Calvados (, , ) is a

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast. In 2019, it had a population of 694,905.Populations légales 2019: 14 Calvados
INSEE

History

Calvados is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790, in application of the law of 22 December 1789. It had been part of the former province of Normandy. The name "Orne-Inférieure" was originally proposed, but it was ultimately called Calvados after a group of rocks off its coast. One popular legend ascribes its etymology to the ''Salvador'', a ship from the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

that sank by the rocks near

Arromanches-les-bains Arromanches-les-Bains (; or simply Arromanches) is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region of north-western ...

in 1588. It is more likely, however, that the name ''Calvados'' was derived from ''calva dorsa'', meaning ''bare backs'', in reference to two sparsely vegetated rocks off its shore. After the allied victory at

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

the department was occupied by Prussian troops between June 1815 and November 1818. On 6 June 1944, the Allied forces landed on the beaches of the

Bay of the Seine The Baie de Seine (Bay of the Seine River) is a bay in northern France. Geography It is a wide, rectangular inlet of the English Channel, approximately 100 kilometres (east-west) by 45 kilometres, bounded in the west by the Cotentin Peninsula, in ...

in what became known as the Battle of Normandy.

Geography

Calvados belongs to the region of Normandy and borders the departments of Seine-Maritime (maritime border),

Eure Eure () is a department in Normandy in Northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2019, Eure had a population of 599,507.Orne and Manche. To the north is the

Baie de la Seine The Baie de Seine (Bay of the Seine River) is a bay in northern France. Geography It is a wide, rectangular inlet of the English Channel, approximately 100 kilometres (east-west) by 45 kilometres, bounded in the west by the Cotentin Peninsula ...

, part of the English Channel. On the east, the river

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

forms the boundary with Seine-Maritime. Calvados includes the

Bessin Bessin () is an area in Normandy, France, corresponding to the territory of the Bajocasses, a Gallic tribe from whom Bayeux, its main town, takes its name. History The territory was annexed by the count of Rouen in 924. The Bessin corresponds t ...

area, the Pays d'Auge and the area known as the "Suisse normande" ("Norman Switzerland"). The most notable places in Calvados include Deauville and the formerly elegant 19th-century casino resorts along the coast.

Economy

Agriculture dominates the economy of Calvados. The area is known for producing butter, cheese,

cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...

and Calvados, the apple spirit that takes its name from the area.

Politics

The President of the Departmental Council is the centrist Jean-Léonce Dupont, the former dominant figure of the right and centre in the department. The Conseil General of Calvados and

Devon County Council Devon County Council is the county council administering the English county of Devon. Based in the city of Exeter, the council covers the non-metropolitan county area of Devon. Members of the council (councillors) are elected every four years to ...

signed a Twinning Charter in 1971 to develop links with the English county of Devon.

Presidential elections 2nd round

Current National Assembly Representatives

Demography

The inhabitants of Calvados are called "Calvadosiens" (male) and "Calvadosiennes" (female). In 2019, Calvados had 648,299 inhabitants, making it the 34th most populated French department. Age distribution in Calvados (2019):Dossier complet, Population par grandes tranches d'âges, Tourisme en 2022, Catégories et types de logements
INSEE, retrieved 7 July 2022. * 75 years and older: 10.0% * 60–74 years old: 18.1% * 45–59 years old: 19.4% * 30–44 years old: 17.4% * 15–29 years old: 18.0% * 0–14 years old: 17.1%

Principal towns

The most populous commune is

Bayeux Bayeux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in northwestern France. Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts ...

and makes the city one of the most-visited tourist destinations in Normandy. Juno Beach Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer, Calvados, commemorates the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

landing of the Canadian liberation forces at

Juno Beach Juno or Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 during the Second World War. The beach spanned from Courseulles, a village just east of the British beach Gold ...

during World War II in 1944. The

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux brings large numbers of people on pilgrimage to Lisieux, where she lived in a Carmelite convent. Every September, Deauville hosts the Festival of the American Movie and the beach resort of Cabourg hosts the Festival of the Romantic Movie. Annually, the city of Caen celebrates the festival of the electronical cultures called "Nordik Impakt" and the festival of Beauregard, just around Caen. The local dialect of the

Norman language Norman or Norman French (, french: Normand, Guernésiais: , Jèrriais: ) is a Romance language which can be classified as one of the Oïl languages along with French, Picard and Walloon. The name "Norman French" is sometimes used to descri ...

is known as Augeron. It is spoken by a minority of the population.

Tourism

Calvados is one of the most visited areas in France because of its seaside resorts which are among the most prestigious in France with their luxurious hotels, casinos, green countryside, manors, castles, the quiet, the chalk cliffs, the typical Norman houses, the history of William the Conqueror, Caen, Bayeux, Lisieux, the famous D-day beaches and numerous museums about the Second World War. Culinary specialties from the verdant countryside of Calvados are abundant:

, calvados, camembert and Pont-l'Évêque cheeses. One of the advantage of Calvados is to be fairly near large urban centers (Paris, Ile de France). Calvados is therefore often preferred for holidays and for weekends and sometimes considered as the ''countryside of Paris''. Calvados, via the port of Ouistreham, is an entrance to the continent from Britain. There are two airports: Caen-Carpiquet and Deauville-Saint Gatien. The department of Calvados has several popular tourist areas: the

, the Plain of

Côte de Nacre Côte is a British cafe chain founded by Richard Caring, Andy Bassadone, Chris Benians and Nick Fiddler in Wimbledon, London Wimbledon () is a district and town of Southwest London, England, southwest of the centre of London at Charing Cross ...

, the

Côte Fleurie The Côte Fleurie () (or Flowery Coast) stretches for approximately between Merville-Franceville-Plage, at the mouth of the Orne river, opposite Ouistreham to the west and Honfleur on the Seine estuary in the east. It forms part of the eastern ...

and the Pays d'Auge. Several beaches of Calvados are popular for water sports, including Cabourg and Merville-Franceville-Plage. Tourist capacity (2022): * 10,200 hotel rooms * 14,410 camping sites * 12,795 other beds (tourist resorts, holiday villages, rural gites, youth hostels)

Second homes

As of 2019, 17.9% of available housing in the department were second homes. File:Caen France (28).JPG,

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Château de Falaise The Château de Falaise is a castle from the 12th-13th century, located in the south of the commune of Falaise ("cliff" in French) in the ''département'' of Calvados, in the region of Normandy, France. William the Conqueror, the son of Duke Rob ...

File:Harold dead bayeux tapestry.png, A fragment of the Bayeux Tapestry File:Omaha-beach-cemetery.jpg, Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial File:Beuvron-en-Auge plein.JPG, Half-timber houses in

Beuvron-en-Auge Beuvron-en-Auge (, literally ''Beuvron in Auge'') is a commune in the Calvados department and Normandy region of north-western France. Beuvron is affiliated to Les Plus Beaux Villages de France ("the most beautiful villages of France"), an inde ...

, one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France

Sport

Aquatic sports are often played on the coasts and beaches, for example, kite surfing and beach volleyball.

Stade Malherbe Caen Stade Malherbe Caen (; commonly known as SM Caen, SMC, or simply Caen) is a French professional football team, based in the city of Caen in Normandy, that competes in the Ligue 2. The club was founded on 17 November 1913 by the merger of ''C ...

is a professional football team from

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...