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Comprising Basse-Normandie & Haute-Normandie

Basse-Normandie,

encompassing the northwestern French départements of Orne, Calvados, and Manche and coextensive with western Normandy (q.v.). The capital is Caen. The region is bounded by the départements of Ille-et-Vilaine, Mayenne, and Sarthe to the south and Eure-et-Loir and Eure to the east. Manche and Calvados face the English Channel. The uplands of the Massif Armoricain extend into Manche and western Calvados and Orne; eastern Calvados and Orne belong to the Paris Basin. A humid climate prevails, with annual precipitation in the Cotentin peninsula of Manche approaching 35 inches. Basse-Normandie is sparsely inhabited though there is a large rural population. Animal husbandry dominates agriculture. Grainfields around Caen have been converted to pastures for beef cattle, and the regions of Auge in Calvados and Perche in Orne are major producers of beef. Artificial insemination is widely used to improve dairy herds. Camembert cheese is produced in Orne; Pont-l'Évêque and Livarot in Calvados also produce fine cheeses. Large numbers of horses are raised in Manche. Port-en-Bassin in Calvados and Cherbourg are major fishing ports. Industries are concentrated around Caen, whose manufactures include electronic goods and Citroën automobiles.

northern France, encompassing the départements of Eure and
Seine-Maritime and coextensive with Basse-Normandy. The capital is
Rouen. The region is bounded by the départements of Calvados and Orne to the
west, Eure-et-Loir to the south, and Yvelines, Val-d'Oise, Oise, and Somme to the
east. The English Channel lies to the northwest. Haute-Normandie is mostly
lowland belonging to the Paris Basin and is drained by the Seine River. A humid
climate prevails.

Haute-Normandie is densely populated with population heavily
concentrated in Le Havre, Rouen, and smaller urban centres along the Seine
River. Eure, by contrast, still has a large rural population.

Animal husbandry dominates agriculture, and the region is a leading producer of
milk and beef. Grainfields around Saint-André-de-l'Eure and Neubourg in Eure
have been converted to pasture. Dieppe is an important fishing port. Le Havre, Rouen, and other areas along the Seine River are highly industrialized.
Renault automobiles are manufactured in Cléon outside Elbeuf and near Le Havre in Sandouville.