Manche

Manche ('sleeve'), a maritime department in the north-west of France, formed from the old province of Normandy, derives its name from La Manche (the English Channel), which washes its rocky coasts. Greatest length, 81 miles; average breadth, 28 miles; area, 2289 sq. m. Pop. (1872) 544,776; (1891) 513,815. The climate is mild but humid. Cereals, flax, hemp, beetroot, and fruits are extensively cultivated. Immense quantities of apples are grown, from which 28,000,000 gallons of cider are made annually. Horses of the true Norman breed are reared, and excellent cattle and sheep are fed on the extensive pastures. There are valuable granite quarries. The department is divided into the six arrondissements of St Lô, Coutances, Valognes, Cherbourg, Avranches, and Mortain. Capital, St Lô. The port of Cherbourg and the rock of St Michel (with its celebrated abbey) belong to this department.