Picardy

Picardy , Fr. Picardie, region and former province, N France, on the English Channel. It includes the Somme, Oise, and Aisne depts. and has three main geographical regions: the plateau north of Paris, which is an important wheat and beet area; the Somme River valley, with manufacturing cities like Amiens, Abbeville, and Saint-Quentin; and the coast, with fishing and commercial seaports like Boulogne-sur-Mer and Calais and beach resorts such as Le Touquet and Le Crotoy. The name Picardy appeared about the 13th cent., designating the many small feudal holdings added to the crown by Philip II. During the Hundred Years War the area was contested by France and England. Louis XI occupied it in 1477, securing it for France. The word Picard, always vaguely used, also applies to the people of neighboring Artois.

Picardy a region and former province of northern France, centred on the city of Amiens, which was the scene of heavy fighting in the First World War. One of the soldiers' songs of the First World War was entitled ‘Roses of Picardy’ (1916).

Picardy (Picardie) Region and former province of n France, on the English Channel; it includes Somme, and parts of Pas-de-Calais, Oise and Aisne departments. It was a French province from 1477 until the French Revolution, when it was replaced by a smaller department. Picardy was the scene of heavy fighting during World War I. The area is made up of the plateau to the n of Paris, where wheat and sugar beet are grown; the valley of the Somme, where industrial centres such as Amiens are located; and the coast, where fishing is important. Area: 19,399sq km (7488sq mi) Pop. (1999) 1,857,834.