DEPARTMENTS OF FRANCE

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'Departments' ( IPA: ) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to English counties. 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.

General characteristics

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 a little more than three-and-half times the median land area of a county in the United States.
At the 1999 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 just a little less than two-thirds of the median population of a ceremonial county of England.
The ''chef-lieu de département'' normally lies 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 from any town in the ''département'' on horseback within 24 hours.

Administrative role

Each ''département'' is administered by a ''conseil général'' (general council) elected for six years, and its executive is, since 1982, headed by the president of that council (formerly it was headed by the prefect).
The French national government is represented in the ''département'' by a prefect appointed by the national executive (the President or the Prime Minister). 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 also further divided into communes, governed by municipal councils. France (as of 1999) has 36,779 communes.
Most of the ''départements'' have an area of around 4,000–8,000 km² and a population between 250,000 and one million. The largest in terms of area is Gironde (10,000 km²) and the smallest 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. This final usage will mostly disappear with a new car plate scheme due for 2008 (for details see French vehicle registration plates.
Note that there is no number 20, but 2A and 2B instead. Note also that 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

Napoleonic departments

Departments were created on January 4, 1790 by the Constituent Assembly to replace the country's former provinces with a more rational structure. They were also designed to deliberately break up France's historical regions in an attempt to erase cultural differences and build a more homogeneous nation. Most departments are named after the area's principal river(s) or other physical features.
The number of departments, initially 83, 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 departements), but they were reduced to 86 following Napoleon's defeats in 1814-1815, as 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 the meantime. In 1860, France acquired the Comté de Nice and Savoy, which led to the creation of three new departments: two 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.
Three departments in Alsace-Lorraine (Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin, and Moselle) were ceded to the German Empire in 1871, following France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. A small part of the department of Haut-Rhin, called the Territoire de Belfort, was detached from the rest of Alsace-Lorraine and remained French. In 1919, following World War I, France regained Alsace-Lorraine. Territoire de Belfort was not reintegrated into Haut-Rhin, but was instead made a full-status department in 1922, becoming the 90th department of France.
Reorganisations of the Paris region (1968) and the division of Corsica (1975) have added a further six departments, raising the total to one hundred — including the four overseas departments of Guyane (French Guiana) in South America, Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Lesser Antilles, and Réunion in the Indian Ocean.

