Departments of France







In the administrative divisions of France, the department (French: département, pronounced [depaʁt(ə)mɑ̃]) is one of the three levels of government below the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the commune. Ninety-six departments are in metropolitan France, and five are overseas departments, which are also classified as regions. Departments are further subdivided into 334 arrondissements, themselves divided into cantons; the last two have no autonomy, and are used for the organisation of police, fire departments, and sometimes, elections.


Each department is administered by an elected body called a departmental council (conseil départemental (sing.), conseils départementaux (plur.)). From 1800 to April 2015, these were called general councils (conseil général (sing.), conseils généraux (plur.)).[1] Each council has a president. Their main areas of responsibility include the management of a number of social and welfare allowances, of junior high school (collège) buildings and technical staff, and local roads and school and rural buses, and a contribution to municipal infrastructures. Local services of the state administration are traditionally organised at departmental level, where the prefect represents the government; however, regions have gained importance in this regard since the 2000s, with some department-level services merged into region-level services.


The departments were created in 1790 as a rational replacement of Ancien Régime provinces with a view to strengthen national unity; the title "department" is used to mean a part of a larger whole. Almost all of them were named after physical geographical features (rivers, mountains, or coasts), rather than after historical or cultural territories which could have their own loyalties. The division of France into departments was a project particularly identified with the French revolutionary leader the Abbé Sieyès, although it had already been frequently discussed and written about by many politicians and thinkers. The earliest known suggestion of it is from 1764 in the writings of d'Argenson. They have inspired similar divisions in many countries, some of them former French colonies.


Most French departments are assigned a two-digit number, the "Official Geographical Code", allocated by the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques. Overseas departments have a three-digit number. The number is used, for example, in the postal code, and was until recently used for all vehicle registration plates. While residents commonly use the numbers to refer to their own department or a neighbouring one, more distant departments are generally referred to by their names, as few people know the numbers of all the departments. For example, inhabitants of Loiret might refer to their department as "the 45".


In 2014, President François Hollande proposed to abolish departmental councils by 2020, which would have maintained the departments as administrative divisions, and to transfer their powers to other levels of governance. This reform project has since been abandoned.




Contents





  • 1 History


  • 2 General characteristics

    • 2.1 Party political preferences



  • 3 Future


  • 4 Maps and tables

    • 4.1 Current departments


    • 4.2 Former departments

      • 4.2.1 Former departments of the current territory of France


      • 4.2.2 Departments of Algeria (Départements d'Algérie)


      • 4.2.3 Departments in former French colonies


      • 4.2.4 Departments of the Napoleonic Empire in Europe




  • 5 See also


  • 6 References




History





The 101 departments of France, prior to the 2018 merger of Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse




Geometrical proposition rejected




French provinces (color) and
departments (black borders) in 1791


The first French territorial departments were proposed in 1665 by Marc-René d'Argenson to serve as administrative areas purely for the Ponts et Chaussées (Bridges and Highways) infrastructure administration.[2]


Before the French Revolution, France gained territory gradually through the annexation of a mosaic of independent entities. By the close of the Ancien Régime, it was organised into provinces. During the period of the Revolution, these were dissolved, partly in order to weaken old loyalties.


The modern departments, as all-purpose units of the government, were created on 4 March 1790 by the National Constituent Assembly to replace the provinces with what the Assembly deemed a more rational structure. Their boundaries served two purposes:


  • Boundaries were chosen to break up France's historical regions in an attempt to erase cultural differences and build a more homogeneous nation.

  • Boundaries were set so that every settlement in the country was within a day's ride of the capital of a department. This was a security measure, intended to keep the entire national territory under close control. This measure was directly inspired by the Great Terror,[citation needed] during which the government had lost control of many rural areas far from any centre of government.



Departments at the maximum extent of the First French Empire (1812)


The old nomenclature was 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, had been increased to 130 by 1809 with the territorial gains of the Republic and of the First French Empire (see Provinces of the Netherlands for the annexed Dutch departments). Following Napoleon's defeats in 1814–1815, the Congress of Vienna returned France to its pre-war size and the number of departments was reduced to 86 (three of the original departments having been split). In 1860, France acquired the County of 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 the alphabetical order of their names.


