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This article is part of the series on
Administrative divisions of France |
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(incl. overseas regions) |
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Departments
(incl. overseas departments) |
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Urban communities |
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Others in Overseas France
Overseas collectivities |
In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies, a department (French: département, pronounced: [depaʁtǝmɑ̃]) is an administrative division roughly analogous to an English district or a Scottish region. The 100 French departments are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas regions. All regions have identical legal status as integral parts of France. They are subdivided into 342 arrondissements.
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The department's place in the administrative system
Main article: Administrative divisions of France.
The Republic of France is divided into regions, each of which is composed of departements. The departments are sub-divided into arrondissements, which in turn, are divided into cantons. Each canton consists of a small number of communes. In the overseas territories, some of the communes play a role at departmental level.
General characteristics of the departments
In continental France (metropolitan France, excluding Corsica), the median land area of a department is 5,965 km² (2,303 square miles), which is two-and-a-half times the median land area of a ceremonial county of England, and slightly more than three-and-half times the median land area of a county in the United States.
At the 2001 census, the median population of a department in continental France was 511,012 inhabitants, which is 21 times the median population of a U.S. county, but less than two-thirds of the median population of a ceremonial county of England.
The chef-lieu de département or préfecture, department capital or seat of government, is generally a city of some importance roughly at the geographical centre of the département. This was determined according to the time taken to travel on horseback from the periphery of the département. The goal was for the chef-lieu to be accessible by horseback from any town in the département within 24 hours. The chef lieu is not necessarily the largest city in the département (for instance, Mâcon has a smaller population than Chalon-sur-Saône).
Administrative role
Each département is administered by a conseil général (general council), an assembly elected for six years by universal suffrage, and its executive. Since 1982, the executive is the president of that council (formerly it was headed by the prefect).
The French national government is represented in the département by a préfet (prefect) appointed by the national executive (the President within the Council of Ministers). The prefect is assisted by one or more sub-prefects based in district centres outside the capital of the département.
The center of administration of a département is called a préfecture (prefecture) or chef-lieu de département. Départements are divided into one to seven arrondissements. The capital city of an arrondissement is called the sous-préfecture (subprefecture) or chef-lieu d'arrondissement. The public official in charge is called the sous-préfet (sub-prefect).
The départements are further divided into communes, governed by municipal councils. France (as of 1999) has 36,779 communes.
Most of the départements have an area of between 4,000 and 8,000 km², and a population between 250,000 and one million. The largest in area is Gironde (10,000 km²), while the smallest is the city of Paris (105 km²). The most populous is Nord (2,550,000) and the least populous Lozère (74,000). See also: List of French departments by population
The départements are numbered: their two-digit numbers appear in postal codes, in INSEE codes (including "social security numbers") and on vehicle number-plates. In January 2009 a new number-plate scheme will succeed the latter application (for details see French vehicle registration plates). Initially, the numbers corresponded to the alphabetical order of the names of the départements, but several changed their names, so the correspondence became less exact.
There is no number 20, but 2A and 2B instead, for Corsica. Corsican postal codes or addresses in both departments do still start with 20, though. The two-digit code "98" is used by Monaco. Together with the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code FR, the numbers form the ISO 3166-2 country subdivision codes for the metropolitan départements. The overseas départements get two letters for the ISO 3166-2 code, e.g. 971 for Guadeloupe (see table below).
History
Before the French Revolution, the land of France was slowly accumulated by the annexation of a mosaic of more or less independent entities. See Territorial formation of France. By the close of the Ancien Regime it was organised into provinces.
During the period of the Revolution, these were dissolved, partly in order to weaken old loyalties. Departments were created on 4 March 1790 by the Constituent Assembly to replace the provinces with what the Assembly deemed a more rational structure. They were designed to deliberately break up France's historical regions in an attempt to erase cultural differences and build a more homogeneous nation. The old nomenclature wase carefully avoided in naming the new departments Most were named after an area's principal river or other physical features. Even Paris was in the department of Seine.
