Calvados
Coat of arms of the Calvados department
Location
Administration
Department number:	14
Region:	Basse-Normandie
Prefecture:	Caen
Subprefectures:	Bayeux Lisieux Vire
Arrondissements:	4
Cantons:	49
Communes:	706
President of the General Council:	Anne d'Ornano Miscellaneous Right-wing
Statistics
Population	Ranked 31st
-1999	648,385
Population density:	117/km²
Land area¹:	5548 km²
¹ French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km². The term administration, as used in the context of Government, differs according to Jurisdiction. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, Basse-Normandie ('Lower Normandy' is an administrative region of France. A prefecture ( préfecture) in France can refer to: the Chef-lieu de département, the town in which the administration of a ''département'' Caen (kɑ̃ is a commune in northwestern France. It is the Prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Subprefectures (sous-préfectures are the administrative towns of arrondissements in France that do not contain the prefecture for its department. Bayeux (bajø is a commune in the Calvados département, in Normandy in northwestern France. Lisieux is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region of France. Vire is a commune and the seat of a canton of the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region of The 100 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The 4 arrondissements of the Calvados department are Arrondissement of Bayeux, ( subprefecture: Bayeux) with The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 341 arrondissements and 100 departments. The following is a list of the 49 cantons of the Calvados department, in France, sorted by arrondissement: Arrondissement The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. The following is a list of the 706 communes of the Calvados département in France. In France, the President of the General Council (French Président du conseil général) is the locally-elected head of the General Council, the assembly Anne D'Ornano is the current President of General Council of the French Department of Calvados. As of January 1, 2008, 64473140 people live in the French Republic. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here areas between 1000 km2 and 10000 km2 An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open

The French department of Calvados forms part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, Basse-Normandie ('Lower Normandy' is an administrative region of France. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the coast.

History

Calvados is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1790 ( MDCCXC) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year It was created from a part of the former province of Normandy. The Kingdom of France was organised into Provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. The name “Orne inférieure" was originally proposed for the department but it was ultimately decided to call the area Calvados.

Its etymology is most likely derived from the Salvador, a ship from the Spanish Armada that sank by the rocks near Arromanches-les-bains in 1588. The Spanish Armada ( Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada, "Great and Most Fortunate Navy" or Armada Invencible, "Invincible Arromanches-les-Bains (or simply Arromanches) is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region Others insist, however, that the name Calvados was derived from calva dorsa, meaning bare backs, in reference to two sparsely vegetated rocks off its shore. ^[1]

During World War II, Allied forces landed on the beaches of the Bay of the Seine (Baie de Seine) in what became known as the Battle of Normandy, on June 6, 1944. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Geography

Calvados belongs to the region of Basse Normandie and is surrounded by the departments of Seine-Maritime, Eure, Orne, and Manche. Basse-Normandie ('Lower Normandy' is an administrative region of France. Seine-Maritime is a French department in Normandy. Before 1955 it was known as Seine-Inférieure. Eure is a department in the north of France named after the Eure River. Orne is a department in the northwest of France named after the Orne River. Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche ("the sleeve" which is the French name for the English On the north is la Baie de Seine, part of the English Channel. On the east, the Seine River forms the boundary with Seine-Maritime. The Seine (sɛn in French) is a slow flowing major River and commercial waterway within the regions of Île-de-France and Haute-Normandie Calvados includes the Bessin area, the Pays d'Auge, and the area known as the "Suisse normande" ("Norman Switzerland"). The Bessin is an area in Normandy, France, corresponding to the territory of the Bajocasse tribe of Celts who also gave their name to the city The Pays d'Auge is an area in Normandy, straddling the départements ' of Calvados and Orne (plus a small part of the territory of

Calvados' most notable places include: Deauville and the formerly elegant 19th-century casino resorts of the coast. For the motorcycle of the same name see Honda Deauville. Deauville is a commune in the Calvados département A casino is in the modern sense of the word a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of Gambling activities

