Nord
From Freepedia
| Nord | |
|---|---|
| Image:Blason59.PNG Details | |
| Information | |
| Number | 59 |
| Region | Nord-Pas-de-Calais |
| Prefecture | Lille |
| Subprefectures | Avesnes-sur-Helpe Cambrai Douai Dunkerque Valenciennes |
| Population -Total (1999) -Density | Ranked 1st 2,555,020 445/km² |
| Area | 5743 km² |
| Arrondissements | 6 |
| Cantons | 79 |
| Communes | 652 |
| President of the General Council | Bernard Derosier |
| Location | |
| Image:Carte France Département 59.png | |
- For the place in Greenland see Nord, Greenland; for the people see Norway.
Nord (French, the north) is a département in the north of France.
Contents |
History
Nord comprises the French part of former Flanders, excluding the western part separated in 1237 as the county of Artois (now a part of the neighbouring Pas-de-Calais).
This territory had been ruled by Spain since 1556, but was ceded to France in successive treaties (1659, 1668, and 1678).
It was one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790.
Geography
Nord is part of the current Nord-Pas-de-Calais région and is surrounded by the French départements of Pas-de-Calais and Aisne, as well as by Belgium and the North Sea.
Situated in the north-east of the country along the western half of the Belgian frontier, the département is unusually long and narrow. Its principal city is Lille, which with nearby Roubaix, Tourcoing and Villeneuve d'Ascq constitutes the center of a cluster of industrial and former mining towns totalling slightly over a million inhabitants. Other important cities are Valenciennes, Douai, and Dunkirk.
The principal rivers are the following:
Economy
At the forefront of France's 19th century industrialisation, the area suffered severely during World War I and now faces the economic, social and environmental problems associated with the decline of coal mining with its neighbours following the earlier decline of the Lille-Roubaix textile industry.
Until recently, the département was dominated economically by coal mining, which extended through the heart of the département from neighbouring Artois into central Belgium.
Demographics
Nord is the most heavily populated département, with a population of 2.55 million and an area of 5,740 km².
Culture
West Flemish is spoken by around 20,000 people in the northern part of the département.
External links
- Prefecture website (in French)
- Conseil Général website (in French)
| Départements of France | Image:Flag of France.svg |
|---|---|
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 2A | 2B | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | |
| Les DOM-TOM: 971 | 972 | 973 | 974 | 975 | 976 | 986 | 987 | 988 | French Southern Territories | Îles Éparses | |
| Administrative divisions of France: régions - départements - arrondissements - cantons - communes | |
