Editing Manche (section)

== Geography ==
[[File:Carteroute50.jpg|thumb|left|Map of Cotentin peninsula]]
The department includes the [[Cotentin Peninsula]] down to the famous [[Mont St Michel]]. Of the [[Channel Islands]], only [[Chausey|the island of Chausey]] forms part of the territory of the department.

Manche borders the Normandy departments of [[Calvados (department)|Calvados]] to the east and [[Orne]] to the southeast. [[Mayenne]], a department of the [[Pays de la Loire]], is to the south-east, and [[Ille-et-Vilaine]] in [[Brittany]] is to the south-west and it shares maritime borders with [[Bailiwick of Jersey]] and [[Bailiwick of Guernsey]] of the [[United Kingdom]] to the west. The [[Salient (geography)|salient]] of this department is the longest in France. It is also the second longest {{Define|salient|a piece of land or section of fortification that juts out to form an angle}} in Europe, after [[Odesa Oblast]] in [[Ukraine]].

The region is lush and green with sandy beaches and remains oriented towards farming. The peninsula was originally joined as a single land mass to [[Cornwall]] and [[Dorset]] in England, meaning that the underlying [[geological strata]] of both regions are very similar. However, there are substantial regional differences today in terms of flora and fauna, and farming practices have varied considerably between the United Kingdom and France. Flat marsh areas in the department attract many bird-watchers. The region in and around St Lô is also the equestrian capital of France, where the cooler climate compared to the south is ideal for breeding and training.

France's first [[EPR (nuclear reactor)|EPR nuclear reactor]] is under construction at [[Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant|Flamanville]] near [[Cherbourg]] and is planned to start operations in late 2023.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.montelnews.com/news/1292315/edf-delays-flamanville-start-up-to-end-2023-on-weld-issue |title=EDF delays Flamanville start-up to end 2023 on weld issue |last=Boselli |first=Muriel |website=Montel |date=12 January 2022}}</ref>

===Principal towns===

The most populous commune is [[Cherbourg-en-Cotentin]]; and the prefecture [[Saint-Lô]] is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are six communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:<ref name=pop2019/>

{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2019)
|-
| [[Cherbourg-en-Cotentin]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 78,549
|-
| [[Saint-Lô]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 19,050
|-
| [[Granville, Manche|Granville]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 12,513
|-
| [[La Hague]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 11,173
|-
| [[Avranches]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 10,264
|-
| [[Carentan-les-Marais]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 10,052
|}

=== Climate ===
The climate is [[Oceanic climate|oceanic]] with relatively mild winters in which temperatures go below zero only for a few days. Summer temperatures are usually around 20&nbsp;°C, and can occasionally reach 35&nbsp;°C in direct sunlight. Precipitation is heavy but varies greatly by region, from 700mm on the coast to 1300mm in the southern central area. Highly localised but not life-threatening flash flooding has been experienced during the last few  springs.

The west coast benefits from the influence of the [[Gulf Stream]] and this has enabled the naturalization of Mediterranean and exotic plants such as mimosas, palms, and agaves.

There is often a sea breeze on the coast, which combined with tides, contributes to rapid temperature changes in the course of a single day. Sea temperatures can be very pleasant for swimming between June and October.