Map and list of departments

French regions and departments

Departments and Regions of France

INSEE code	Arms	Department	Prefecture
01	Coat of arms of département 01	Ain	Bourg-en-Bresse
02	Coat of arms of département 02	Aisne	Laon
03	Coat of arms of département 03	Allier	Moulins
04	Coat of arms of département 04	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence	Digne-les-Bains
05	Coat of arms of département 05	Hautes-Alpes	Gap
06	Coat of arms of département 06	Alpes-Maritimes	Nice
07	Coat of arms of département 07	Ardèche	Privas
08	Coat of arms of département 08	Ardennes	Charleville-Mézières
09	Coat of arms of département 09	Ariège	Foix
10	Coat of arms of département 10	Aube	Troyes
11	Coat of arms of département 11	Aude	Carcassonne
12	Coat of arms of département 12	Aveyron	Rodez
13	Coat of arms of département 13	Bouches-du-Rhône	Marseille
14	Coat of arms of département 14	Calvados	Caen
15	Coat of arms of département 15	Cantal	Aurillac
16	Coat of arms of département 16	Charente	Angoulême
17	Coat of arms of département 17	Charente-Maritime	La Rochelle
18	Coat of arms of département 18	Cher	Bourges
19	Coat of arms of département 19	Corrèze	Tulle
2A	Coat of arms of Corsica	Corse-du-Sud	Ajaccio
2B	Coat of arms of Corsica	Haute-Corse	Bastia
21	Coat of arms of département 21	Côte-d'Or	Dijon
22	Coat of arms of département 22	Côtes-d'Armor	Saint-Brieuc
23	Coat of arms of département 23	Creuse	Guéret
24	Coat of arms of département 24	Dordogne	Périgueux
25	Coat of arms of département 25	Doubs	Besançon
26	Coat of arms of département 26	Drôme	Valence
27	Coat of arms of département 27	Eure	Évreux
28	Coat of arms of département 28	Eure-et-Loir	Chartres
29	Coat of arms of département 29	Finistère	Quimper
30	Coat of arms of département 30	Gard	Nîmes
31	Coat of arms of département 31	Haute-Garonne	Toulouse
32	Coat of arms of département 32	Gers	Auch
33	Coat of arms of département 33	Gironde	Bordeaux
34	Coat of arms of département 34	Hérault	Montpellier
35	Coat of arms of département 35	Ille-et-Vilaine	Rennes
36	Coat of arms of département 36	Indre	Châteauroux
37	Coat of arms of département 37	Indre-et-Loire	Tours
38	Coat of arms of département 38	Isère	Grenoble
39	Coat of arms of département 39	Jura	Lons-le-Saunier
40	Coat of arms of département 40	Landes	Mont-de-Marsan
41	Coat of arms of département 41	Loir-et-Cher	Blois
42	Coat of arms of département 42	Loire	Saint-Étienne
43	Coat of arms of département 43	Haute-Loire	Le Puy-en-Velay
44	Coat of arms of département 44	Loire-Atlantique	Nantes
45	Coat of arms of département 45	Loiret	Orléans
46	Coat of arms of département 46	Lot	Cahors
47	Coat of arms of département 47	Lot-et-Garonne	Agen
48	Coat of arms of département 48	Lozère	Mende
49	Coat of arms of département 49	Maine-et-Loire	Angers
50	Coat of arms of département 50	Manche	Saint-Lô
51	Coat of arms of département 51	Marne	Châlons-en-Champagne
52	Coat of arms of département 52	Haute-Marne	Chaumont
53	Coat of arms of département 53	Mayenne	Laval
54	Coat of arms of département 54	Meurthe-et-Moselle	Nancy
55	Coat of arms of département 55	Meuse	Bar-le-Duc
56	Coat of arms of département 56	Morbihan	Vannes
57	Coat of arms of département 57	Moselle	Metz
58	Coat of arms of département 58	Nièvre	Nevers
59	Coat of arms of département 59	Nord	Lille
60	Coat of arms of département 60	Oise	Beauvais
61	Coat of arms of département 61	Orne	Alençon
62	Coat of arms of département 62	Pas-de-Calais	Arras
63	Coat of arms of département 63	Puy-de-Dôme	Clermont-Ferrand
64	Coat of arms of département 64	Pyrénées-Atlantiques	Pau
65	Coat of arms of département 65	Hautes-Pyrénées	Tarbes
66	Coat of arms of département 66	Pyrénées-Orientales	Perpignan
67	Coat of arms of département 67	Bas-Rhin	Strasbourg
68	Coat of arms of département 68	Haut-Rhin	Colmar
69	Coat of arms of département 69	Rhône	Lyon
70	Coat of arms of département 70	Haute-Saône	Vesoul
71	Coat of arms of département 71	Saône-et-Loire	Mâcon
72	Coat of arms of département 72	Sarthe	Le Mans
73	Coat of arms of département 73	Savoie	Chambéry
74	Coat of arms of département 74	Haute-Savoie	Annecy
75	Coat of arms of département 75	Paris¹	Paris
76	Coat of arms of département 76	Seine-Maritime	Rouen
77	Coat of arms of département 77	Seine-et-Marne	Melun
78	Coat of arms of département 78	Yvelines²	Versailles
79	Coat of arms of département 79	Deux-Sèvres	Niort
80	Coat of arms of département 80	Somme	Amiens
81	Coat of arms of département 81	Tarn	Albi
82	Coat of arms of département 82	Tarn-et-Garonne	Montauban
83	Coat of arms of département 83	Var	Toulon
84	Coat of arms of département 84	Vaucluse	Avignon
85	Coat of arms of département 85	Vendée	La Roche-sur-Yon
86	Coat of arms of département 86	Vienne	Poitiers
87	Coat of arms of département 87	Haute-Vienne	Limoges
88	Coat of arms of département 88	Vosges	Épinal
89	Coat of arms of département 89	Yonne	Auxerre
90	Coat of arms of département 90	Territoire de Belfort	Belfort
91	Coat of arms of département 91	Essonne³	Évry
92	Coat of arms of département 92	Hauts-de-Seine⁴	Nanterre
93	Coat of arms of département 93	Seine-Saint-Denis⁵	Bobigny
94	Coat of arms of département 94	Val-de-Marne	Créteil
95	Coat of arms of département 95	Val-d'Oise	Cergy/Pontoise⁶
971	Flag of Guadeloupe	Guadeloupe⁷	Basse-Terre
972	Flag of Martinique	Martinique⁷	Fort-de-France
973	Flag of French Guiana	Guyane⁷	Cayenne
974	Flag of Réunion	La Réunion⁷	Saint-Denis

