Nouvelle-Aquitaine ("New Aquitania", French pronunciation: ​[nu.vɛ.l‿a.ki.tɛn]; Occitan: Navèra Aquitània; Basque: Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais : Novéle-Aguiéne) is the largest administrative region in France, located in the southwest of the country. The region was created by the territorial reform of French Regions in 2014 through the merger of 3 regions: Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes. It covers 84,061 km2 (32,456 sq mi) – or  1⁄8 of the country – and has approximately 5,800,000 inhabitants. (municipal population on 1 January 2012). The new region came into existence on 1 January 2016, following the regional elections in December 2015.