Caen

July 2010 view of downtown Caen
and the Abbey of St. Étienne

Coat of arms

Caen

Location within Normandy region

Caen

Coordinates: 49°11′N 0°22′W / 49.18°N 0.37°WCoordinates: 49°11′N 0°22′W / 49.18°N 0.37°W

Country

Government

• Mayor (2014-2020)

Joël Bruneau (LR)

Area¹

25.70 km² (9.92 sq mi)

Population (2008)²

108,365

• Density

4,200/km² (11,000/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

14118 / 14000

Elevation

2–73 m (6.6–239.5 ft)
(avg. 8 m or 26 ft)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Caen (/kɑːn/; French pronunciation: [kɑ̃]; Norman: Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department. The city proper has 108,365 inhabitants (as of 2012^[update]), while its urban area has 420,000, making Caen the largest city in former Lower Normandy. It is also the second largest municipality in all of Normandy after Le Havre and the third largest city proper in Normandy, after Rouen and Le Havre. The metropolitan area of Caen, in turn, is the second largest in Normandy after that of Rouen, the 21st largest in France.

It is located 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) inland from the English Channel, two hours north-west of Paris, and connected to the south of England by the Caen-(Ouistreham)-Portsmouth ferry route. Caen is located in the centre of its northern region, and it is a centre of political, economic and cultural power. Located a few miles from the coast, the landing beaches, the bustling resorts of Deauville and Cabourg, Norman Switzerland and Pays d'Auge, Caen is often considered the archetype of Normandy.

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