Calais

Calais
Port of Calais
Flag Coat of arms
Calais
Location within Hauts-de-France region  Calais
Coordinates: 50°56′53″N 1°51′23″E / 50.9480555555556°N 1.8563888888889°E / 50.9480555555556; 1.8563888888889Coordinates: 50°56′53″N 1°51′23″E / 50.9480555555556°N 1.8563888888889°E / 50.9480555555556; 1.8563888888889
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Calais
Intercommunality	Communauté d'agglomération du Calaisis
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Natacha Bouchart (LP)
Area1	33.5 km2 (12.9 sq mi)
Population (2012)2	72,589
• Density	2,200/km2 (5,600/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Calaisiens
Time zone	CET (UTC+01) (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	62193 / 62100
Elevation	0–18 m (0–59 ft)
Website	Town; Port
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Calais (/ˈkæleɪ/ CAL-ay, traditionally /ˈkælᵻs/; French pronunciation: ​[kalɛ]; Picard: Calés; Dutch: Kales) is a town and major ferry port in northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. The population of the metropolitan area at the 2010 census was 126,395. Calais overlooks the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the English Channel, which is only 34 km (21 mi) wide here, and is the closest French town to England. The White Cliffs of Dover can easily be seen on a clear day from Calais. Calais is a major port for ferries between France and England, and since 1994, the Channel Tunnel has linked nearby Coquelles to Folkestone by rail.