Picardie

Picardie, known in English as Picardy, was a former administrative region of France in the northern part of the country. It comprised three departments: Aisne, Oise, and Somme. Its prefecture and largest city was Amiens, and the region included a coastline on the English Channel to the north.

The region is characterized by fertile plains, the Somme river valley, and a short coastline on the Baie de Somme. Major towns include Amiens, Beauvais, Compiègne, Saint-Quentin, and Abbeville.

The name comes from the historic Picards. The region has a rich medieval heritage, including the Amiens Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a key battlefield during World War I, notably the Battle of the Somme in 1916, which left a lasting memorial landscape across the area.

Economy centers on agriculture, with cereals and sugar beet; industrial activity includes manufacturing and food processing; and the service sector is significant. In 2016, Picardie was merged with Nord-Pas-de-Calais to form the Hauts-de-France region; the departments kept their status as administrative divisions and the area continues to be identified historically as Picardie.