Online Encyclopedia

west is 112 m.; its breadth nowhere exceeds 40 m., and contracts to 4 where it is crossed by the Lys. Bounded N.W. and N. for 21 M. by the North See also:

Sea, it has Belgian territory on the N.E. and E., the departments of See also:

AISNE

Aisne and See also:

SOMME

Somme on the S. and Pas-de-See also:

CALAIS

Calais on the W. The Flanders portion west of the See also:

SCHELDT (Fr. Escaut, Flem. Schelde)

Scheldt is very See also:

FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat, the isolated See also:

hill at See also:

Cassel, only 535 ft. high, looking north towards See also:

Dunkirk over a stretch of fertile lowlands, the Wateringues and the Mares, separated by a See also:

LINE

line of See also:

sand-See also:

DUNES

dunes from the sea, by which about a thousand years ago they were still covered. The reclamation of this district, now covered by a network of canals, was begun as See also:

early as the 12th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century. South-east of the Scheldt the See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country resembles the neighbouring See also:

ARDENNES

Ardennes, is better wooded, and contains the highest point in the See also:

DEPARTMENT (Fr. departement, from departir, to separate into parts)

department (873 ft.). The greater See also:

PART

part of Nord is in the Scheldt See also:

basin, but certain portions belong to those of the Sambre (See also:

Meuse), the See also:

OISE

Oise (Seine) and the little See also:

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast-streams the Aa and the Yser. The Scheldt, flowing by Cambrai, Bouchain, See also:

VALENCIENNES

Valenciennes and See also:

Conde, receives the Scarpe, which touches See also:

DOUAI

Douai, Marchiennes and St Amand. The Lys, which does not join the Scheldt till it has entered See also:

Belgium, passes See also:

ARMENTIERES

Armentieres, and receives the Deule, on which See also:

LILLE

Lille, the See also:

capital, is situated. The Sambre passes Landrecies and See also:

MAUBEUGE

Maubeuge.

The Aa falls into the See also:

DORT, SYNOD OF

Dort at See also:

GRAVELINES (Flem. Gravelinghe)

Gravelines. The See also:

CLIMATE

climate of Nord is colder than that of France in See also:

general, the mean temperature being 490 or 500 F. The See also:

AVERAGE

average See also:

ANNUAL

annual rainfall is about 28 in. In agricultural and See also:

INDUSTRIAL

industrial importance Nord is the first of French departments. In the hilly region of the south-east stock-raising flourishes; in the central See also:

ZONE (Gr. 'WV77, a girdle, from 'wvvLvay to gird)

zone beetroot is the characteristic See also:

CROP (a word common. in various forms, such as Germ. Kropf, to many Teutonic languages for a swelling, excrescence, round head or top of anything; it appears also in Romanic languages derived from Teutonic, in Fr. as troupe, whence the English " crupper "

crop, while mixed farming prevails in the north-west. Cereals (especially See also:

wheat and oats) and potatoes are grown in abundance. Among See also:

minor crops, See also:

FLAX

flax, See also:

TOBACCO

tobacco, See also:

CHICORY

chicory and hops may be mentioned. See also:

MARKET (Lat. mercatus, trade or place of trade)

Market-gardening and See also:

horticulture are practised on a considerable See also:

scale in some localities. The See also:

MINERAL

mineral See also:

WEALTH

wealth of the department lies principally in its See also:

COAL

coal mines forming part of the Valenciennes basin, the most important in France, which extends into Belgium and Pas-de-Calais. The textile See also:

INDUSTRY (Lat. industria, from indu-, a form of the pre, position in, and either stare, to stand, or struere, to pile up)

industry is particularly active around Lille, See also:

ROUBAIX

Roubaix and See also:

TOURCOING

Tourcoing which spin and weave See also:

cotton and See also:

WOOL, WORSTED AND WOOLLEN MANUFACTURES

wool, as also around See also:

FOURMIES

Fourmies which is especially a See also:

WEAVING

weaving See also:

TOWN

town. Other (flax, jute and See also:

HEMP (in O. Eng. henep, cf. Dutch hennep, Ger. Hanf , cognate with Gr. Kavval3er, Lat. cannabis)

hemp-See also:

SPINNING (from O. Eng. spinnen, to spin, cf. Ger. spinnen, &c., the Teut. root is seen, to draw out, cf. span, spider)

spinning), Cambrai (batiste and other delicate fabrics), Douai, See also:

AVESNES

Avesnes, le Cateau and Caudry. Other See also:

GREAT

great See also:

