France Government Administrative Divisions
France is made up of 18 regions, which are divided into 101 departments. Regions and departments are considered territorial collectives, meaning they have their own independent governments with a certain amount of autonomy over internal affairs and the power to levy taxes to fund their operations.
The departments are administered by elected bodies called departmental councils (conseils départementaux) who have authority in areas of welfare spending, education, transportation, and infrastructure. They are subdivided into 322 arrondissements, which are further subdivided into 1,995 cantons. These are not self-governing units, but merely administrative divisions, overseen by political appointees named by the French president and used for the organization of police, fire departments, and elections.
In addition to cantons, the arrondissements also include 36,529 communes, which are the lowest level of government, analogous to a township or local municipality. Communes vary widely in population, ranging from the smallest hamlet of less than 100 residents to the city of Paris with more than 2 million citizens. The communes are governed by locally elected officials—typically a mayor and municipal council.
|
Region |
Regional Flag |
# |
Department |
Coat of Arms |
Prefecture |
|
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
|
1 |
Haute-Savoie |
|
Annecy |
|
2 |
Cantal |
|
Aurillac |
||
|
3 |
Ain |
|
Bourg-en-Bresse |
||
|
4 |
Savoie |
|
Chambéry |
||
|
5 |
Puy-de-Dôme |
|
Clermont-Ferrand |
||
|
6 |
Isère |
|
Grenoble |
||
|
7 |
Haute-Loire |
|
Le Puy-en-Velay |
||
|
8 |
Lyon Metropolis |
|
Lyon |
||
|
9 |
Rhône |
|
Lyon |
||
|
10 |
Allier |
|
Moulins |
||
|
11 |
Ardèche |
|
Privas |
||
|
12 |
Loire |
|
Saint-Étienne |
||
|
13 |
Drôme |
|
Valence |
||
|
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté |
|
14 |
Yonne |
|
Auxerre |
|
15 |
Territoire de Belfort |
|
Belfort |
||
|
16 |
Doubs |
|
Besançon |
||
|
17 |
Côte-d'Or |
|
Dijon |
||
|
18 |
Jura |
|
Lons-le-Saunier |
||
|
19 |
Saône-et-Loire |
|
Mâcon |
||
|
20 |
Nièvre |
|
Nevers |
||
|
21 |
Haute-Saône |
|
Vesoul |
||
|
Brittany |
|
22 |
Finistère |
|
Quimper |
|
23 |
Ille-et-Vilaine |
|
Rennes |
||
|
24 |
Côtes-d'Armor |
|
Saint-Brieuc |
||
|
25 |
Morbihan |
|
Vannes |
||
|
Centre-Val de Loire |
|
26 |
Loir-et-Cher |
|
Blois |
|
27 |
Cher |
|
Bourges |
||
|
28 |
Eure-et-Loir |
|
Chartres |
||
|
29 |
Indre |
|
Châteauroux |
||
|
30 |
Loiret |
|
Orléans |
||
|
31 |
Indre-et-Loire |
|
Tours |
||
|
Corsica |
|
32 |
Corse |
|
Ajaccio |
|
French Guiana |
|
33 |
Guyane |
|
Cayenne |
|
Grand Est |
|
34 |
Meuse |
|
Bar-le-Duc |
|
35 |
Marne |
|
Châlons-en-Champagne |
||
|
36 |
Ardennes |
|
Charleville-Mézières |
||
|
37 |
Haute-Marne |
|
Chaumont |
||
|
38 |
Haut-Rhin |
|
Colmar |
||
|
39 |
Vosges |
|
Épinal |
||
|
40 |
Moselle |
|
Metz |
||
|
41 |
Meurthe-et-Moselle |
|
Nancy |
||
|
42 |
Bas-Rhin |
|
Strasbourg |
||
|
43 |
Aube |
|
Troyes |
||
|
Guadeloupe |
|
44 |
Guadeloupe |
|
Basse-Terre |
|
Hauts-de-France |
|
45 |
Somme |
|
Amiens |
|
46 |
Pas-de-Calais |
|
Arras |
||
|
47 |
Oise |
|
Beauvais |
||
|
48 |
Aisne |
|
Laon |
||
|
49 |
Nord |
|
Lille |
||
|
Île-de-France |
|
50 |
Seine-Saint-Denis |
|
Bobigny |
|
51 |
Val-de-Marne |
|
Créteil |
||
|
52 |
Essonne |
|
Évry |
||
|
53 |
Seine-et-Marne |
|
Melun |
||
|
54 |
Hauts-de-Seine |
|
Nanterre |
||
|
55 |
Paris |
|
Paris |
||
|
56 |
Val-d'Oise |
|
Pontoise 15 |
||
|
57 |
Yvelines |
|
Versailles |
||
|
Martinique |
|
58 |
Martinique |
|
Fort-de-France |
|
Mayotte |
|
59 |
Mayotte |
|
Mamoudzou |
|
Normandy |
|
60 |
Orne |
|
Alençon |
|
61 |
Calvados |
|
Caen |
||
|
62 |
Eure |
|
Évreux |
||
|
63 |
Seine-Maritime |
|
Rouen |
||
|
64 |
Manche |
|
Saint-Lô |
||
|
Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
|
65 |
Lot-et-Garonne |
|
Agen |
|
66 |
Charente |
|
Angoulême |
||
|
67 |
Gironde |
|
Bordeaux |
||
|
68 |
Creuse |
|
Guéret |
||
|
69 |
Charente-Maritime |
|
La Rochelle |
||
|
70 |
Haute-Vienne |
|
Limoges |
||
|
71 |
Landes |
|
Mont-de-Marsan |
||
|
72 |
Deux-Sèvres |
|
Niort |
||
|
73 |
Pyrénées-Atlantiques |
|
Pau |
||
|
74 |
Dordogne |
|
Périgueux |
||
|
75 |
Vienne |
|
Poitiers |
||
|
76 |
Corrèze |
|
Tulle |
||
|
Occitanie |
|
77 |
Tarn |
|
Albi |
|
78 |
Gers |
|
Auch |
||
|
79 |
Lot |
|
Cahors |
||
|
80 |
Aude |
|
Carcassonne |
||
|
81 |
Ariège |
|
Foix |
||
|
82 |
Lozère |
|
Mende |
||
|
83 |
Tarn-et-Garonne |
|
Montauban |
||
|
84 |
Hérault |
|
Montpellier |
||
|
85 |
Gard |
|
Nîmes |
||
|
86 |
Pyrénées-Orientales |
|
Perpignan |
||
|
87 |
Aveyron |
|
Rodez |
||
|
88 |
Hautes-Pyrénées |
|
Tarbes |
||
|
89 |
Haute-Garonne |
|
Toulouse |
||
|
Pays de la Loire |
|
90 |
Maine-et-Loire |
|
Angers |
|
91 |
Vendée |
|
La Roche-sur-Yon |
||
|
92 |
Mayenne |
|
Laval |
||
|
93 |
Sarthe |
|
Le Mans |
||
|
94 |
Loire-Atlantique |
|
Nantes |
||
|
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
|
95 |
Vaucluse |
|
Avignon |
|
96 |
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
|
Digne-les-Bains |
||
|
97 |
Hautes-Alpes |
|
Gap |
||
|
98 |
Bouches-du-Rhône |
|
Marseille |
||
|
99 |
Alpes-Maritimes |
|
Nice |
||
|
100 |
Var |
|
Toulon |
||
|
Réunion |
|
101 |
La Réunion |
|
Saint-Denis |
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