Norte-Paso-de-Calais

"Norte-Paso de Calais (en francés: Nord-Pas-de-Calais)? fue una de las regiones de Francia. Comprendía los departamentos de Norte (Nord) y Paso de Calais (Pas-de-Calais). Hasta fines del siglo XX, Nord designaba tanto a la región como al departamento. Históricamente, la región formó parte de los Países Bajos del Sur y de los Países Bajos Españoles, y sólo pasó a manos francesas en 1713. La región moderna se formó a partir de las antiguas provincias de Artois y el Flandes francés."

"Nord-Pas-de-Calais (French pronunciation: [n p d() ka.l] , is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie. 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). 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. These provincial designations are still frequently used by the inhabitants. 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 British Isles. Other major towns include Valenciennes, Lens, Douai, Béthune, Dunkirk, Maubeuge, Boulogne, Arras, Cambrai and Saint-Omer."