Notes:
# 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 of the EU', though special EU rules apply. Each of them constitutes a region at the same time.

Former departments

On the current territory of France

Department	Prefecture	Dates in existence	Notes
Rhône-et-Loire	Lyon	1790–1793	Split into Coat of arms of Rhône Rhône and Coat of arms of Loire Loire on August 12 1793.
Corse	Bastia	1790–1793	Split into Golo and Liamone.
Golo	Bastia	1793–1811	Reunited with Liamone into Coat of arms of the département of Corse Corse.
Liamone	Ajaccio	1793–1811	Reunited with Golo into Coat of arms of the département of Corse Corse.
Mont-Blanc	Chambéry	1792–1815	Formed from part of the Flag of the Duchy of Savoy Duchy of Savoy, a territory of the Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia and was restored to Piedmont-Sardinia after Napoleon's defeat. The département corresponds approximately with the present French départements Coat of arms of the département of Savoie Savoie and Coat of arms of the département of Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie.
Léman	Geneva	1798–1814	Formed when the Coat of arms of Geneva Republic of Geneva was annexed into the First French Empire. Léman became the Swiss canton the Coat of arms of Geneva Republic and Canton of Geneva. The département corresponds with the present Swiss canton and parts of the present French départements Coat of arms of the département of Ain Ain and Coat of arms of the département of Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie.
Meurthe	Nancy	1790–1871	Meurthe ceased to exist following the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by the Flag of the German Empire 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 January 1 1968, Seine was divided into four new départements: Coat of arms of the département of Paris Paris, Coat of arms of the département of Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine, Coat of arms of the département of Seine-Saint-Denis Seine-Saint-Denis and Coat of arms of the département of Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne, gaining territory from Seine-et-Oise in the process.
Seine-et-Oise	Versailles	1790–1967	On January 1 1968, Seine-et-Oise was divided into three new départements: Coat of arms of the département of Yvelines Yvelines, Coat of arms of the département of Val-d'Oise Val-d'Oise and Coat of arms of the département of Essonne Essonne, with some territory lost to Seine in the process.
Corse	Ajaccio	1811–1975	On September 15 1975, Corse was redivided in twain, to form Coat of arms of the département of Corse Corse-du-Sud and Coat of arms of the département of Corse Haute-Corse.
Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon	Saint-Pierre	1976–1985	Unofficial flag of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon was an overseas department from 1976 until it was converted to an overseas collectivity on June 11 1985.

Name changes

A few departments have changed names, in most cases, to lose the terms "lower" and "inferior":

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

French Algeria

Coat of arms of French Algeria

Before 1957

№	Department	Prefecture	Dates in existence
91	Alger	Algiers	(1848–1957)
92	Oran	Oran	(1848–1957)
93	Constantine	Constantine	(1848–1957)
–	Bône	Annaba	(1955–1957)

1957–1962

№	Department	Prefecture	Dates in 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	Saida	(1958–1962)

In the 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, Flag of Rodrigues Rodrigues, Seychelles	1795–1800
Indes-Orientales	Pondichery, Karikal, Yanaon, Mahe and Chandernagore	1795–1800

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:

