Lorraine | |||
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Country | France | ||
Administrative region | Grand Est | ||
Prefecture | Metz | ||
Departments | |||
Area | |||
• Total | 23,547 km2 (9,092 sq mi) | ||
Population (2012-01-01) | |||
• Total | 2,939,393 | ||
Demonym(s) | Lorrainer | ||
ISO 3166 code | FR-M | ||
NUTS Region | FR4 |
Lorraine (French pronunciation: [lɔʁɛn]; Lorrain: Louréne; Lorraine Franconian: Lottringe; German: Lothringen ; Luxembourgish: Loutrengen) is a cultural and historical region in north-eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Lorraine's name stems from the medieval kingdom of Lotharingia, which in turn was named for either Emperor Lothair I or King Lothair II. It later was ruled as the Duchy of Lorraine before the Kingdom of France annexed it in 1766.
From 1982 until January 2016, Lorraine was an administrative region of France. In 2016, under a reorganization, it became part of the new region Grand Est. As a region in modern France, Lorraine consisted of the four departments Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle and Vosges (of an historical point of view the Haute-Marne departement is located in the region), containing 2,337 communes. Metz is the regional prefecture. The largest metropolitan area of Lorraine is Nancy, which had developed for centuries as the seat of the duchy.