INDUSTRIES

industries are See also:

BREWING

brewing, fi-ur-milling, See also:

glass, See also:

BRICK (derived according to some etymologists from the Teutonic bricke, a disk or plate; but more authoritatively, through the French brique, originally a " broken piece," applied especially to bread, and so to clay, from the Teutonic brikan, to break)

brick, pottery and See also:

SUGAR

sugar manufacture, See also:

ALCOHOL

alcohol-distilling, See also:

DYEING (0. Eng. dedgian, dealt ; Mid. Eng. deyen)

dyeing, See also:

IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

iron-See also:

FOUNDING (from Lat. fundere, to pour)

founding and' See also:

STEEL, FLORA ANNIE (1847– )

steel See also:

PRODUCTION (Lat. productionem, from producere, to pro-duce)

production and other branches of the metallurgical industry carried on at See also:

DENAIN

Denain, Hautrnont, Maubeuge, Valenciennes, Douai, Raismes, &c.

Dunkirk and Gravelines equip fleets for the See also:

cod and See also:

HERRING (Clupea harengus, Haring in German, le hareng in French, sill in Swedish)

herring See also:

FISHERIES

fisheries. Dunkirk is the See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief See also:

PORT

port of the department, which is served by the Northern railway. Its See also:

SYSTEM

system of inland See also:

NAVIGATION (from Lat. navis, ship, and agere, to move)

navigation is highly See also:

DEVELOPED

developed and attains a length of 320 m., comprising a line of waterways from the Scheldt to the North Sea at Dunkirk, with which the coal basin of Valenciennes is linked up by way of the canalized. Scheldt and the textile region of Lille by means of the See also:

DEFILE

Defile See also:

canal and the canalized Lys. To these must be added the canalized Sambre and other less important waterways. The department is divided into seven arrondissements (Avesnes, Cambrai, Douai, Dunkirk, See also:

HAZEBROUCK

Hazebrouck, Lille, Valenciennes) with 67 cantons and 667 communes. It forms the archiepiscopal See also:

DIOCESE (formed on Fr. diocese, in place of the Eng. form diocess—current until the 19th century—from Lat. dioecesis, med. Lat. variant diocesis, from Gr. Swucio•tc, " house-keeping," " administration," &miceas, " to keep house," " to govern ")

diocese of Cambrai and part of the region of the I. See also:

army See also:

CORPS (pronounced as in French, from which it is taken, being a late spelling of tors, from Lat. corpus, a body; cf. " corpse ")

corps (headquarters at Lille) and of the educational See also:

DIVISION (from Lat. dividere, to break up into parts, separate)

division of Lille. Its See also:

court of See also:

APPEAL

appeal is at Douai. The most noteworthy places are Lille, Cambrai, Douai, Dunkirk, Valenciennes and See also:

ANZIN

Anzin, Tourcoing, Roubaix, Avesnes, See also:

HALLUIN

Halluin, Armentieres, Maubeuge, Conde-sur-Escaut, Fourmies, Hazebrouck, Gravelines, St Amandles-Eaux, See also:

BERGUES

Bergues, Le Cateau, See also:

COMINES, or COMMINES (Flem. Komen)

Comines, Denain, Cassel and See also:

BAVAI

Bavai, which are separately noticed. Other populous industrial towns not mentioned above are Loos (pop. 9294) and Haubourdin (7897) near Lille, Caudry (10,947), near Cambrai, and Aniche (7855), a coal See also:

MINING

mining centre, near Douai. Other places of See also:

INTEREST

interest are Bailleul (pop. in 1906, 7128), Bavai and Bergues, which have See also:

FINE

fine belfries of the 16th century, structures characteristic of the See also:

ARCHITECTURE (Lat. architectura, from the Gr. ap)(LTEKrwv, a master-builder)

architecture of the department; Hondschoote, See also:

SCENE (Fr. scene, Lat. scaena, Gr. oflvil, a tent or booth, a stage or scene)

scene of a victory of the French over the See also:

ALLIES, THOMAS WILLIAM (1813-1903)

allies in 1793, which has a See also:

church of the 15th and 16th centuries with a fine See also:

TOWER (Lat. turris; Fr. tour, clocker; Ital. torre; Ger. Thurm)

tower and See also:

SPIRE

spire; and Famars which preserves a curious ruined stronghold of the See also:

period of the See also:

ROMAN

Roman occupation.

End of Article: NORD

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.

» Add information or comments to this article.

Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.

Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
NORCIA (anc. Nursia)

[next]
NORDAU, MAX SIMON (1849- )