The region covers an area of more than . It borders
Belgium (
Flanders and
Wallonia) to the northeast, the
North Sea to the north, the
English Channel to the west, as well as the French regions of
Grand Est to the east-southeast,
Île-de-France to the south, and
Normandy to the west-southwest. It is connected to the
United Kingdom (
England) via the
Channel Tunnel. as they existed until
1790.
Departments Hauts-de-France comprises five departments:
Aisne,
Nord,
Oise,
Pas-de-Calais, and
Somme.
Major communities •
Lille (227,560; region prefecture; surrounding area is home to over 1.5 million inhabitants) •
Amiens (133,448) •
Roubaix (94,713) •
Tourcoing (91,923) •
Dunkirk (90,995) •
Calais (72,589) •
Villeneuve-d'Ascq (62,308) •
Saint-Quentin (55,978) •
Beauvais (54,289) •
Valenciennes (42,691) File:Notre Dame de Laon, France.jpg|Notre Dame de Laon, France File:Lille vue gd place.JPG|
Lille File:0 Amiens - Place du Don - Cathédrale (1).JPG|
Amiens File:France manche vue dover.JPG|View of the
White Cliffs of Dover,
England, from
Cap Gris Nez, France == Economy ==