Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche ("the sleeve"), which is the French name for the English Channel. It is encircled with Calvados, Orne, Mayenne and Ille-et-Vilaine. The area is bounded with the English Channel in the west, north and North West. The department accounts for 492,563 residents (in 2006), amongst which 46,973 in Cherbourg (sous-préfecture) and 23,212 in Saint Lo (prefecture). The department has one most important airport, Caen but many others are easily accessible in the surroundings such as Caen and Rennes. From there, tourists can reach destination at the UK and many other French and European destinations.

Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche ("the sleeve"), which is the French name of English Channel. Manche is among the unusual 83 departments formed all through the French Revolution on 4th March, 1790. It was formed from fraction of the province of Normandie. The weather is oceanic, with gentle winters, temperatures rarely reaching below freezing, and temperate summers, around 25°C. Rainfall is substantial, but varies very much by region, between 700mm on the coast and 1300mm in the southern central area.