Population: 1.4 million

Principal city: Châlons-en-Champagne

Less than three hours' drive from Calais along the deserted A26 brings you into this historic area (to say nothing of its wine). All but three of the kings of France were crowned at Rheims, including Charles VII who had to rely on Joan of Arc to get him there.

'Champagne' has two meanings, which is often a cause of confusion in articles covering this part of france. The geographical area of Champagne (with a capital C) was formerly a province and is now a part of the modern administrative region known as Champagne-Ardenne. In 1997, the capital of the region, Châlons-en-Champagne, changed its name from Châlons-sur-Marne back to its original historic name after a referendum. Among the reasons for the change were the fact that it was frequently mistaken for the Burgundian homonym Chalon-sur-Saône: now there is no confusion about the region the city is in!

The world-famous sparkling wine produced within part of the region is called champagne, with a lower-case c. In French the two are further distinguishable by gender: the region is la Champagne, whilst the drink is le champagne.