Cotentin Peninsula

TheCotentin Peninsula(US:/ˌkoʊtɒ̃ˈtæ̃/,French:[kɔtɑ̃tɛ̃];Norman:Cotentîn[kotɑ̃ˈtẽ]), also known as theCherbourg Peninsula,is a peninsula inNormandythat forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into theEnglish Channel,towards Great Britain. To its west lie theGulf of Saint-Maloand theChannel Islands,and to the southwest lies the peninsula ofBrittany.

Map of the Contentin

The peninsula lies wholly within thedepartmentofManche,in theregionof Normandy.

Geography

The Cotentin peninsula is part of theArmorican Massif(with the exception of thePlainlying in the Paris Basin) and lies between theestuaryof theVireriver andMont Saint-MichelBay. It is divided into three areas: the headland ofCap de la Hague,the Cotentin Pass (thePlain), and the valley of theSaire River(Val de Saire). It forms the bulk of the department of Manche. Its southern part, known as "le Marais" (the Marshlands), crosses from east to west from just north west ofSaint Loand east ofLessayand marks a natural border with the rest of Manche.

The largest town on the peninsula isCherbourg-en-Cotentin,a major cross-channel port on the north coast, with a population of approximately 120,000. The population of the peninsula is about 250,000.

The western coast of the peninsula, known as theCôte des Îles( "Islands Coast" ), faces the Channel Islands. Ferry links serve Carteret and the islands ofJersey,GuernseyandAlderneyfromDielette.Off the east coast of the peninsula lies the island ofTatihouand theÎles Saint-Marcouf.

The oldest stone in France is found in outcroppings on the coast of Cap de la Hague, at the tip of the peninsula.

Cotentin was almost an island at one time. Only a small strip of land in the heath ofLessayconnected the peninsula with the mainland.Thanks to the so-calledportes à flot(fr), which close at flood and open at ebband which were built in the west coast and in the Baie des Veys, on the east coast, the Cotentin has become a peninsula.

TheCôte des Havreslies between the Cape of Carteret and the Cape of Granville. To the northwest, there are two sand dune systems: one stretching betweenSiouville-HagueandVauville,the other one stretching between Cap of Carteret andBaubigny.

History

Roman Armorica

Roman Armorica

The peninsula formed part of the Roman geographical area ofArmorica.The town known today asCoutances,capital of theUnelli,aGaulishtribe, acquired the name ofConstantiain 298 during the reign of Roman emperorConstantius Chlorus.The base of the peninsula, called inLatinthepagus Constantinus,joined together with thepagus Coriovallensiscentred upon Cherbourg to the north, subsequently became known as the Cotentin. Under theCarolingiansit was administered byviscountsdrawn successively from members of the Saint-Sauveur family, at their seatSaint-Sauveuron theDouve.

Medieval history

King Alan the Great of Brittany(d. 907) waged war successfully on the Norsemen. As a result of his conquests, the Cotentin Peninsula was included theoretically in the territory of theKingdom of Brittany,after theTreaty of Compiègne (867)with the king of the Franks. The kings of Brittany suffered continuing Norse invasions and Norman raids, and Brittany lost the Cotentin Peninsula (andAvranchinnearby) after only 70 years of political domination.

Meanwhile,Vikingssettled on the Cotentin in the ninth and tenth centuries. There are indications of a whaling industry there dating to the ninth century, possibly introduced by Norsemen.They were followed by Anglo-Norse and Anglo-Danish people, who established themselves as farmers. The Cotentin became part of Normandy in the early tenth century. Many placenames there are derived from theNorse language.Examples includeLa Hague,fromhagi( "meadow" or "enclosure" ), andLa Hougue,fromhaugr( "hill" or "mound" ).Other names are typical: all those ending with-tot(Quettetot..) fromtopt"site of a house" (modern-toft),-bec(Bricquebec, Houlbec..) frombekkr"brook", "stream", etc.