The department of Bas-Rhin and parts of Meurthe, Moselle, Vosges and 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 remained French, however, and became known as the Territoire de Belfort, and the remaining parts of Meurthe and Moselle were merged into a new Meurthe-et-Moselle department. When France regained the ceded departments after World War I, the Territoire de Belfort was not re-integrated into Haut-Rhin. In 1922, it became France's 90th department. Likewise, the Lorraine departments were not changed back to their original boundaries, and a new Moselle department was created in the regained territory, with slightly different boundaries from the pre-war department of the same name.


The re-organisation of Île-de-France in 1968 and the division of Corsica in 1975 added six more departments, raising the total in Metropolitan France to 96. By 2011, when the overseas collectivity of Mayotte became a department, joining the earlier overseas departments of the Republic (all created in 1946) – French Guiana, Guadeloupe (1946), Martinique, and Réunion, and Mayotte) – the total number of departments in the French Republic had become 101. In 2015, the Urban Community of Lyon was split from Rhône to form the Métropole de Lyon, a sui-generis entity, with the powers of both an intercommunality and those of a department on its territory, formally classified as a “territorial collectivity with particular status” (French: collectivité territoriale à statut particulier) and as such not belonging to any department. In 2018, the two departments of Corsica re-merged to form a single territorial collectivity (simultaneously region and department), reducing number of departments to 100.



General characteristics





Administration territoriale française.svg




Population density in the departments (2007), showing the empty diagonal


The departmental seat of government is known as the prefecture (préfecture) or chef-lieu de département and is generally a town of some importance roughly at the geographical centre of the department. This was determined according to the time taken to travel on horseback from the periphery of the department. The goal was for the prefecture to be accessible on horseback from any town in the department within 24 hours. The prefecture is not necessarily the largest city in the department: for instance, in Saône-et-Loire department the capital is Mâcon, but the largest city is Chalon-sur-Saône. Departments may be divided into arrondissements. The capital of an arrondissement is called a subprefecture (sous-préfecture) or chef-lieu d'arrondissement.


Each department is administered by a departmental council (conseil départemental), an assembly elected for six years by universal suffrage, with the president of the council as executive of the department. Before 1982, the executive of a department was the prefect (préfet) who represents the French government in each department and is appointed by the president of France. The prefect is assisted by one or more sub-prefects (sous-préfet) based in the subprefectures of the department. Since 1982, the prefect retains only the powers that are not delegated to the department councils.


The departments are further divided into communes, governed by municipal councils. As of 2013, there were 36,681 communes in France. In the overseas territories, some communes play a role at departmental level. Paris, the country's capital city, is a commune as well as a department.


In continental France (metropolitan France, excluding Corsica), the median land area of a department is 5,965 km2 (2,303 sq mi), which is two-and-a-half times the median land area of the ceremonial counties of England and the preserved counties of Wales and slightly more than three-and-half times the median land area of a county of 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 and Wales. Most of the departments have an area of between 4,000 and 8,000 km², and a population between 320,000 and 1 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 is Lozère (74,000).


The departments are numbered: their two-digit numbers appear in postal codes, in INSEE codes (including "social security numbers") and on vehicle number plates. Initially, the numbers corresponded to the alphabetical order of the names of the departments, 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 for addresses in both departments do still start with 20. 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 departments. The overseas departments get three digits—e.g. 971 for Guadeloupe (see table below).


Originally, the relationship between the departments and the central government was left somewhat ambiguous. While citizens in each department elected their own officials, the local governments were subordinated to the central government, becoming instruments of national integration. By 1793, however, the revolutionary government had turned the departments into transmission belts for policies enacted in Paris. With few exceptions, the departments had this role until the early 1960s.



Party political preferences


These maps cannot be used as a useful resource of voter preferences, because Departmental Councils are elected on a two-round system, which drastically limits the chances of fringe parties, if they are not supported on one of the two rounds by a moderate party. After the 1992 election, the left had a majority in only 21 of the 100 departments; after the 2011 election, the left dominated 61 of the 100 departments. (Mayotte only became a department after the election.)


Key to the parties:



  • Divers Centre = Independents of the Centre or Democratic Movement (Mouvement démocrate)

  • Divers Droite (DVD) = Independent conservatives

  • Divers Gauche (DVG) = Independent left-wing politicians

  • MPF = Movement for France (Mouvement pour la France) (right)

  • Nouveau Centre = New Centre (centre or centre-right)

  • PCF = French Communist Party (Parti communiste français)

  • PRG = Radical Party of the Left (Parti radical de gauche)

  • PS = Socialist Party (Parti socialiste)

  • UDF = Union for French Democracy (Union pour la démocratie française) succeeded by Democratic Movement

  • UMP = Union for a Popular Movement (Union pour un mouvement populaire)


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. 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.[3]


In January 2008, the Attali Commission recommended that the departmental level of government should be eliminated within ten years.[4]


Nevertheless, the Balladur Committee has not retained this proposition and does not advocate the disappearance of the departments, but simply "favors the voluntary grouping of departments", which it suggests also for the regions, with the aim of reducing the number of regions to 15.[5] This committee advocates, on the contrary, the suppression of the cantons.[5]



Maps and tables



Current departments


Each department has a coat of arms with which it is commonly associated, though not all are officially recognized or used.
















