Which French peninsula includes the port city of Cherbourg?

The Cotentin Peninsula is the French peninsula that includes the port city of Cherbourg. It projects northwest into the English Channel and lies wholly within the Manche department of Normandy.

Cherbourg, officially part of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin since a 2016 municipal merger, occupies the peninsula’s northern coast. Its sheltered harbor has long supported commercial shipping, ferry services, naval activity, and transatlantic connections. The peninsula also includes the D-Day landing area around Utah Beach on its southeastern side.

The Cotentin is sometimes called the Cherbourg Peninsula, which can make the geography confusing: Cherbourg is the city, while Cotentin is the larger landform. It is also distinct from Brittany’s Crozon and Quiberon peninsulas. The region’s Norman heritage survives in the local Cotentinais dialect and in many place-names with Norse roots.