 It is the largest city of the Manche department, and second of Lower Normandy (after Caen), surpassing Alençon, which had been second before the amalgamation.Cherbourg concentrated 7.7% of the provincial population, twice as much as the prefecture, Saint-Lô, while the agglomeration represents 17% and the urban area 23.5%.The depopulation of the city-centre of the agglomeration was one of the main topics of the campaign for the municipal elections of 2008.