Cotentiu

Cotentiu, The, a peninsula in the N.W. of Normandy, jutting into the English Channel between St. Michael's Bay and the Gulf of Carentan. It is in the department La Manche, and is 55 miles long by 25 broad. There were many baronies and abbeys here under the Dukes of Normandy, and many Norman names now naturalised in England have their originals in this district. The land is fertile, and there are abundant flocks and herds. The old capital is Coutances, but the most important town is Cherbourg.