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Nord-Pas-de-Calais | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 50°28′N 2°43′E / 50.467°N 2.717°E | |
| Country | France |
| Dissolved | 1 January 2016 |
| Prefecture | Lille |
| Departments | 2
|
| Government | |
| • Body | Regional Council of Nord-Pas-de-Calais |
| • President | Xavier Bertrand (DVD) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12,414 km2 (4,793 sq mi) |
| Population (2012-01-01) | |
| • Total | 4,050,706 |
| • Density | 330/km2 (850/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | €122,607 billion |
| • Per capita | €30,200 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | FR-O |
| NUTS Region | FR3 |
| Website | www.nordpasdecalais.fr |
Nord-Pas-de-Calais (French pronunciation: [nɔʁ pɑ d(ə) kalɛ] ); Picard: Nord-Pas-Calés); is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France.[2] It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Calais borders the English Channel (west), the North Sea (northwest), Belgium (north and east) and Picardy (south). Until the 17th century, the history of the North was largely in common with the history of Belgium (the Celtics Belgians during Antiquity were a multitude of Celtic peoples from the north of Gaul), that of a land that "for almost a thousand years served as a battlefield for all of Europe." The majority of the region was once part of the historical Southern Netherlands, but gradually became part of France between 1477 and 1678, particularly during the reign of king Louis XIV. The historical French provinces that preceded Nord-Pas-de-Calais are Artois, French Flanders, French Hainaut and (partially) Picardy (part of Hainaut and Flanders is in the Kingdom of Belgium). These provincial designations are still frequently used by the inhabitants. The former administrative region was created in 1956 under the name "Nord" and maintained that name until 1972 when "Pas-de-Calais" was added. This remained unchanged until its dissolution in 2016.
With its 330.8 people per km2 on just over 12,414 km2, it is a densely populated region, having some 4.1 million inhabitants, 7% of France's total population, making it the fourth most populous region in the country, 83% of whom live in urban communities. Its administrative centre and largest city is Lille. The second largest city is Calais, which serves as a major continental economic/transportation hub with Dover of Great Britain 42 kilometres (26 mi) away; this makes Nord-Pas-de-Calais the closest continental European connection to the island of Great Britain. Other major towns include Valenciennes, Lens, Douai, Béthune, Dunkirk, Maubeuge, Boulogne, Arras, Cambrai and Saint-Omer. The region is featured in numerous films, including Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis.