Geography
It is part of the Armorican Massif and lies between the estuary of the Vire river and Mont Saint-Michel Bay. It is divided into three areas: the headland of La Hague, the Cotentin Pass (Le Plain), and the valley of the Saire River (Val-de-Saire). It forms the bulk of the Manche département. Its southern part called "le Marais"(Marshlands) crosses from east to west just to the north of Carentan and Lessay and marks a natural border with the rest of the Manche.
The largest town in the peninsula is Cherbourg on the north coast, a major cross-channel port. Other towns of note: Valognes, Barfleur, Bricquebec, Barneville-Carteret, Beaumont Hague, Les Pieux, La Haye du Puits, Montebourg.
The western coast of the peninsula, known as la Côte des Îles (the Islands coast) faces the Channel Islands and ferry links serve Carteret, and the islands of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney from Dielette. Off the east coast of the peninsula lie the island of Tatihou and the Îles Saint-Marcouf.
Read more about this topic: Cotentin Peninsula
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