Nord-Pas-de-Calais

	Nord-Pas-de-Calais; Former French region (until 2015)
Basic data
Today part of	Hauts-de-France
Administrative headquarters	Lille
population - total January 1, 2017 ; - density	4,072,379 inhabitants ; 328 inhabitants per km²
surface; - total ; - share in France :	12,414 km²; 1.9%
Departments	2
Arrondissements	13
Cantons	156
Communities	1,545
Formerly ISO 3166-2 code	FR-O

Nord-Pas-de-Calais [ nɔʀpɑdkaˈlɛ ] was the northernmost region of France . She lay on the border with Belgium and existed until the end of 2015 from the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais . The region had an area of 12,414 km² and 4,072,379 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017), its capital was Lille . With Dunkirk , the region had the third largest port in France. Since January 1, 2016, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region has been united with the Picardy region . After a transition phase under the name of Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie, the newly formed region was renamed Hauts-de-France by resolution of September 28, 2016 .

geography

Other important cities besides Lille were in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region Arras , Calais , Boulogne-sur-Mer , Dunkirk (Dunkerque), Cambrai , Douai and Valenciennes .

coat of arms

Description: In gold, a black, red-tongued and armored lion . The coat of arms of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region is almost identical to the emblem of the neighboring region of Flanders in Belgium . It points to the partly Flemish origin of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region.

history

Nord-Pas-de-Calais was created in 1960 with the establishment of the regions in France. In 1972 the region received the status of an établissement public under the direction of a regional prefect. The decentralization laws of 1982 gave the regions the status of collectivités territoriales ( territorial authorities ), which until then had only been enjoyed by the municipalities and the départements . In 1986 the regional councils were directly elected for the first time. Since then, the region's powers vis-à-vis the central government in Paris have been gradually expanded.

In the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region were the French parts of Flanders ( French Flanders ) and Hainaut as well as the Artois landscape . They have all belonged to France only since 1678. Before that they were part of the Burgundian or Spanish Netherlands . This region also includes the Boulonnais landscape with the important port cities of Boulogne and Calais .

With effect from January 1, 2016, the Picardy region merged with the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region to form a new region called Hauts-de-France (from January to September 2016 provisionally Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy ).

population

Demographics

The region had 4 million inhabitants (7% of the population of France). The population density of 325 inhabitants per km² took second place among France's regions after Île-de-France . Because of the high birth rate, the population of Nord-Pas-de-Calais was the youngest of the regions in France : 36.5% of the population were less than 25 years old (the national average is 32.4%). Nevertheless, the regional population decreased due to high emigration.

language

There were three dialects in the region:

The Picardic language , also called "Ch'ti" or "Patois".
The Dunkerquois, a mixture of French and Flemish ; it is mainly spoken near Dunkerque .
The Flemish spoken in French Flanders .

Cities

The most populous cities in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region:

city	Inhabitants (year)	Department
Lille	232,787 (2017)	North
Roubaix	96,990 (2017)	North
Tourcoing	97,368 (2017)	North
Dunkerque	87,353 (2017)	North
Calais	73,911 (2017)	Pas-de-Calais
Villeneuve-d'Ascq	63,408 (2017)	North
Valenciennes	43,336 (2017)	North
Boulogne-sur-Mer	40,874 (2017)	Pas-de-Calais
Douai	39,700 (2017)	North
Wattrelos	40,958 (2017)	North
Arras	41,019 (2017)	Pas-de-Calais

Political structure

The Nord-Pas-de-Calais region was divided into two departments :

Department

prefecture

ISO 3166-2

Arrondissements

Cantons

Communities

Inhabitants (year)

Area
(km²)

Density
(inh / km²)

North

Lille

FR-59

6th

79

650

2,604,361

(2017)

5,743

453.5

Pas-de-Calais

Arras

FR-62

7th

77

895

1,468,018

(2017)

6,671

220.1

economy

After the Second World War , the region ran into economic difficulties. Coal , metallurgy and the textile industry have been the most important branches of the economy since industrialization in the 19th century, along with extremely profitable agriculture . Only a few textile companies remained. Although the TGV and Eurotunnel contributed to new dynamism, unemployment at 12.6% was higher than the national average (9.1%; January 2010).