The number of departments, initially 83, was increased to 130 by 1810 with the territorial gains of the Republic and of the Empire (see Provinces of the Netherlands for the annexed Dutch departments). Following Napoleon's defeats in 1814-1815, the number of departments was reduced to 86. The Congress of Vienna returned France to its pre-war size; the total was 86, as three of the original departments had been split. In 1860, France acquired the County de Nice and Savoy, which led to the creation of three new departments. Two were added from the new Savoyard territory, while the department of Alpes-Maritimes was created from Nice and a portion of the Var department. The 89 departments were given numbers based on their alphabetical order.
The departments of Moselle, Bas-Rhin, and most of Haut-Rhin were ceded to the German Empire in 1871, following France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. A small part of Haut-Rhin however remained French, and became known as the Territoire de Belfort. When France regained the ceded departments after World War I, the Territoire de Belfort was not reintegrated into Haut-Rhin. In 1922, it became France's 90th department.
The reorganisation of Greater Paris (1968) and the division of Corsica (1975) added six more departments, raising the total to ninety six. Finally there are the four overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion.
 1812: Departments at the maximum extent of the First Empire (Napoleon I). |
 1843: France had 86 departments; Alsace and Lorraine were in France, but not Nice and Savoy |
For details of the process of change in the extent of the territory which constitutes metropolitain France, see Territorial formation of France.
Population
 Population density in the departments at the census of 1968 (people/km²). |
Party-political preferences
 The political preferences of the various departments in the election of an unspecified date but not before 1998. |
 The political preferences of the various departments in the election of 2008. |
Key to the parties:
- Divers Centre = Independents of the Centre or Democratic Movement (MoDem)
- Divers Droite = DVD = Independent Conservatives
- Divers Gauche = Independents of the Left
- DVG = Divers Gauche = Independents of the Left
- MPF = Movement pour la France: right
- Nouveau Centre is of the centre or centre-right
- PCF = French Communist Pary
- PRG = Left Radical Party
- PS = Socialist Party
- UDF became Divers Centre
- UMP = Union for a Popular Movement
The Future
The removal of one or more levels of local government has been discussed for some years; in particular, the option of removing the departmental level.[1]
In January 2008, the Commission for freeing French development, known as the Attalai Commission, recommended that the departmental level of government should be made to disappear within ten years. [2]
Nevertheless, the Committee for the reform of local authorities, known as the Balladur Committee has not retained this proposition and does not advocate the disappearance of the 100 departments, but simply “favours the voluntary grouping of departments”, which it suggests also for the regions, with the aim of bring the number of the latter down to fifteen.[3] This committee advocates on the contrary, the suppression of the cantons.[3].
The debate on the reform of local authorities finds an echo in that of retaining the departmental numbers in French vehicle registration numbers. Since April 2009, a departmental number is still included but it now is one chosen by the vehicle’s owner without necessary regard to his place of residence. Also, the number of the department is automatically accompanied on the number plate, by the logo of the region in which the department lies.[4]
Maps and tables
 The modern departments and regions of metropolitan France. The numbers are those of the first column in Table 1. |
 Map of the 4 départements in the immediate vicinity of Paris. The numbers are those of the first column in Table 1. |
Table 1. French regions and departments
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Notes for Table 1:
- Most of the coats of arms are not official.
- The number 75 was formerly assigned to Seine
- The number 78 was formerly assigned to Seine-et-Oise
- The number 91 was formerly assigned to Alger, in French Algeria
- The number 92 was formerly assigned to Oran, in French Algeria
- The number 93 was formerly assigned to Constantine, in French Algeria
- The prefecture of Val-d'Oise was established in Pontoise when the department was created, but moved de facto to the neighbouring commune of Cergy; currently, both form the ville nouvelle of Cergy-Pontoise.
- The overseas departments are former colonies outside France that now enjoy a status identical to metropolitan France. They are part of France and the European Union, though special EU rules apply to them. Each also constitutes a region.