Economy

Agriculture dominates the economy of Calvados. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture The area is known for producing butter, cheese, cider, and the apple-based spirit that shares its name (see Calvados (spirit)). Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. Cheese is a Food made from Milk, usually the milk of cows, Buffalo, Goats or sheep, by coagulation. For the non-alcoholic beverage commonly known in the US as "cider" see Apple cider. The apple is the pomaceous Fruit of the apple tree Species Malus domestica in the Rose family Rosaceae. Calvados is an apple Brandy from the French région of Basse-Normandie or Lower Normandy

Demography

The inhabitants of Calvados are called "Calvadosiens" (male) and "Calvadosiennes" (female). In 1999, Calvados counted 648 299 inhabitants; making it the 30th most populated French department.

Age distribution in Calvados :

More than 75 years old : 7. 2 % 60 - 74 years old : 13. 16 % 40 - 59 years old : 25. 52 % 20 - 39 years old : 28. 53 % 0 - 19 years old : 25. 6 %

Culture

The Bayeux Tapestry is on display in Bayeux and makes the city one of the most-visited tourist destinations in Normandy. The Bayeux Tapestry (Tapisserie de Bayeux is a 50 cm by 70 m (20 in by 230 ft long embroidered cloth which explains the events leading up to the 1066 Norman invasion of Bayeux (bajø is a commune in the Calvados département, in Normandy in northwestern France.

Juno Beach Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer, Calvados, commemorates the D-Day landing of the Canadian liberation forces at Juno Beach during World War II in 1944. The Juno Beach Centre or in French Centre Juno Beach, is a museum located in Courseulles-sur-Mer in the Calvados region of Normandy, France Courseulles-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northern France. D-Day may also refer to Decimal Day in the United Kingdom. D-Day is a term often used in Military parlance to denote Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

The cult of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux brings large numbers of people on pilgrimage to Lisieux, where she lived in a Carmelite convent. This article discusses cult in the original and typically ancient sense of "religious practice" (cultus In Religion and Spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or Search of great Moral significance Lisieux is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region of France.

Each year, Deauville hosts the Festival of the American Movie, and the beach resort of Cabourg hosts the Festival of the Romantic Movie (September).

Also yearly, the city of Caen celebrates the festival of the electronical cultures called "Nordik Impakt".

The local dialect of Norman language is known as Augeron. Norman is a Romance language and one of the Oïl languages. The northern Norman can be classified in the septentrional Oil languages with Picard and Augeron is the Norman dialect of the Pays d'Auge. It is highly endangered

Tourism

The department of Calvados has several areas that are visited by tourists: The Bessin, the Plaine of Caen, the Bocage Virois, the Côte de Nacre, the Côte Fleurie and the Pays d'Auge.

Calvados, thanks to the port of Ouistreham, is an interesting entrance to the continent for the Britains citizens. There are two airports : Caen-Carpiquet and Deauville Saint Gatien.

Several beaches of Calvados are popular for water sports, including Cabourg and Merville Franceville.

Sport

• Aquatic sports are often played on the coasts and beaches, for example, kite surfing and beach volleyball
• For the season 2007/2008, the soccer team of Caen will play in the Ligue 1 French championship (Elite)

See also

• Cantons of the Calvados department
• Communes of the Calvados department
• Arrondissements of the Calvados department

Notes

1. ^ Lepelley, René (1990). The following is a list of the 49 cantons of the Calvados department, in France, sorted by arrondissement: Arrondissement The following is a list of the 706 communes of the Calvados département in France. The 4 arrondissements of the Calvados department are Arrondissement of Bayeux, ( subprefecture: Bayeux) with Calvados, qui es-tu, d'où viens-tu ou le nom énigmatique d'un département Français  : Critique d'une tradition, hypothèses diverses, proposition d'interprétation. C. Corlet.  

External links

• (French) General Council website
• (French) Prefecture website
• (French) Honfleur Magazine - News from Calvados, Basse & Haute Normandie
• (English) Calvados at the Open Directory Project
• (English) Encylopædia Britannica's guide to D-Day