Nord-Pas-de-Calais (French pronunciation: [nɔʁ pɑ d(ə) kalɛ] ⓘ; Picard: Nord-Pas-Calés; West Flemish: Nôord-Nauw van Kales) is a former administrative region of France.

French President Charles de Gaulle, who was born in Lille, called the region a "fatal avenue" through which invading armies repeatedly passed.

Over the centuries, it was conquered in turn by the Celtic Belgae, the Romans, the Germanic Franks, England, the Spanish and Austrian Netherlands, and the Dutch Republic.

During the wars between France and Spain in the 17th century (1635–1659, 1667–1668, 1672–1678, 1688–1697), these territories became the principal seat of conflict between the two states and French control over the area was gradually established.

[9] Additionally, the Neolithic era left behind megalithic structures, such as dolmens and menhirs, which were likely used for religious purposes, though their exact functions remain unclear.

[10] During the Gallic War in 56 BC, Julius Caesar expanded his conquests toward the North Sea after defeating the Atrebates and Nervians at the Battle of Sabis.

[15] Key cities included Bagacum Nerviorum (Bavay), Namur (Aduatuca), Castellum Menapiorum (Cassel), Nemetocenna (Arras), and Tervanna (Thérouanne).

This network facilitated trade within the empire, allowing for the import and export of various goods, including ceramics, pottery, wine, olive oil, linen cloth, and ham.

In 406, a frozen Rhine allowed a flood of barbarian groups, including the Franks and Germans driven by the Huns, to invade, ultimately leading to the collapse of the remaining Roman authority in the region.

The decisive Battle of Bouvines in 1214 saw Philippe Auguste emerge victorious, enabling him to implement administrative reforms to consolidate royal power.

[24] The 14th century brought the crisis of the late Middle Ages and rising tensions between France and England, particularly over Flanders, Guyenne, and Scotland.

The Nord department consisted of eight districts: Bergues, Hazebrouck, Lille, Douai, Cambray, Valenciennes, Le Quesnoy, and Avesnes, while Pas-de-Calais comprised Arras, Bapaume, Béthune, Boulogne, Calais, Montreuil, Saint-Omer, and Saint-Pol.

[28] In the early 19th century, Northern France experienced significant economic development, propelled into the Industrial Revolution by several key factors.

Napoleon's continental blockade against the United Kingdom forced the region to produce goods locally that had previously been imported, fostering the birth of industries such as sugar production.

Central areas rich in coal, from Béthune to Valenciennes, became crucial energy sources, further boosted by the protectionist policies of the Restoration era after Belgium's emergence in 1830.

While the industrial boom turned Northern France into an economic powerhouse for over a century, it brought severe hardships for the working class.

Miners, as depicted in Émile Zola's "Germinal", faced grueling conditions and meager wages, risking their health underground.

The reconstruction movement made massive use of immigration, particularly from Poland, to compensate for the decline in population due to the war, and to adapt to the new legislation limiting the working day to eight hours.

The Nord-Pas-de-Calais region was used for vengeance weapon installations, including extensive V-1 "ski sites" that launched attacks on England and massive bunkers for the V-2 rocket and V-3 cannon.

Since the war, the region has suffered from severe economic difficulties (see Economy below) but has benefited from the opening of the Channel Tunnel and the growth in cross-Channel traffic in general.

Following World War II, France embarked on a significant recovery effort termed "Union sacrée", aiming to rebuild the nation under a managed economy.

[37] By the early 1950s, Nord-Pas-de-Calais had regained its industrial strength, primarily in traditional sectors like textiles, coal, and steel, which were starting to decline.

The war's impact was felt through numerous violent incidents, including attacks and street shootings, resulting in significant casualties and social unrest.

[42] The government attempted to revitalize the region's economy by promoting the automotive industry and attracting plastics companies, which created new employment opportunities.

[43] While the region is predominantly French-speaking, it also has two significant minority language communities: the western Flemings, whose presence is evident in the many Dutch place names in the area and who speak West Flemish, a dialect of Dutch (perhaps 20,000 inhabitants of Nord-Pas-de-Calais use Flemish daily and an estimated 40,000 use it occasionally, both primarily in and around the arrondissement of Dunkirk[44]); and the Picards, who speak the Picard language, or Ch'ti (speakers, "chitimi", have been working to revive the nearly-extinct regional speech since the 1980s).

The region's ethnic diversity has been affected by repeated waves of immigrant workers from abroad: Belgians and Welsh before 1910; Poles and Italians in the 1920s and 1930s; Eastern European groups and Germans since 1945; and North Africans and Portuguese since 1960;[46] and large cities like Lille, Calais, and Boulogne-sur-Mer are home to sizable communities of British, Dutch, Scandinavian, Greek and Balkans, Sub-Saharan African, and Latin American immigrants and their descendants.

In the early 2000s, the leftist Green Party won the largest number of votes to nearly carry a majority in regional and local representation.

In 2014, the Nord-Pas de Calais GDP reached €140 billion making it the 4th biggest French economy, although this figure has to be put in the context of the large population of the region.

The Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin was the leading region of coal production in France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Many global corporations such as McCain Foods, Roquette Freres, Bonduelle, Pasquier or Boulangeries Paul are present in the Nord-Pas de Calais region.