Pas-de-Calais

Pas-de-Calais is a département of northern France created in 1790 out of the former provinces of the coastal Boulonnais and Artois to the east, and now constituting along with the neighbouring département of Nord the region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

The Pas-de-Calais has 1.44 million inhabitants in an area of 6670 sq. km.

Préfecture (the departmental seat of administration): Arras.

Sous-préfectures: Béthune, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais, Lens, Montreuil, Saint Omer.

Its principal towns are, on the coast, Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, and in Artois, Lens, Liévin, Arras and Saint-Omer.

Here, some of the costliest battles of World War I were fought. At Vimy Ridge is Canada's most important memorial to its fallen soldiers.