Map of Orne: geography, cities, Perche and practical access

What you need to know about the Orne department

We invite you to discover Orne, department number 61, located in the heart of the Normandy region. This rural and authentic territory is organized around Alençon, its prefecture and most populous city. Two other important centers also structure the department: Argentan and Mortagne-au-Perche.

Demographically, Orne has approximately 279,942 inhabitants over an area of 6,103 km², resulting in an average density of 46 inhabitants per km².

Administratively, the department is divided into 3 arrondissements, 3 legislative constituencies, 21 cantons, and 365 communes.

Which departments border the Orne department?

Orne is a department in northwestern France, between Paris and Brittany in the Greater West. It is the southern part of the Normandy territory and constitutes the southern part of the former Normandy territory. It is the only one of the five Norman constituencies that is not close to the sea. It is bordered by:

• Calvados to the north, Manche to the west, and Earl to the east, three of the five Norman departments;
• Eure-et-Loir to the southeast is part of the Centre-Val de Loire region, Mayenne and Sarthe to the south, the two divisions of Pays de la Loire generally flank the former territory of Maine.

What is the climate like in the Orne department?

The climate type of Orne is maritime with a mild summer, classified as Cfb according to the Köppen and Geiger system, Orne being a French division of the Normandy region near the Atlantic Ocean coast.

The Orne department experiences a maritime climate with truly mild temperatures throughout the year, whether or not the typical extreme temperatures exceed 15°.

Those who wish to enjoy a mild environment all year round will be satisfied, especially in areas closest to the ocean. Winters are not exceptionally harsh and temperatures rarely drop below 0°C. Furthermore, summer temperatures are far from stifling, and the air maintains ideal humidity throughout the year.

However, the lands located quite far from the coast experience harsher winters with temperatures that can drop below 0°C and slightly warmer summers with temperatures that can exceed 25° in one month of the year. the impact of the continental environment.

As for the number of windy days in the year, it also fluctuates depending on the region where you are; towards the west, you will have a lot of precipitation, while towards the east, the precipitation is essentially lower.

What are the largest cities in the Orne department?

Here are the most spacious cities in the Orne department, that is to say, these 10 cities we have selected have the largest areas in department 61:

• Alençon
• Flers
• Argentan
• L’Aigle
• La Ferté-Macé
• Sées
• Mortagne-au-Perche
• Domfront
• Vimoutiers
• Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis

What are the largest communes in the Orne department?

To make this ranking, we referred to the extent of each of the communes in the Orne department.

• Ceton
• Champsecret
• Sées
• Gouffern en Auge
• Bellou-en-Houlme
• Lonlay-l’Abbaye
• Ceaucé
• Bretoncelles
• Longny les Villages
• Domfront en Poiraie

Regarding this second ranking of the communes in the Orne department, we grouped them according to the density of inhabitants per km2:

• Alençon
• Argentan
• La Ferté Macé
• Mortagne-au-Perche
• Vimoutiers
• Flers
• L’Aigle
• Sées
• Domfront en Poiraie
• Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis

For your local reference points, start with the map of Orne. If you extend eastward, compare with the Eure-et-Loir map, and to the south with the Sarthe map. On the Normandy coast side, coordinate your connections via the Calvados map to link Orne and the coast.