a naval station, fortified town, and seaport of France, department of La Manche, on the northern shore of the peninsula of Cotentin, at the mouth of the small river Divette. It stands on a bay formed by Cape Levi on the E. and Cape La Hogue on the W., and is distant 75 miles from the Isle of Wight, 41 miles W. by N. from St Lo, and 212 in the same direction from Paris. N. Lat. 49° 38', W. Long. 1° 38'. The town is small and unimportant in itself. The houses are built of stone and roofed with slate; but the streets are narrow and dirty, and the only public buildings of any interest or importance are the Cheribon tower (a remnant of the old fortifications), the church close beside it, the Chapelle de Notre Dame du Vœu, the Hôtel de Ville, and the theatre. Cherbourg derives its chief importance from its naval and commercial harbours, which are distant from each other about half a mile. The former is cut out of the rock, and is capable of accommodating fifty men-of-war of the largest size. The depth of water at full tide is 50 feet, at low tide 25 feet. Connected with the harbour are the dry docks, the yards where the largest ships in the French navy are constructed, the magazines, rope walks, and the various workshops requisite for a naval arsenal of the first class. The works are carefully guarded on every side by redoubts and fortifications, and are commanded by the batteries on the overhanging hills so completely that the harbour of Cherbourg may fairly be pronounced impregnable. The commercial harbour at the mouth of the Divette communicates with the sea by a canal 650 feet in length and 54 in width. It consists of two parts, an outer harbour 262 yards long by 218 wide, and a basin 446 yards long and 138 wide, in which the depth of water is 19 feet at low tide. Outside these harbours is the triangular bay which forms the roads of Cherbourg. This bay is admirably sheltered by the land on every side but the north. To protect the shipping from the violence of the north winds the great digne or breakwater has been constructed. This immense work is 24 miles in length; its breadth at its base 262 feet, and at its summit 101 feet. Its foundation was formed by massive wooden frames, which were sunk and filled with stones; and it is now protected from the waves by a parallel line of large blocks weighing each 44 tons. (For a detailed account of the breakwater of Cherbourg, see article Breakwater.) The trade of Cherbourg is considerable, and consists principally of cotton yarn, refined sugar, leather, and chemical products. A lace factory in the town gives employment to nearly 400 women. The principal articles of export, besides those already mentioned, are farm and dairy produce. The imports consist principally of colonial produce, and of coal, iron, and other articles required for the arsenal. Cherbourg possesses tribunals of first instance, of commerce, and of naval affairs, a departmental college, an academical society, public and naval libraries, and several museums. Pop. 24,212.