Somme (department)

Somme
Department
Prefecture building of the Somme department, in Amiens
Coat of arms
Location of Somme in France
Coordinates: 49°53′N 02°25′E / 49.883°N 2.417°E / 49.883; 2.417Coordinates: 49°53′N 02°25′E / 49.883°N 2.417°E / 49.883; 2.417
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Prefecture	Amiens
Subprefectures	Abbeville Montdidier Péronne
Government
• President of the General Council	Daniel Dubois
Area
• Total	6,170 km2 (2,380 sq mi)
Population (2013)
• Total	571,675
• Rank	44th
• Density	93/km2 (240/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Department number	80
Arrondissements	4
Cantons	23
Communes	782
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Somme (French pronunciation: ​[sɔm]) is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Hauts-de-France region.

The north central area of the Somme was the site of a series of battles during World War I. Particularly significant was the 1916 Battle of the Somme. As a result of this and other battles fought in the area the department is home to many military cemeteries and several major monuments commemorating the many soldiers from various countries who died on its battlefields. The 1346 Battle of Crécy, a major English victory early in the Hundred Years' War, also took place in this department.

The Somme department is in the current region of Hauts-de-France and is surrounded by the departments of Pas-de-Calais, Nord, Aisne, Oise and Seine-Maritime. In the northwest, it has a coast on the English Channel. The main rivers are the Somme and its tributaries (Avre, Ancre and Noye, the Authie) as well as the Bresle.