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































INSEE code

Arms 1
Department
Prefecture
Region
Named after
01

Coat of arms of department 01

Ain

Bourg-en-Bresse

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Ain (river)
02

Coat of arms of department 02

Aisne

Laon

 Hauts-de-France

Aisne (river)
03

Coat of arms of department 03

Allier

Moulins

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Allier (river)
04

Coat of arms of department 04

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 2

Digne-les-Bains

 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Alps
05

Coat of arms of department 05

Hautes-Alpes

Gap

 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Alps
06

Coat of arms of department 06

Alpes-Maritimes

Nice

 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Alps
07

Coat of arms of department 07

Ardèche

Privas

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Ardèche (river)
08

Coat of arms of department 08

Ardennes

Charleville-Mézières

 Grand Est

Ardennes Forest
09

Coat of arms of department 09

Ariège

Foix

 Occitanie

Ariège (river)
10

Coat of arms of department 10

Aube

Troyes

 Grand Est

Aube (river)
11

Coat of arms of department 11

Aude

Carcassonne

 Occitanie

Aude (river)
12

Coat of arms of department 12

Aveyron

Rodez

 Occitanie

Aveyron (river)
13

Coat of arms of department 13

Bouches-du-Rhône

Marseille

 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Rhône (river)
14

Coat of arms of department 14

Calvados

Caen

 Normandy
Calvados rocks
15

Coat of arms of department 15

Cantal

Aurillac

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Mounts of Cantal
16

Coat of arms of department 16

Charente

Angoulême

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Charente (river)
17

Coat of arms of department 17

Charente-Maritime 3

La Rochelle

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Charente (river)
18

Coat of arms of department 18

Cher

Bourges

 Centre-Val de Loire

Cher (river)
19

Coat of arms of department 19

Corrèze

Tulle

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Corrèze (river)
2A

Coat of arms of Corsica

Corse-du-Sud

Ajaccio

 Corsica
Island of Corsica
2B

Coat of arms of Corsica

Haute-Corse

Bastia

 Corsica
Island of Corsica
21

Coat of arms of department 21

Côte-d'Or

Dijon

 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Côte d'Or (escarpment)
22

Coat of arms of department 22

Côtes-d'Armor 4

Saint-Brieuc

Brittany Brittany
coasts of Armorica
23

Coat of arms of department 23

Creuse

Guéret

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Creuse (river)
24

Coat of arms of department 24

Dordogne

Périgueux

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Dordogne (river)
25

Coat of arms of department 25

Doubs

Besançon

 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Doubs (river)
26

Coat of arms of department 26

Drôme

Valence

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Drôme (river)
27

Coat of arms of department 27

Eure

Évreux

 Normandy

Eure (river)
28

Coat of arms of department 28

Eure-et-Loir

Chartres

 Centre-Val de Loire

Eure and Loir rivers
29

Coat of arms of department 29

Finistère

Quimper

Brittany Brittany

Finis Terræ (end of earth)
30

Coat of arms of department 30

Gard

Nîmes

 Occitanie

Gardon (river)
31

Coat of arms of department 31

Haute-Garonne

Toulouse

 Occitanie

Garonne (river)
32

Coat of arms of department 32

Gers

Auch

 Occitanie

Gers (river)
33

Coat of arms of department 33

Gironde 5

Bordeaux

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Gironde (river)
34

Coat of arms of department 34

Hérault

Montpellier

 Occitanie

Hérault (river)
35

Coat of arms of department 35

Ille-et-Vilaine

Rennes

Brittany Brittany

Ille and Vilaine rivers
36

Coat of arms of department 36

Indre

Châteauroux

 Centre-Val de Loire

Indre (river)
37

Coat of arms of department 37

Indre-et-Loire

Tours

 Centre-Val de Loire

Indre and Loire rivers
38

Coat of arms of department 38

Isère

Grenoble

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Isère (river)
39

Coat of arms of department 39

