City areas
Situated in the southwest of the Pays de Caux region, the city is surrounded by the seashore of the English Channel to the west, the mouth of the Seine to the south, and the coast to the north.
Le Havre is naturally separated into two areas by a cliff. The lower city is composed of the port, the city center, and the peripheral regions. It was constructed upon the ancient marshlands which were drained in the 16th century. The soil is composed of alluvium deposited by the river Seine. The city center, reconstructed after World War II, lies on approximately a meter of flattened rubble. The higher city is composed of wealthy, average and unfavorable residential suburbs like Mont-Gaillard, Caucriauville, and Mare-Rouge. The north-west region of the higher city, Sainte-Adresse and Dollemard, is the highest in altitude, between 90 and 115 meters. The cape of La Hève is situated at an altitude of approximately 100 meters.