In 1088Robert Curthose,Duke of Normandy, enfeoffed the Cotentin to his brotherHenry,who later became king of England. Henry, as count of the Cotentin, established his first power base there and in the adjoining Avranchin, which lay to the south, beyond theRiver Thar.

During theHundred Years War,KingEdward III of Englandlanded in the bay of La Hougue, and then went to the Church of Quettehou in Val de Saire. It was there that Edward III knighted his sonEdward, the Black Prince.A remembrance plaque can be seen next to the altar.

Modern history

D-Dayassault map of Normandy and northwest coastal France

The navalBattle of La Hoguein 1692 was fought offSaint-Vaast-la-HouguenearBarfleur.

The town ofValogneswas, until theFrench Revolution,a provincial social resort for the aristocracy, nicknamed theVersailles of Normandy.The social scene was described in the novels ofJules Barbey d'Aurevilly(1808–1889) (himself from the Cotentin). Little now remains of the grand houses and châteaux; they were destroyed by combat there during theBattle of NormandyinWorld War II.The westernmost part of theD-Day landingswas atUtah Beach,on the southeastern coast of the peninsula, and was followed by a campaign to occupy the peninsula and take Cherbourg.

The genetic history of the modern inhabitants of Cotentin Peninsula was studied by theUniversity of Leicesterin 2015-2016 to determine the extent of Scandinavian ancestry in Normandy.The results were inconclusive.

Economy

The peninsula's main economic resource is agriculture. Dairy and vegetable farming are prominent activities, as well asaquacultureof oysters and mussels along the coast.Cider andcalvadosare produced from locally grown apples and pears.

The region hosts two important nuclear power facilities. At Flamanville there is anuclear power plant,and theLa Hague nuclear reprocessing plantis located a few miles to the north, at Beaumont-Hague. The facility stores allhigh-level wastefrom the French nuclear power program in one large vault. The nuclear industry provides a substantial portion of jobs in the region. The roads used for transport of nuclear waste have been blocked many times in the past by environmental action groupGreenpeace.Local environmental groups have voiced concerns about theradioactivitylevels of the cooling water at both these nuclear sites, which is being flushed into the bay of Vauville; however, the emitted radioactivity is several orders of magnitude below natural background levels and does not pose any hazard.

There are two major naval shipyards in Cherbourg. The state-owned shipyard Naval Group has built Frenchnuclear submarinessince the 1960s. Privately ownedCMNbuildsfrigatesand patrol vessels for various states, mostly from the Middle East.

Tourism is also an important economic activity in this region. Many tourists visit theD-Dayinvasion beaches, includingUtah Beachin the Cotentin. AtSainte-Mère-Églisea few miles away from the beach, there is a museum commemorating the action of the82ndand101st Airborne Divisions.TheCité de la Merin Cherbourg is a museum of oceanic and underseas subjects. The main attraction isRedoutable,the first French nuclear submarine, launched in 1967.

Culture

After quitting political life, the political thinkerAlexis de Tocqueville(1805–1859) retreated to the family estate ofTocqueville,where he wrote much of his work.

Due to its comparative isolation, the peninsula is one of the remaining strongholds of theNorman language,and the local dialect is known asCotentinais.The Norman language poetCôtis-Capel(1915–1986) described the environment of the peninsula, while French language poetJacques Prévertmade his home atOmonville-la-Petite.The painterJean-François Millet(1814–1875) was also born on the peninsula.

The Norman language writerAlfred Rossel,native of Cherbourg, composed many songs which form part of the heritage of the region. Rossel's songSus la mé( "on the sea" ) is often sung as a regional patriotic song.

Other sources

• Renaud, Jean:Les Vikings et la Normandie(Ouest-France. 2002)ISBN2-7373-0258-7
• Renaud, Jean:Les dieux des Vikings(Ouest-France. 2002)ISBN2-7373-1468-2