Jura

Lons-le-Saunier

 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Jura Mountains
40

Coat of arms of department 40

Landes

Mont-de-Marsan

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Landes forest
41

Coat of arms of department 41

Loir-et-Cher

Blois

 Centre-Val de Loire

Loir and Cher rivers
42

Coat of arms of department 42

Loire

Saint-Étienne

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Loire (river)
43

Coat of arms of department 43

Haute-Loire

Le Puy-en-Velay

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Loire (river)
44

Coat of arms of department 44

Loire-Atlantique 6

Nantes

 Pays de la Loire

Loire (river)
45

Coat of arms of department 45

Loiret

Orléans

 Centre-Val de Loire

Loiret (river)
46

Coat of arms of department 46

Lot

Cahors

 Occitanie

Lot (river)
47

Coat of arms of department 47

Lot-et-Garonne

Agen

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Lot and Garonne rivers
48

Coat of arms of department 48

Lozère

Mende

 Occitanie

Mont Lozère
49

Coat of arms of department 49

Maine-et-Loire 7

Angers

 Pays de la Loire

Maine and Loire rivers
50

Coat of arms of department 50

Manche

Saint-Lô

 Normandy

English Channel
51

Coat of arms of department 51

Marne

Châlons-en-Champagne

 Grand Est

Marne (river)
52

Coat of arms of department 52

Haute-Marne

Chaumont

 Grand Est

Marne (river)
53

Coat of arms of department 53

Mayenne

Laval

 Pays de la Loire

Mayenne (river)
54

Coat of arms of department 54

Meurthe-et-Moselle

Nancy

 Grand Est

Meurthe and Moselle rivers
55

Coat of arms of department 55

Meuse

Bar-le-Duc

 Grand Est

Meuse (river)
56

Coat of arms of department 56

Morbihan

Vannes

Brittany Brittany

Gulf of Morbihan
57

Coat of arms of department 57

Moselle

Metz

 Grand Est

Moselle (river)
58

Coat of arms of department 58

Nièvre

Nevers

 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Nièvre (river)
59

Coat of arms of department 59

Nord

Lille

 Hauts-de-France

North
60

Coat of arms of department 60

Oise

Beauvais

 Hauts-de-France

Oise (river)
61

Coat of arms of department 61

Orne

Alençon

 Normandy

Orne (river)
62

Coat of arms of department 62

Pas-de-Calais

Arras

 Hauts-de-France

Strait of Dover
63

Coat of arms of department 63

Puy-de-Dôme

Clermont-Ferrand

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Puy de Dôme volcano
64

Coat of arms of department 64

Pyrénées-Atlantiques 8

Pau

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Pyrenees
65

Coat of arms of department 65

Hautes-Pyrénées

Tarbes

 Occitanie

Pyrenees
66

Coat of arms of department 66

Pyrénées-Orientales

Perpignan

 Occitanie

Pyrenees
67

Coat of arms of department 67

Bas-Rhin

Strasbourg

 Grand Est

Rhine (river)
68

Coat of arms of department 68

Haut-Rhin

Colmar

 Grand Est

Rhine (river)
69

Coat of arms of department 69

Rhône

Lyon (provisional)

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Rhône (river)
69M

Coat of arms of Lyon

Lyon Metropolis 18

Lyon

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
commune of Lyon
70

Coat of arms of department 70

Haute-Saône

Vesoul

 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Saône (river)
71

Coat of arms of department 71

Saône-et-Loire

Mâcon

 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Saône and Loire rivers
72

Coat of arms of department 72

Sarthe

Le Mans

 Pays de la Loire

Sarthe (river)
73

Coat of arms of department 73

Savoie

Chambéry

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
region of Savoy
74

Coat of arms of department 74

Haute-Savoie

Annecy

 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
region of Savoy
75

Coat of arms of department 75

Paris 9

Paris

 Île-de-France
commune of Paris
76

Coat of arms of department 76

Seine-Maritime 10

Rouen

 Normandy

Seine (river)
77

Coat of arms of department 77

Seine-et-Marne

Melun

 Île-de-France

Seine and Marne rivers
78

Coat of arms of department 78

Yvelines 11

Versailles

 Île-de-France

Forest of Yvelines
79

Coat of arms of department 79

Deux-Sèvres

Niort

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Sèvre Nantaise and Sèvre Niortaise rivers
80

