between the mouths of the Orne and the Vire was called Calvados, after the Salvador, one of the vessels in the Spanish Armada shipwrecked here, and from it the department takes its name. The soil is generally fertile, especially in the valleys, supplying rich pasture for horned cattle, sheep, horses, and swine, which constitute the principal wealth of Calvados. The climate is moist, but healthy. Iron, marble, granite, and coal are found. The chief towns are Caen (the capital), Bayeux, Falais, Honfleur, Lisieux, and Trouville. Area, 2130 sq. m.; pop. (1861) 480,992; (1891) 428,945.