Department	Prefecture (French name)	Prefecture (English name)	Contemporary location²	Dates in existence
Mont-Terrible	Porrentruy		Flag of the Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire: ★ Flag of Basel Bishopric of Basel³	1793–1800
Corcyre	Corfou	Corfu	Venice⁴	1797–1799
Ithaque	Argostoli			1797–1798
Mer-Égée	Zante			1797–1798
Dyle	Bruxelles	Brussels	Flag of the Habsburg dynasty Austrian Netherlands: ★ Coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant Duchy of Brabant ★ Coat of arms of the County of Hainaut County of Hainaut	1795–1814
Escaut	Gand	Ghent	Flag of the Habsburg dynasty Austrian Netherlands: ★ Coat of arms of the County of Flanders County of Flanders Flag of the Dutch Republic Dutch Republic: ★ Unofficial flag of Zeelandic Flanders Flanders of the States	1795–1814
Forêts	Luxembourg		Flag of the Habsburg dynasty Austrian Netherlands: ★ Coat of arms of the Duchy of Bouillon Duchy of Bouillon ★ Coat of arms of Luxembourg Duchy of Luxembourg	1795–1814
Jemmape	Mons		Flag of the Habsburg dynasty Austrian Netherlands: ★ Coat of arms of the County of Hainaut County of Hainaut ★ Coat of arms of Tournai Lordship of Tournai ★ Coat of arms of Namur County of Namur Flag of the Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire: ★ Coat of arms of the Bishopric of Liège Bishopric of Liège	1795–1814
Lys	Bruges		Flag of the Habsburg dynasty Austrian Netherlands: ★ Coat of arms of the County of Flanders County of Flanders	1795–1814
Meuse-Inférieure	Maëstricht	Maastricht	Flag of the Habsburg dynasty Austrian Netherlands: ★ Coat of arms of the Duchy of Guelders Austrian Upper Guelders ★ Coat of arms of the Duchy of Limburg Duchy of Limburg Flag of the Dutch Republic Dutch Republic: ★ Coat of arms of the Duchy of Guelders Dutch Upper Guelders ★ Flag of Limburg Limburg of the States Flag of the Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire: ★ Coat of arms of the Bishopric of Liège Bishopric of Liège: ★ ★ Missing coat of arms County of Horne ★ ★ Coat of arms of the County of Loon County of Loon ★ Missing coat of arms Imperial Abbey of Thorn Flag of Maastricht Maastricht⁵	1795–1814
Deux-Nèthes	Anvers	Antwerp	Flag of the Habsburg dynasty Austrian Netherlands: ★ Coat of arms of Brabant Duchy of Brabant Flag of the Dutch Republic Dutch Republic: ★ Coat of arms of Brabant Brabant of the States (after 1810)	1795–1814
Ourthe	Liège		Flag of the Habsburg dynasty Austrian Netherlands: ★ Coat of arms of Brabant Duchy of Brabant ★ Coat of arms of the Duchy of Limburg Duchy of Limburg ★ Coat of arms of Luxembourg Duchy of Luxembourg ★ Coat of arms of Namur County of Namur Flag of the Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire: ★ Coat of arms of the Bishopric of Liège Bishopric of Liège ★ Missing coat of arms Imperial Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy	1795–1814
Sambre-et-Meuse	Namur		Flag of the Habsburg dynasty Austrian Netherlands: ★ Coat of arms of Brabant Duchy of Brabant ★ Coat of arms of Luxembourg Duchy of Luxembourg Flag of the Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire: ★ Coat of arms of the Bishopric of Liège Bishopric of Liège	1795–1814
Mont-Tonnerre	Mayence	Mainz	Flag of the Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire: ★ Coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Mainz Archbishopric of Mainz ★ Coat of arms of the Electoral Palatinate Electoral Palatinate ★ Coat of arms of Speyer Bishopric of Speyer	1801–1814
Rhin-et-Moselle	Coblence	Koblenz	Flag of the Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire: ★ Coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Cologne Archbishopric of Cologne ★ Coat of arms of the Electoral Palatinate Electoral Palatinate ★ Coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Trier Archbishopric of Trier	1801–1814
Roer	Aix-la-Chapelle	Aachen	Flag of the Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire: ★ Coat of arms of Aachen Imperial Free City of Aachen ★

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