Coat of arms of department 80

Somme

Amiens

 Hauts-de-France

Somme (river)
81

Coat of arms of department 81

Tarn

Albi

 Occitanie

Tarn (river)
82

Coat of arms of department 82

Tarn-et-Garonne

Montauban

 Occitanie

Tarn and Garonne rivers
83

Coat of arms of department 83

Var

Toulon

 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Var (river)
84

Coat of arms of department 84

Vaucluse

Avignon

 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse spring
85

Coat of arms of department 85

Vendée

La Roche-sur-Yon

 Pays de la Loire

Vendée (river)
86

Coat of arms of department 86

Vienne

Poitiers

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Vienne (river)
87

Coat of arms of department 87

Haute-Vienne

Limoges

 Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Vienne (river)
88

Coat of arms of department 88

Vosges

Épinal

 Grand Est

Vosges Mountains
89

Coat of arms of department 89

Yonne

Auxerre

 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Yonne (river)
90

Coat of arms of department 90

Territoire de Belfort

Belfort

 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
commune of Belfort
91

Coat of arms of department 91

Essonne 12

Évry

 Île-de-France

Essonne (river)
92

Coat of arms of department 92

Hauts-de-Seine 13

Nanterre

 Île-de-France

Seine (river)
93

Coat of arms of department 93

Seine-Saint-Denis 14

Bobigny

 Île-de-France

Seine (river)
94

Coat of arms of department 94

Val-de-Marne

Créteil

 Île-de-France

Marne (river)
95

Coat of arms of department 95

Val-d'Oise

Pontoise 15

 Île-de-France

Oise (river)
971

Coat of arms of Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe 16

Basse-Terre

 Guadeloupe
Island of Guadeloupe
972

Coat of arms of Martinique

Martinique 16

Fort-de-France

 Martinique
Island of Martinique
973

Coat of arms of Guyane

Guyane 16

Cayenne

 French Guiana

The Guianas
974

Coat of arms of Réunion

La Réunion 16

Saint-Denis

 Réunion
Island of Réunion
976

Coat of arms of Mayotte

Mayotte 17

Mamoudzou

 Mayotte
Island of Mayotte

Notes:




  • ^1 Most of the coats of arms are not official


  • ^2 This department was known as Basses-Alpes ("Lower Alps") until 1970


  • ^3 This department was known as Charente-Inférieure ("Lower Charente") until 1941


  • ^4 This department was known as Côtes-du-Nord ("Coasts of the North") until 1990


  • ^5 This department was known as Bec-d'Ambès ("Beak of Ambès") from 1793 until 1795. The Convention eliminated the name to avoid recalling the outlawed Girondin political faction.


  • ^6 This department was known as Loire-Inférieure ("Lower Loire") until 1957


  • ^7 This department was known as Mayenne-et-Loire ("Mayenne and Loire") until 1791


  • ^8 This department was known as Basses-Pyrénées ("Lower Pyrenees") until 1969


  • ^9 Number 75 was formerly assigned to Seine


  • ^10 This department was known as Seine-Inférieure ("Lower Seine") until 1955


  • ^11 Number 78 was formerly assigned to Seine-et-Oise


  • ^12 Number 91 was formerly assigned to Alger, in French Algeria


  • ^13 Number 92 was formerly assigned to Oran, in French Algeria


  • ^14 Number 93 was formerly assigned to Constantine, in French Algeria


  • ^15 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 part of the ville nouvelle of Cergy-Pontoise


  • ^16 The overseas departments each constitute a region and enjoy a status identical to metropolitan France. They are part of France and the European Union, though special EU rules apply to them.


  • ^17 Mayotte became the 101st department of France on 31 March 2011. The INSEE code of Mayotte is 976 (975 is already assigned to the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon)


  • ^18 Metropoles with territorial collectivity statute.





Regions and departments of metropolitan France; the numbers are those of the first column




The departments in the immediate vicinity of Paris; the numbers are those of the first column



Former departments



Former departments of the current territory of France


























































Department
Prefecture
Dates in existence


Rhône-et-Loire

Lyon
1790–1793
Split into Rhône and Loire on 12 August 1793.

Corsica

Bastia
1790–1793
Split into Golo and Liamone.

Golo

Bastia
1793–1811
Reunited with Liamone into Corsica.

Liamone

Ajaccio
1793–1811
Reunited with Golo into Corsica.

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 department corresponds approximately with the present French departments Savoie and Haute-Savoie.

