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{{Infobox French region
|Name = Hauts-de-France
|Native_name =
|map = Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region locator map.svg
|flag =
|shield =
|logo_size =
|flag_link =
|capital = [[Lille]]
|largest_city =
|area = 31813
|area_source =
|population = 5973098
|pop_ref =
|pop_date = 2012
|pop_rank =
|GDP_rank =
|GDP_year =
|GDP_ref =
|GDP =
|GDP_US$ =
|GDP_per_capita =
|GDP_per_capita_US$ =
|website = {{Official URL}}
|leader_title =
|leader = [[Xavier Bertrand]]
|leader_party = [[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]]
|ruling_party1 = [[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]]
|departments = 5
|dept1 = [[Aisne]]
|dept2 = [[Nord (French department)|Nord]]
|dept3 = [[Oise]]
|dept4 = [[Pas-de-Calais]]
|dept5 = [[Somme (department)|Somme]]
|NUTS =
|iso region =
}}
'''Hauts-de-France'''<ref name=voix>[http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/region/la-region-a-vote-et-s-appelle-desormais-ia0b0n3385042 Regional council votes for "Hauts-de-France"], [[La Voix du Nord (daily)|La Voix du Nord]], 14 March 2016</ref> ({{IPA-fr|o d(ə) fʁɑ̃s}}, translates to "Upper France" in English) is a [[Regions of France|Region of France]] created by the territorial reform of French Regions in 2014 by the merger of [[Nord-Pas-de-Calais]] and [[Picardy]]. The new region came into existence on 1 January 2016, after the [[French regional elections, 2015|regional elections in December 2015]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2014/12/17/la-carte-a-13-regions-definitivement-adoptee_4542278_823448.html|title=La carte à 13 régions définitivement adoptée|date=17 December 2014|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]|publisher=[[Le Monde]]|language=French|accessdate=13 January 2015}}</ref> France's [[Conseil d'État (France)|Conseil d'État]] approved '''Hauts-de-France''' as the new name of the region on 28 September 2016, effective 30 September 2016.<ref name="Decree confirming new region name">{{cite French decree|number or usual name=n° 2016-1265|date in French=28 septembre 2016|full name=portant fixation du nom et du chef-lieu de la région Hauts-de-France|article=|articles=|language=French|lower case=|URL=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000033161447&dateTexte=&categorieLien=id}}</ref>
The region covers an area of more than {{convert|31813|km2|abbr=on}}, and with a population of 5,973,098.<ref name="Population">{{cite web|url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/recensement/populations-legales/france-regions.asp?annee=2012|title=Insee - Populations légales 2012 - Populations légales 2012 des régions|work=[[Insee]]|accessdate=16 January 2015}}</ref>
==Toponymy==
The region's [[working title|interim name]] ''Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie'' was a [[hyphenated name|hyphenated]] [[placename]], created by hyphenating the merged regions' names—''[[Nord-Pas-de-Calais]]'' and ''[[Picardy|Picardie]]''—in alphabetical order.<ref name="reform law">{{cite French law|number or usual name=n° 2015-29|date in French=16 janvier 2015|full name=relative à la délimitation des régions, aux élections régionales et départementales et modifiant le calendrier électoral|language=French|lower case=|URL=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=9FECBA9D9314D1D2C093CF793C886ED5.tpdila21v_1?idSectionTA=JORFSCTA000030109623&cidTexte=JORFTEXT000030109622&dateTexte=29990101}}</ref>
On 14 March 2016, well ahead of the 1 July deadline, the Regional council decided on ''Hauts-de-France'' as the region's permanent name,.<ref name=voix/><ref name="reform law"/> The provisional name of the region was retired on 30 September 2016, when the new name of the region, '''Hauts-de-France''', took effect.<ref name="Decree confirming new region name"/>
== Geography ==
[[Image:Hauts-de-France.svg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Map of the new region with its five départements, colored according to the [[Provinces of France|historical provinces]] as they existed until [[French Revolution|1790]].
{{div col|2}}
{{legend|#84b7ca|[[Picardy]]}}
{{legend|#a3d283|[[Île-de-France]]}}
{{legend|#b9b983|[[Artois]]}}
{{legend|#efb3c7|[[French Flanders]]}}
{{legend|#8bd9c5|[[French Hainaut]]}}
{{legend|#838a9d|{{Interlanguage link multi|Cambrai|fr|3=Cambrésis}}}}
{{legend|#e1c44a|[[Champagne (province)|Champagne]]}}
{{legend|#b98ab9|Other}}
{{div col end}}]]
{{clear}}
[[File:France manche vue dover.JPG|thumb|right|View of England from Cap Gris Nez, France]]
The region borders [[Belgium]] ([[Flanders]] and [[Wallonia]]) to the northeast, the [[English Channel]] and the [[United Kingdom]] ([[England]]) to the northwest, as well as the French regions of [[Grand Est]] to the southeast, [[Île-de-France]] to the south, and [[Normandy]] to the southwest.
== Major communities ==
[[File:Lille vue gd place.JPG|thumb|[[Lille]]]]
[[File:0_Amiens_-_Place_du_Don_-_Cathédrale_(1).JPG|thumb|[[Amiens]]]]
# [[Lille]] (227,560; region prefecture)
# [[Amiens]] (133,448)
# [[Roubaix]] (94,713)
# [[Tourcoing]] (91,923)
# [[Dunkirk]] (90,995)
# [[Calais]] (72,589)
# [[Villeneuve-d'Ascq]] (62,308)
# [[Saint-Quentin, Aisne|Saint-Quentin]] (55,978)
# [[Beauvais]] (54,289)
# [[Valenciennes]] (42,989)
== See also ==
* [[Nord-Pas-de-Calais]]
* [[Picardy]]
* [[Regions of France]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Official website}} {{fr icon}}
*[http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nord-pas-de-calais/fusion-nord-pas-de-calais-picardie Merger of the regions - France 3]
{{Regions of France}}
{{coord|49.9206|N|2.7030|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}
[[Category:Hauts-de-France| ]]
[[Category:Regions of France]]
{{usedwp|Hauts-de-France}}