Pas-de-Calais

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Pas-de-Calais

Pas-de-Calais is a département in northern France named after the strait which it borders.

History

Pas-de-Calais was one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Boulonnais, Ponthieu and Artois.

Some of the costliest battles of World War I were fought here. The Vimy Memorial commemorates the Battle of Vimy Ridge and is Canada's most important memorial to its fallen soldiers.

The Pas-de-Calais was also the target of Operation Fortitude during World War II, which was an Allied plan to deceive the Germans that the invasion of Europe was to occur here, rather than in Normandy.

Geography

Pas-de-Calais is in the current région of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and is surrounded by the départments of Nord and Somme and the English Channel and the North Sea.

Its principal towns are, on the coast, Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, and in Artois, Lens, Liévin, Arras, and Saint-Omer.

The principal rivers are the following:

Economy

The economy of the département was long dependent on mining, primarily the coal mines. However, since World War II, the economy has become more diversified.

Demographics

The inhabitants of the département are called Pas-de-Calaisiens.

Pas-de-Calais is one of the most heavily populated départements of France, and yet it has no large cities. Calais has only just over 100,000 inhabitants, followed closely by Boulogne-sur-Mer and St.-Omer. The remaining population is primarily concentrated along the border with the département of Nord in the mining district, where a string of small towns constitutes an urban area with a population of about 1.2 million. The center and south of the département are more rural, but still quite heavily populated, with many villages and small towns.

Although the department saw some of the heaviest fighting of World War I, its population rebounded quickly after both world wars. However, many of the mining towns have seen dramatic decreases in population, some up to half of their population.

Culture

Although the Pas-de-Calais is one of the most populous département of France, it had no university until 1992.

External links

Prefecture website (in French)
Conseil Général website (in French)
http://www.pas-de-calais.com/ (in French and English)
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