Region of NE France; area 25,600 sq km/9,882 sq mi; Its capital is Reims, and it comprises the départements of Ardennes, Aube, Marne, and Haute-Marne. It has sheep and dairy farming and vineyards.
It forms the plains E of the Paris basin. Its chief towns are Epernay, Troyes, and Chaumont. The capital of the ancient province of Champagne was Troyes. The region was the scene of bitter fighting in World War I, in particular the two Battles of Champagne Dec 1914–March 1915 and Sept–Oct 1915.