The Pas-de-Calais is a department in north-eastern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of France, with 890, and is the 8th most populous. It had a population of 1,465,278 in 2019. The Calais Passage connects to the Port of Calais on the English Channel. The Pas-de-Calais borders the departments of Nord and Somme and is connected to the English county of Kent via the Channel Tunnel.
Nord-Pas-de-Calais ; Picard: Nord-Pas-Calés); is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Calais borders the English Channel (west), the North Sea (northwest), Belgium and Picardy (south). Until the 17th century, the history of the North was largely in common with the history of Belgium, that of a land that "for almost a thousand years served as a battlefield for all of Europe." The majority of the region was once part of the historical Southern Netherlands, but gradually became part of France between 1477 and 1678, particularly during the reign of king Louis XIV. The historical French provinces that preceded Nord-Pas-de-Calais are Artois, French Flanders, French Hainaut and (partially) Picardy. These provincial designations are still frequently used by the inhabitants. The former administrative region was created in 1956 under the name "Nord" and maintained that name until 1972 when "Pas-de-Calais" was added. This remained unchanged until its dissolution in 2016.
Boulogne-sur-Mer, often called just Boulogne, is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the Côte d'Opale, a touristic stretch of French coast on the English Channel between Calais and Normandy, and the most visited location in the region after the Lille conurbation. Boulogne is its department's second-largest city after Calais, and the 183rd-largest in France. It is also the country's largest fishing port, specialising in herring.
The County of Artois was a historic province of the Kingdom of France, held by the Dukes of Burgundy from 1384 until 1477/82, and a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 until 1659.
French Flanders is a part of the historical County of Flanders, where Flemish—a Low Franconian dialect cluster of Dutch—was traditionally spoken. The region lies in the modern-day northern French region of Hauts-de-France, and roughly corresponds to the arrondissements of Lille, Douai and Dunkirk on the northern border with Belgium. Together, with French Hainaut and Cambrésis, it makes up the French Department of Nord.
Miss France is a national beauty pageant in France held annually in December. The competition was first held in 1920, and has been organized continuously since 1947. The trademark for the pageant is owned by the company Miss France SAS, and is a subsidiary of Endemol Shine France. The competition is aired on TF1.
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, commonly referred to as Le Touquet, is a commune near Étaples, in the Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. It has a permanent population of 4,213 (2021), but it welcomes up to 250,000 people during the summer, so the population at any given time during high season in summer swells to about 30,000. Located on the Opal Coast of the English Channel at the estuary of the river Canche, the commune is one of the most renowned seaside resorts in France, with a wide range of sports and leisure activities.
The University of the Littoral Opal Coast is a public university located in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments of northern France. Its namesake is the Opal Coast region, of which it is a part.
Camille Cerf is a French model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss France 2015. She represented her country in Miss Universe 2014, where she placed in the top fifteen.
Iris Mittenaere is a French TV host, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2016. She is the second Miss Universe from France after Christiane Martel, who was crowned Miss Universe 1953. Mittenaere had previously been crowned Miss France 2016 and Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais 2015.
Miss France 2017 was the 87th edition of the Miss France pageant, held on December 17, 2016, at Park&Suites Arena in Montpellier.
Miss France 2016 was the 86th Miss France pageant, held in Lille on 19 December 2015. Miss France 2015, Camille Cerf crowned her successor Iris Mittenaere at the end of the event. This was the third back-to-back in Miss France history after 1948-1950 and 1989-1990. Mittenaere represented France at Miss Universe 2016, where she was crowned the winner.
Miss France 2015, the 85th edition of the Miss France pageant, was held on December 6, 2014 at Zénith d'Orléans in Orléans. Miss France 2014, Flora Coquerel of Orléanais crowned her successor Camille Cerf of Nord-Pas-de-Calais at the end of the event. She represented France at Miss Universe 2014. It was the first time that the pageant took place in Orléans and the third time in the Centre-Val de Loire region.
Miss France 2018 was the 88th edition of the Miss France pageant, held on 16 December 2017 at the M.A.CH 36 in Châteauroux, Centre-Val de Loire.
Maëva Coucke is a French model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss France 2018. She represented France at Miss World 2018, where she placed in the top twelve, and also represented France at Miss Universe 2019, where she placed in the top ten. Coucke is the third Miss France winner from Nord-Pas-de-Calais within the span of four years, following Iris Mittenaere (2016) and Camille Cerf (2015).
Miss France 2013 was the 83rd Miss France pageant, held in Limoges on 8 December 2012. Miss France 2012, Delphine Wespiser of Alsace crowned her successor Marine Lorphelin of Burgundy at the end of the event.
Miss France 2019 was the 89th edition of the Miss France pageant, held on 15 December 2018 at the Zénith de Lille in Lille. The competition was hosted by Jean-Pierre Foucault, Sylvie Tellier, and Miss France 2018 Maëva Coucke, while singer and actress Line Renaud served as president of the jury.
Eva Colas is a French model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Corsica 2017 and Miss Universe France 2018. As Miss Corsica, Colas competed at Miss France 2018, where she placed as the first runner-up. Following the competition, Colas was appointed Miss Universe France 2018, and represented France at Miss Universe 2018.
Eve Gilles is a French model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss France 2024. She had previously been crowned Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais 2023 and is the fourth woman from Nord-Pas-de-Calais to win Miss France. Due to her pixie cut, Gilles was also cited by the French media as the first woman with short hair to become Miss France.
Miss France 2025 will be the 95th edition of the Miss France pageant. The competition will be held on 14 December 2024 at the Futuroscope Arena in the Vienne department of Poitou-Charentes. Eve Gilles of Nord-Pas-de-Calais will crown her successor at the end of the event.
