Normandy

Normandy, or Normandie in French, is a northwestern region of France along the English Channel. It comprises five departments: Calvados, Eure, Manche, Orne, and Seine-Maritime. The landscape ranges from rolling bocage and farmland to rugged coastlines, with notable towns including Caen, Rouen, Le Havre, Dieppe, and Cherbourg. The region is known for its maritime heritage, agricultural products such as apples, cider, Calvados apple brandy, and Camembert cheese, as well as historic monuments and museums.

Normandy's medieval history begins with Viking settlers who established the Duchy of Normandy in the 10th century. William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, led the Norman invasion of England in 1066, and the duchy remained a major political power before being incorporated into the French crown in the late Middle Ages. The region contains many medieval churches and abbeys, including the Bayeux Tapestry narrative linking Normandy to English history.

World War II marked a turning point when Allied forces landed on the D-Day beaches on June 6, 1944, and began the liberation of France. The area contains extensive battle remains, museums, war cemeteries, and memorials, as well as reconstructed towns. Today Normandy's economy centers on farming, agriculture-related industry, and a major port economy anchored by Le Havre; tourism is driven by historic towns, the Mont-Saint-Michel, coastline, and world heritage sites. The Norman language, once spoken locally, has largely been supplanted by French but survives in regional place names and cultural tradition.