Former departments
Table 2. On the current territory of France
| Department | Prefecture | Dates in existence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhône-et-Loire | Lyon | 1790–1793 | Split into  Rhône and  Loire on 12 August 1793. |
| Corse | Bastia | 1790–1793 | Split into Golo and Liamone. |
| Golo | Bastia | 1793–1811 | Reunited with Liamone into  Corse. |
| Liamone | Ajaccio | 1793–1811 | Reunited with Golo into Corse. |
| Mont-Blanc | Chambéry | 1792–1815 | Formed from part of the  Duchy of Savoy, a territory of the  Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia and was restored to Piedmont-Sardinia after Napoleon's defeat. The département corresponds approximately with the present French départements  Savoie and Haute-Savoie. |
| Léman | Geneva | 1798–1814 | Formed when the  Republic of Geneva was annexed into the First French Empire. Léman became the Swiss canton the Republic and Canton of Geneva. The département corresponds with the present Swiss canton and parts of the present French départements  Ain and Haute-Savoie. |
| Meurthe | Nancy | 1790–1871 | Meurthe ceased to exist following the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by the  German Empire in 1871 and was not recreated after the province was restored to France by the Treaty of Versailles. |
| Seine | Paris | 1790–1967 | On 1 January 1968, Seine was divided into four new départements:  Paris,  Hauts-de-Seine,  Seine-Saint-Denis and  Val-de-Marne, gaining territory from Seine-et-Oise in the process. |
| Seine-et-Oise | Versailles | 1790–1967 | On 1 January 1968, Seine-et-Oise was divided into three new départements:  Yvelines,  Val-d'Oise and  Essonne, with some territory lost to Seine in the process. |
| Corse | Ajaccio | 1811–1975 | On 15 September 1975, Corse was divided in two, to form Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse. |
| Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon | Saint-Pierre | 1976–1985 |  Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon was an overseas department from 1976 until it was converted to an overseas collectivity on 11 June 1985. |
Table 3. Name changes
A few departments have changed names: typically, to lose the adjectives basses (low) and inférieure (lower).
| Ancient name | Modern name | Date of change |
|---|---|---|
| Mayenne-et-Loire | Maine-et-Loire | 1791 |
| Bec-d'Ambès | Gironde | 1795 |
| Charente-Inférieure | Charente-Maritime | 1941 |
| Seine-Inférieure | Seine-Maritime | 1955 |
| Loire-Inférieure | Loire-Atlantique | 1957 |
| Basses-Pyrénées | Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 1969 |
| Basses-Alpes | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 1970 |
| Côtes-du-Nord | Côtes-d'Armor | 1990 |
Table 4. French Algeria
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Before 1957
| № | Department | Prefecture | Dates of existence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | Alger | Algiers | (1848–1957) |
| 92 | Oran | Oran | (1848–1957) |
| 93 | Constantine | Constantine | (1848–1957) |
| – | Bône | Annaba | (1955–1957) |
Table 5. 1957–1962
| № | Department | Prefecture | Dates of existence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8A | Oasis | Ouargla | (1957–1962) |
| 8B | Saoura | Bechar | (1957–1962) |
| 9A | Alger | Algiers | (1957–1962) |
| 9B | Batna | Batna | (1957–1962) |
| 9C | Bône | Annaba | (1955–1962) |
| 9D | Constantine | Constantine | (1957–1962) |
| 9E | Médéa | Medea | (1957–1962) |
| 9F | Mostaganem | Mostaganem | (1957–1962) |
| 9G | Oran | Oran | (1957–1962) |
| 9H | Orléansville | Chlef | (1957–1962) |
| 9J | Sétif | Setif | (1957–1962) |
| 9K | Tiaret | Tiaret | (1957–1962) |
| 9L | Tizi-Ouzou | Tizi Ouzou | (1957–1962) |
| 9M | Tlemcen | Tlemcen | (1957–1962) |
| 9N | Aumale | Sour el Ghozlane | (1958–1959) |
| 9P | Bougie | Bejaia | (1958–1962) |
| 9R | Saïda | Saïda | (1958–1962) |
Table 6, In former colonies of France
| Department | Modern-day location | Dates in existence |
|---|---|---|
| Département du Sud | Hispaniola (  Dominican Republic and  Haiti) |
1795–1800 |
| Département de l'Inganne | 1795–1800 | |
| Département du Nord | 1795–1800 | |
| Département de l'Ouest | 1795–1800 | |
| Département de Samana | 1795–1800 | |
| Sainte-Lucie |  Saint Lucia,  Tobago |
1795–1800 |
| Île de France |  Mauritius,  Rodrigues,  Seychelles |
1795–1800 |
| Indes-Orientales | Pondichery, Karikal, Yanaon, Mahe and Chandernagore | 1795–1800 |
Table 7. Napoleonic Empire
There are a number of former departments in territories conquered by France during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Empire that are now not part of France:
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Notes for Table 7:
- Where a Napoleonic département was composed of parts from more than one country, the nation-state containing the prefecture is listed. Please expand this table to list all countries containing significant parts of the département.
