Editing Cherbourg (section)

===Location===
[[File:Cotentin Peninsula.jpg|thumb|right|A map of the Cotentin peninsula, with Cherbourg to the north]]
Cherbourg is located at the northern tip of the [[Cotentin Peninsula]], in the [[departments of France|department]] of [[Manche]], of which it is a [[Subprefectures in France|subprefecture]]. At the time of the [[INSEE|1999 census]] the city of Cherbourg had an area of {{convert|6.91|km²|3|abbr=out}}, while the city of Octeville had an area of {{convert|7.35|km²|3|abbr=on}}. The largest city in the Department of Manche, it is the result of the merger of the communes of Cherbourg and Octeville. The [[amalgamation (politics)|amalgamated]] city today has an area of {{convert|14.26|km²|3|abbr=on}}. Cherbourg is situated at the mouth of the {{Interlanguage link|Divette (river)|fr|3=Divette (fleuve)|lt=Divette}} and at the south of the bay between {{Interlanguage link|Cap Lévi|fr}} to the east and [[La Hague|Cap de La Hague]] to the west, Cherbourg-Octeville is {{convert|120|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the English coast.

Cherbourg and Octeville-sur-Cherbourg once belonged to the [[deanery]] of La Hague, delimited by the Divette. In 1786, a part of [[Équeurdreville-Hainneville|Equeurdreville]] joined Cherbourg, during the construction of the port, and then in 1802, a portion of Octeville. Since 1811, the "[[:wikt:mielle|mielles]]" [dunes] of Tourlaville, commune of the deanery of [[Val de Saire|Saire]], are integrated into the Cherbourg territory known as the quarter of Val-de-Saire where the {{Interlanguage link|Centre hospitalier public du Cotentin|fr|3=Centre hospitalier public du Cotentin|lt=Pasteur Hospital}} and the Saint-Clement Church<ref>{{cite book|title=Histoire de la ville de Cherbourg de {{Interlanguage link|Jean-Thomas Voisin-La-Hougue|fr|3=Jean-Thomas Voisin-La-Hougue|lt=Voisin La Hougue}}, continuée depuis 1728 jusqu'à 1835, par Vérusmor|language=fr|trans-title=History of the city of Cherbourg from Voisin-La-Hougue, continued from 1728 until 1835, by Verusmor|location=Cherbourg|publisher=Boulanger|year=1855|page=272}}</ref> were built. Thus, Cherbourg-Octeville lies both in La Hague and in the Val de Saire.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jean|last=Fleury|author-link=Jean Fleury|title=Essai sur le patois normand de la Hague|language=fr|trans-title=Essay on the Norman dialect of la Hague|publisher=Maisonneuve frères et C. Leclerc|year=1886|pages=363–64}}</ref>

Like all Chantereyne and the area of the Mielles, the Cherbourg territory was reclaimed from the sea. Built at the level of the sea, the town developed at the foot of the Roule mountain (highest point of the old town) and la Fauconnière. Octeville is a former rural municipality, composed of hamlets, whose settlement extended from the 19th century and whose territory is highly urbanised since 1950, especially around the {{Interlanguage link|Zone à urbaniser en priorité|fr|3=Zone à urbaniser en priorité|lt=ZUP}} of the provinces and the university campus.

The bordering communes are [[Tourlaville]] to the east, [[Équeurdreville-Hainneville]] to the west, [[La Glacerie]] to the south and southeast, [[Martinvast]] to the south, and [[Nouainville]] and [[Sideville]] to the south-west.