Pas-de-Calais

History

Inhabited since prehistoric times, the Pas-de-Calais region was populated in turn by the Celtic Belgae, the Romans, the Germanic Franks and the Alemanni. During the fourth and fifth centuries, the Roman practice of co-opting Germanic tribes to provide military and defence services along the route from Boulogne-sur-Mer to Cologne created a Germanic-Romance linguistic border in the region that persisted until the eighth century.

Saxon colonization into the region from the fifth to the eighth centuries likely extended the linguistic border somewhat south and west so that by the ninth century most inhabitants north of the line between Béthune and Berck spoke a dialect of Middle Dutch, while the inhabitants to the south spoke Picard, a variety of Romance dialects.

This linguistic border is still evident today in the toponyms and patronyms of the region. Beginning in the ninth century, the linguistic border began a steady move to north and the east.

Pas-de-Calais is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Calaisis, formerly English, Boulonnais, Ponthieu and Artois, this last formerly part of the Spanish Netherlands.

Some of the costliest battles of World War I were fought in the region. The Canadian National Vimy Memorial, 8 km from Arras, commemorates the Battle of Vimy Ridge assault during the Battle of Arras (1917) and is Canada's most important memorial in Europe to its fallen soldiers.

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 at D-Day was to occur here, rather than in Normandy.{{cite book

Geography

Pas-de-Calais is in the current region of Hauts-de-France and is surrounded by the departments of Nord and Somme, the English Channel, and the North Sea. It shares a maritime border with the English county of Kent in the United Kingdom halfway through the Channel Tunnel.

The principal rivers are the following:

• Authie
• Canche
• Ternoise
• Liane
• Sensée
• Scarpe
• Deûle
• Lys
• Aa

Principal towns

Its principal towns are, on the coast, Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, and in Artois, Arras, Lens, Liévin, and Béthune. The most populous commune is Calais; the prefecture Arras is the second-most populous. As of 2019, there are 10 communes with more than 15,000 inhabitants:

Economy

The economy of the department was long dependent on mining, primarily the coal mines near the town of Lens, Pas-de-Calais where coal was discovered in 1849. However, since World War II, the economy has become more diversified.

Demographics

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

Pas-de-Calais is one of the most densely populated departments of France, but has no cities with over 100,000 residents: Calais has about 73,000 inhabitants. The remaining population is primarily concentrated along the border with the department 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 centre and south of the department 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.

Population development since 1801:

Politics

Local elections

Main article: Departmental Council of Pas-de-Calais

The president of the Departmental Council is Jean-Claude Leroy, elected in 2017.

National politics

Main article: List of constituencies in Pas-de-Calais

In the second round of the French presidential elections of 2017 Pas-de-Calais was one of only two departments in which the candidate of the Front National, Marine Le Pen, received a majority of the votes cast: 52.06%.

Presidential elections 2nd round

Current National Assembly Representatives

National Assembly Representatives (2017 to 2022)

Education

There are currently two public universities in the department. Although it is one of the most populous departments of France, Pas-de-Calais did not contain a university until 1991 when the French government created two universities: ULCO (Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale) on the western part of the department, and Université d'Artois on the eastern part.

Tourism

File:Bouchot baie de Wissant P1030356.JPG|Mussel aquaculture in Wissant File:Cape_Gris_Nez,_France.JPG|Cap Gris Nez File:Cap Blanc-Nez Cliff 800x617.jpg|Cap Blanc Nez File:Boulogne vue generale phare beffroi mer.jpg|Boulogne-sur-Mer File:Nausicaa_boulognesurmer.jpg|Nausicaä File:Le Touquet-Paris-Plage - Dunes au nord de la plage (2).JPG|Le Touquet File:Arras GdPlace27 JPM.jpg|Grand-Place of Arras File:Lorette13.JPG|Notre Dame de Lorette File:Vimy Memorial (September 2010) cropped.jpg|Canadian National Vimy Memorial, 11 km from Arras File:La Liberté guidant le peuple - Eugène Delacroix - Musée du Louvre Peintures RF 129 - après restauration 2024.jpg|Liberty Leading the People on permanent display in Louvre-Lens since 2012 File:Blockhaus_Eperlecques.jpg|Blockhaus d'Éperlecques File:Audinghen_Batterie_Todt.jpg|Todt Battery, Audinghen

References

References

1. (4 May 2022). "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux".
2. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep62.pdf Populations légales 2019: 62 Pas-de-Calais], INSEE
3. Jackson, Mark. (2021-09-01). "Colt and Getlink to Deploy New Fibre Optic Network via Channel Tunnel".
4. . (2015). ["Canadian National Vimy Memorial, France"](http://www.greatwar.co.uk/french-flanders-artois/memorial-canadian-national-vimy-memorial.htm).
5. "Discovery of Coal". Ville de Lens.
6. "Historique du Pas-de-Calais".
7. "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
8. [https://www.lemonde.fr/resultats-elections/hauts-de-france/pas-de-calais/ Résultats élections], ''Le Monde''
9. "Présidentielles".
10. "Résultats de l'élection présidentielle de 1995 par département - Politiquemania".
11. Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français".
12. "Décret no 91-1161 du 7 novembre 1991 portant création et organisation provisoire de l'université du Littoral". legifrance.gouv.fr.
13. "Décret no 91-1160 du 7 novembre 1991 portant création et organisation provisoire de l'université d'Artois". legifrance.gouv.fr.