- Territories that were a part of
Austrian Netherlands were also a part of 
Holy Roman Empire. - The
Bishopric of Basel was a German Prince-Bishopric, not to be confused with the adjacent Swiss 
Canton of Basel. - The territories of the
Republic of Venice were lost to France, becoming the Septinsular Republic, a nominal protectorate of the 
Ottoman Empire, from 1800–07. After reverting to France as the Illyrian Provinces, these territories then became a British protectorate, as the 
United States of the Ionian Islands - Maastricht was a condominium of the
Dutch Republic and the 
Bishopric of Liège. - On 6 June 1805, as a result of the annexation of the
Ligurian Republic (the puppet successor state to the Republic of Genoa), Tanaro was abolished and its territory divided between the départements of Marengo, Montenotte and Stura. - Before becoming the département of Apennins, the Republic of Genoa was converted to a puppet successor state, the Ligurian Republic.
- Before becoming the département of Arno, the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany was converted to a puppet successor state, the 
Kingdom of Etruria. - Before becoming the département of Taro, the
Duchy of Parma and Piacenza was annexed to the 
Cisalpine Republic until 1802, the 
Italian Republic, from 1802 until 1805 and the 
Kingdom of Italy, from 1805 until 1808. - Rome was known as the département du Tibre until 1810.
- Before becoming the départements of Bouches-du-Rhin, Bouches-de-l'Escaut, Bouches-de-la-Meuse, Bouches-de-l'Yssel, Ems-Occidental, Frise, Yssel-Supérieur and Zuyderzée, these territories of the Dutch Republic were converted to a puppet successor state, the Batavian Republic (1795–1806), then those territories that had not already been annexed (all except the first two départements here), along with the Prussian
County of East Frisia, were converted to another puppet state, the 
Kingdom of Holland. - Before becoming the département of Simplon, the
République des Sept Dizains was converted to a revolutionary République du Valais (16 March 1798) which was swiftly incorporated (1 May 1798) into the puppet 
Helvetic Republic until 1802 when it became the independent Rhodanic Republic. - In the months before Lippe was formed, the arrondissements of Rees and Münster were part of Yssel-Supérieur, the arrondissement of Steinfurt was part of Bouches-de-l'Yssel and the arrondissement of Neuenhaus was part of Ems-Occidental.
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See also: The 130 departments of the Napoleonic Empire
References
- ^ For example, Frédéric Lefebvre, spokesman for the UMP, said in December 2008, that the fusion of the departments with the regions was a matter to be dealt with soon. This was soon refuted by Édouard Balladur and Gérard Longuet, members of the Committee for the reform of local authorities, known as the Balladur Committee. [1].
- ^ This is stated in the title of the section dealing with "Decision 260" on page 197 of the Report of the Attali Commission (French).
- ^ a b See the 20 propositions of the Committee for the reform of local authorities.
- ^ Detailed article: Vehicle registration plates of France.
See also
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