Picardy

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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.

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