This region is made up of three departments (the Manche, Calvados, and Orne), and much of it is open to the sea, with 470 km of coasts and countless beaches and harbours. Lower Normandy is the point of departure for many sea-connections with Great Britain, but it lacks road and rail communications.

Mont Saint-Michel (Lower Normandy)

Its realatively young population is concentrated in several medium-sized towns and cities, including Caen, the regional capital, which has 190,000 inhabitants and has fine churches and a large university.

Agriculture, and especially livestock farming, is very important in this region, generating a large- scale meat and dairy industry.

Omaha beach, site of the Normandy landings (Lower Normandy)

With its gentle landscapes of pastures, some overlooking the sea, this is a region in tones of blue and green