The department is surrounded by the North Sea, Belgium (West Flanders and Hainaut provinces) and 3 other departments of the Hauts-de-France region:
The highest point in the department is in the "commune" of Anor () near the border with Belgium; it is high.
Several rivers flow through the department; the main rivers are the Scheldt/Escaut, the Yser, the Lys, the Scarpe, and the Sambre.
The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Lille is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Marine West Coast Climate) and of the subtype "Cfb".
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Lille is . The month with the most precipitation on average is October with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of .
The average temperature for the year in Lille is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of .
Nord is managed by the "Departmental Council of Aisne" in Lille. The department is part of the Hauts-de-France region.
There are 6 "arrondissements" (districts), 41 "cantons" and 648 "communes" (municipalities) in Nord.
The following is a list of the 41 cantons of the Nord department, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:
The inhabitants of Nord are known, in French, as "Nordistes".
Nord had a population, in 2014, of 2,603,472, for a population density of inhabitants/km. The "arrondissement" of Lille, with 1,232,513 inhabitants, is the "arrondissement" with more inhabitants.
Evolution of the population in Nord
The 10 "communes" in the department with more inhabitants are:
Oise
Oise is a department found in the north of France in the Hauts-de-France region. Its prefecture is Beauvais. Its population is about 780,000 (2006 estimation). It is one of the 83 first French departments made during the French revolution.
Pas-de-Calais
Pas-de-Calais (Picard: "Pas-Calés"; Dutch: "Nauw van Kales") is a department found in the north of France in the Hauts-de-France region. Its prefecture is Arras. Its population is about 1,456,000 (2006 estimation). It is one of the 83 first French departments made during the French revolution.
Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme is a French department in the centre of France in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and named after the dormant volcano the Puy de Dôme. Its prefecture is the city of Clermont-Ferrand.
Puy-de-Dôme was created in 1790 during the French Revolution, when the whole of France was divided into departments, replacing the old provinces. Puy-de-Dôme was formed with part of the old province of Auvergne.
It was divided in eight districts: Ambert, Besse, Billom, Clermont-Ferrand, Issoire, Montaigu, Riom and Thiers, with Clermont-Ferrand as is capital.
In 1800, with the creation of the "arrondissements" in France, the eight districts were changed into five "arrondissements": Ambert, Clermont-Ferrand, Issoire, Riom and Thiers. On 10 September 1926, the "arrondissement" of Ambert was eliminated but, in 1942 Ambert became again an "arrondissement" of the department.
Puy-de-Dôme is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in east-central France, with an area of .
The department borders with 2 other departments in 2 regions:
The department is in the Massif Central and there are several mountain chains; some of the chains and mountains are:
The climate of the Puy-de-Dôme department, in the city of Clermont-Ferrand, is an oceanic climate, Cfb (Marine West Coast Climate) in the Köppen climate classification.
The average temperature for the year in Clermont-Ferrand, at an altitude of , is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of .
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Clermont-Ferrand is . The month with the most precipitation on average is May with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is January with an average of .
Puy-de-Dôme is part of the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The department is managed by the "Departamental Council of the Puy-de-Dôme" in Clermont-Ferrand.
There are 5 "arrondissements" (districts), 31 "cantons" and 467 "communes" (municipalities) in Puy-de-Dôme.
The following is a list of the 31 cantons of the Puy-de-Dôme department (with their INSEE codes), in France, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015:
The inhabitants of Puy-de-Dôme are known, in French, as "Puydômois" (women: "Puydômoises").
Puy-de-Dôme has a population, in 2014, of 644,216, for a population density of inhabitants/km. The "arrondissement" of Clermont-Ferrand, with 375,518 inhabitants, is by far the largest.
Evolution of the population in Puy-de-Dôme
The most important cities in the department are:
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (Gascon: "Pirenèus-Atlantics"; or ) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. It takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is one of the 83 French departments made during the French revolution, on 4 March 1790, with the name of Basses-Pyrénées. It was created from parts of the old provinces of Guyenne, Béarn, and Gascony.
The new department had six districts: Mauléon, Oloron, Orthez, Pau, Saint- Palais and Ustaritz.
The first prefecture was Navarrenx but then it was moved to Pau; in 1795, the prefecture was moved to Saint-Palais but in 1796 it was returned to Pau.
On 10 October 1969, the name of the department was changed from "Basses-Pyrénées" to "Pyrénées-Atlantiques".
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, southwestern France, and is the 10th French department in area with .
There are two small territorial enclaves—a remnant from the Middle Ages— that are part of the neighboring Hautes-Pyrénées department.
The department is surrounded by the departments:
and by Spain to the south and the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean) to the west.
The Pyrenees mountain range is found in the southern part of the department and goes, east to west, from the Col d'Aubisque, a mountain pass south of Tarbes and Pau, to the mouth of the river Bidasoa.
The Pic Palas (), at , is the highest point of the department and also the highest of the Aquitaine region; it is on the border with Spain.
The main river of the department is the Adour and all rivers in the department, except for some coastal small rivers, flow into this river. Other important rivers are the Gaves réunis, formed by the rivers Gave d'Oloron and Gave de Pau, and the Nive.
The climate of Pau is Marine West Coast Climate (Köppen climate classification "Cfb"), with mild winters and warm summers.
The average temperature for the year in Pau is 13.5 °C (56.3 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 20.7 °C (69.3 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 6.6 °C (43.9 °F).
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Pau is . The month with the most precipitation on average is December with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of .
The department is managed by the "Departamental Council of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques" in Pau. Pyrénées-Atlantiques is part of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
There are 3 "arrondissements" (districts), 27 "cantons" and 546 "communes" (municipalities) in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
The following is a list of the 27 cantons of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015: