Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (/ˈʃɛərbɜːrɡ/; French pronunciation: ​[ʃɛʁbuʁ ɑ̃ kɔtɑ̃tɛ̃]) is a commune in the department of Manche, Normandy, northwestern France, established on 1 January 2016. The commune takes its name from Cherbourg, the main town of the commune, and the Cotentin Peninsula. Cherbourg is an important commercial, ferry and military port on the English Channel. Cherbourg-en-Cotentin is a Maritime prefecture and sub-prefecture of Manche. Due to its union, it is the most populous commune in its department with 79,144 inhabitants as of 2018 (of which 35,545 in Cherbourg-Octeville), making it the first city of the department before the Saint-Lô prefecture and the second in the region after Caen. Its urban unit is composed of three communes (Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Martinvast and Tollev