Pas-de-Calais is the second department composing the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region after the Nord department. The department name comes from the channel which separates it from England, ‘Pas’ meaning passage and Calais being the name of the major ferry crossing point between France and England. The department comprises of more than 1,450,000 residents. It is one of the most inhabited and urbanized French departments. Pas-de-Calais’ préfecture is the town of Arras. As regards financial system, the major activities of the department were mining, steel and textile industry, but other kind of activities have been developed since the end of the 20th century.

Pas-de-Calais is a department in northern France. Its name is the French counterpart of the channel of Dover, which it borders. Pas-de-Calais is in the current region of Nord-Pas de Calais and is bounded by the departments of Nord and Somme, the English Channel, and the North Sea. Its primary towns are, on the coast, Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, and in Artois, Lens, Liévin, Arras, and Saint-Omer. The financial system of the department was long reliant on mining, primarily the coal mines. However, since World War II, the financial system has become more diversified.