Hauts-de-France (French pronunciation: ​[o d(ə) fʁɑ̃s], translates to "Upper France" or "the heights of France" in English) is a Region of France created by the territorial reform of French Regions in 2014 by the merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. The new region came into existence on 1 January 2016, after the regional elections in December 2015. France's Conseil d'État approved Hauts-de-France as the new name of the region on 28 September 2016, effective 30 September 2016. The region covers an area of more than 31,813 km2 (12,283 sq mi), and with a population of 5,973,098.