Nord (; officially ; ; , ) is a department in Hauts-de-France region, France, bordering Belgium. It was created from the western halves of the historical counties of Flanders and Hainaut, and the Bishopric of Cambrai. The modern coat of arms was inherited from the County of Flanders.
Nord is the country's most populous département. It had a population of 2,615,635 in 2023.
thumb|200px|left|Extent of [[West Flemish spoken in the arrondissement of Dunkirk in 1874 and 1972 respectively.]]
During the 14th century, much of the area came under the control of the Duchy of Burgundy and in subsequent centuries was therefore part of the Habsburg Netherlands (from 1482) and the Spanish Netherlands (1581).
Areas that later constituted Nord were ceded to France by treaties in 1659, 1668, and 1678, becoming the Counties of Flanders and Hainaut, and part of the Bishopric of Cambrai.
On 4 March 1790, during the French Revolution, Nord became one of the original 83 departments created to replace the counties.
Modern government policies making French the only official language have led to a decline in use of the Dutch West Flemish dialect. There are currently 20,000 speakers of a sub-dialect of West Flemish in the arrondissement of Dunkirk and it appears likely that this particular sub-dialect will be extinct within decades. It is the longest department in metropolitan France, measuring 184 km from Fort-Philippe in the north-west to Anor in the south-east.
Situated in the north of the country along the western half of the Belgian frontier, the department is unusually long and narrow. The principal rivers are the following: Yser, Lys, Escaut, Scarpe, Sambre.
Principal towns
The most populous commune is Lille, the prefecture. With nearby Roubaix, Tourcoing and Villeneuve-d'Ascq, it constitutes the center of a cluster of industrial and former mining towns totalling slightly over a million inhabitants. As of 2023, there are 10 communes with more than 30,000 inhabitants:
{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2023)
|-
| Lille
| style="text-align: center;" | 238,246
|-
| Tourcoing
| style="text-align: center;" | 98,772
|-
| Roubaix
| style="text-align: center;" | 98,286
|-
| Dunkirk
| style="text-align: center;" | 86,263
|-
| Villeneuve-d'Ascq
| style="text-align: center;" | 62,868
|-
| Valenciennes
| style="text-align: center;" | 43,468
|-
| Wattrelos
| style="text-align: center;" | 40,847
|-
| Douai
| style="text-align: center;" | 40,250
|-
| Marcq-en-Barœul
| style="text-align: center;" | 40,184
|-
| Cambrai
| style="text-align: center;" | 31,134
|}
Demographics
Politics
The President of the Departmental Council is the unaffiliated right-winger Christian Poiret.
The first President of the Fifth Republic, General Charles de Gaulle, was born in Lille in the department on 22 November 1890.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
! colspan="2" | Party || Seats
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|Union of the Right (UD) || style="text-align:right;"| 30
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|Union of the Left (UG) || style="text-align:right;"| 18
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|Miscellaneous right (DVD) || style="text-align:right;"| 10
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|Union of the Centre and the Right (UCD) || style="text-align:right;"| 8
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|French Communist Party (PCF) || style="text-align:right;"| 4
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|Miscellaneous left (DVG) || style="text-align:right;"| 4
|-
! style="background:#e69ca0;"|
|Union of the Left and Ecologists (UGE) || style="text-align:right;"| 4
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|Miscellaneous centre (DVC) || style="text-align:right;"| 2
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|Europe Ecology – The Greens (EELV) || style="text-align:right;"| 2
|}
Presidential elections second round
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Election!!Winning candidate!!Party!!%!!2nd place candidate!!Party!!%
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 2022
| Emmanuel Macron
| LREM
| 52.85
| Marine Le Pen
| RN
| 47.15
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 2017
| Emmanuel Macron
| LREM
| 56.90
| Marine Le Pen
| FN
| 43.10
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 2012
| François Hollande
| PS
| 52.88
| Nicolas Sarkozy
| UMP
| 47.12
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 2007
| Nicolas Sarkozy
| UMP
| 51.75
| Ségolène Royal
| PS
| 48.25
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| 2002
| Lionel Jospin
| PS
| 53.70
| Jacques Chirac
| RPR
| 46.30
|}
Current National Assembly Representatives
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member!!Party
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 1st constituency
| Aurélien Le Coq
| La France Insoumise
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 2nd constituency
| Ugo Bernalicis
| La France Insoumise
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 3rd constituency
| Sandra Delannoy
| National Rally
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 4th constituency
| Brigitte Liso
| Renaissance
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 5th constituency
| Sébastien Huyghe
| Renaissance
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 6th constituency
| Charlotte Lecocq
| Renaissance
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 7th constituency
| Félicie Gérard
| Horizons
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 8th constituency
| David Guiraud
| La France Insoumise
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 9th constituency
| Violette Spillebout
| Renaissance
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 10th constituency
| Gérald Darmanin
| Renaissance
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 11th constituency
| Roger Vicot
| Socialist Party
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 12th constituency
| Michaël Taverne
| National Rally
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 13th constituency
| Julien Gokel
| Socialist Party
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 14th constituency
| Paul Christophe
| Horizons
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 15th constituency
| Jean-Pierre Bataille
| Miscellaneous right
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 16th constituency
| Matthieu Marchio
| National Rally
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 17th constituency
| Thierry Tesson
| Union of the Right for the Republic
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 18th constituency
| Alexandre Dufosset
| National Rally
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 19th constituency
| Sébastien Chenu
| National Rally
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 20th constituency
| Guillaume Florquin
| National Rally
|-
|style="background-color: " |
| Nord's 21st constituency
| Valérie Létard
| Union of Democrats and Independents
|}
Economy
Until recently, the department was dominated economically by coal mining, which extended through the heart of the department from neighbouring Artois into central Belgium.
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.
Transport
The department is served by Lille Airport, provides scheduled air service to several cities in France, Europe and some North African countries. However, other airports such as Brussels Airport, and Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport are also used by air travellers from the department.
Tourism
<gallery>
File:0 Lille - Vieille bourse du travail 051201b.JPG|The old stock exchange of Lille
File:Bergues tour pointue.jpg|Saint-Winoc Abbey in Bergues
File:Boeschepe, l'Ondankmeulen (le moulin de l'Ingratitude) et l'estaminet De Vierpot (le pot à braise).JPG|Windmill in Boeschepe
File:Beffroi de Douai.jpg|Belfry of Douai
File:Centre historique minier de Lewarde (38598).jpg|Mining museum in Lewarde
File:Cambrai - Avenue de la Victoire.jpg|Cambrai
</gallery>
See also
- Cantons of the Nord department
- Communes of the Nord department
- Arrondissements of the Nord department (France)
- French Flemish
- Université Lille Nord de France
References
External links
- Prefecture website
- Departmental Council website