Several French companies have their headquarters in the region:

traffic

Eurotunnel : The region has been connected to Great Britain via the Eurotunnel since 1994.

Culture

Attractions

The northern French coal mining area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012 . Since 1999, UNESCO has protected 17 belfries in the region.

	Belfry of Armentières Listed as a historical monument since 1999		Belfry of Bailleul Listed as a historical monument since 1999
	Belfry of Bergues Listed as a historical monument since 1999		Belfry of Cambrai Listed as a historical monument since 1999
	Belfry of Comines Listed as a historical monument since 1999		Belfry of Douai Listed as a historical monument since 1999
	Dunkirk Belfry (Church of St. Eloi) Listed as a historical monument since 1999		Beffroi de l'Hôtel de Ville de Dunkerque (Belfry of the City Hall of Dunkirk) Listed as a historical monument since 1999
	Belfry of Gravelines Listed as a historical monument since 1999		Belfry of Lille Listed as a historical monument since 1999
	Belfry of Loos Listed as a historical monument since 1999		Belfry of Aire-sur-la-Lys Listed as a historical monument since 1999
	Belfry of Arras Listed as a historical monument since 1999		Belfry of Béthune Listed as a historical monument since 1999
	Belfry of Boulogne-sur-Mer Listed as a historical monument since 1999		Belfry of Calais Listed as a historical monument since 1999
	Belfry of Hesdin Listed as a historical monument since 1999		Citadel of Arras Fortification by Vauban Listed as a historical monument since 2008
	Reuze Papa , giant of Cassel Listed as a historical monument since 2005		Gayant et Marie Cagenon, giant of Douai Listed as a historical monument since 2005

In 2012 the Louvre-Lens opened in Lens with numerous works of art that had previously been shown in the Louvre in Paris .

Regular events

Carnival in Dunkerque

Lille Braderie

Carnival in Dunkerque , from mid-January to late March
Enduro du Touquet , February
Carnival in Bailleul , February / March
Gayant folk festivals in Douai , June / July
Lille Braderie , September

Movie

Nord-Pas-de-Calais is the location of the 2008 very successful cinema comedy Welcome to the Sch'tis . For the post office clerk Philippe Abrams ( Kad Merad ), the work in Nord-Pas-de-Calais meant a punitive transfer to Bergues , where it was difficult for him to understand anything at all due to the language of the French north, which he did not understand. The film owes its name to the “Ch'ti” dialect .

Visual arts

For the entire region was in the port of Dunkirk , the FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais set up a large collection of contemporary art. This is preceded by the LAAC , located near the city and port of Dunkirk , which shows modern art from the period 1940 to 1980.

Sports

Soccer

The Nord-Pas-de-Calais region has always been one of France's football strongholds.

With Lille OSC , RC Lens and Valenciennes FC , three clubs from Nord-Pas-de-Calais currently play in Ligue 1 , the first and top division of French professional football. Lille OSC won the French championship in the 2010/11 season. A few weeks earlier, the French Cup could also be won. The RC Lens became French champions in 1998 and, after being promoted and relegated twice, has been back in Ligue 1 since the 2014/2015 season. Valenciennes FC has been a member of Ligue 1 since 2006. Before that, the club was shuttled between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Nord-Pas-de-Calais - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Nord-Pas de Calais region (French)
Prefecture of the Nord-Pas de Calais region (French)
Northern France Official Website (German)

Individual evidence

↑ [1]
↑ Insees unemployment rate in 2010 ( French ) INSEE. Retrieved January 7, 2010.

50.343611111111 2.8811111111111Coordinates: 50 ° 21 ' N , 2 ° 53' E

[1] [1]

[Insees_Arbeitslosenziffer-2] Insees unemployment rate in 2010 ( French ) INSEE. Retrieved January 7, 2010.