Léman

Geneva
1798–1814
Formed when the Republic of Geneva was annexed into the First French Empire. Geneva was added to territory taken from several other departments to create Léman. The department corresponds with the present Swiss canton and parts of the present French departments 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 departments: Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne (the last incorporating a small amount of territory from Seine-et-Oise as well). Was department number 75.

Seine-et-Oise

Versailles
1790–1967
On 1 January 1968, Seine-et-Oise was divided into four new departments: Yvelines, Val-d'Oise, Essonne, Val-de-Marne (the last largely comprising territory from Seine). Was department number 78.

Corsica

Ajaccio
1811–1975
On 15 September 1975, Corsica was divided in two, to form Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse. Was department number 20.

Saint Pierre and 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. INSEE code 975.

Corse-du-Sud

Ajaccio
1975–2018
Reunited with Haute-Corse into Corsica. Was INSEE code 2A.

Haute-Corse

Bastia
1975–2018
Reunited with Corse-du-Sud into Corsica. Was INSEE code 2B.


Departments of Algeria (Départements d'Algérie)




The three Algerian departments in 1848




Departments of French Algeria from 1957 to 1962


Unlike the rest of French-controlled Africa, Algeria was divided into overseas departments from 1848 until its independence in 1962. These departments were supposed to be "assimilated" or "integrated" to France sometime in the future.


























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)













































































1957–1962

Department
Prefecture
Dates of existence
8A

Oasis

Ouargla
(1957–1962)
8B

Saoura

Béchar
(1957–1962)
9A

Alger
Algiers
(1957–1962)
9B

Batna

Batna
(1957–1962)
9C

Bône
Annaba
(1955–1962)
9D

Constantine
Constantine
(1957–1962)
9E

Médéa

Médéa
(1957–1962)
9F

Mostaganem

Mostaganem
(1957–1962)
9G
Oran
Oran
(1957–1962)
9H

Orléansville

Chlef
(1957–1962)
9J

Sétif

Sétif
(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

Béjaïa
(1958–1962)
9R

Saïda

Saïda
(1958–1962)


Departments in former French colonies

























Department
Modern-day location
Dates in existence

Département du Sud

Hispaniola
(Haiti and the Dominican Republic)
1795–1800

Département de l'Inganne (Mostly in the Dominican Republic with eastern part of Haiti)
1795–1800

Département du Nord
1795–1800

Département de l'Ouest
1795–1800

Département de Samana (In the Dominican Republic)
1795–1800

Sainte-Lucie

Saint Lucia, Tobago
1795–1800

Île de France

Mauritius, Rodrigues, Seychelles
1795–1800

Indes-Orientales

Pondichéry, Karikal, Yanaon, Mahé and Chandernagore
1795–1800


Departments of the Napoleonic Empire in Europe


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)

Current location1
Contemporary location2Dates in existence

Mont-Terrible

Porrentruy
Switzerland

Holy Roman Empire:

  • Prince-Bishopric of Basel3
1793–1800

Dyle
Bruxelles

Brussels
Belgium

Austrian Netherlands:
  • Duchy of Brabant

  • County of Hainaut

1795–1814

Escaut
Gand

Ghent
Belgium
Netherlands

Austrian Netherlands:
  • County of Flanders

Dutch Republic:


  • United States of the Zeelandic Flanders
1795–1814

Forêts

Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Belgium
Germany

Austrian Netherlands:
  • Duchy of Bouillon

  • Duchy of Luxembourg

1795–1814

Jemmape

Mons
Belgium

Austrian Netherlands:
  • County of Hainaut

  • Lordship of Tournai

  • County of Namur

Holy Roman Empire:


  • Bishopric of Liège
1795–1814

Lys

Bruges

Austrian Netherlands:
  • County of Flanders
1795–1814

Meuse-Inférieure
Maëstricht

Maastricht
Belgium
Netherlands

Austrian Netherlands:
  • Austrian Upper Guelders

  • Duchy of Limburg

Dutch Republic:


  • Dutch Upper Guelders

  • Limburg of the States

Holy Roman Empire:



  • Bishopric of Liège:
    • County of Horne

    • County of Loon



  • Imperial Abbey of Thorn

Maastricht5


1795–1814

Deux-Nèthes
Anvers

Antwerp
Belgium

Austrian Netherlands:
  • Duchy of Brabant

Dutch Republic:



  • Brabant of the States (after 1810)

1795–1814

Ourthe

Liège
Belgium
Germany

Austrian Netherlands:
  • Duchy of Brabant

  • Duchy of Limburg

  • Duchy of Luxembourg

  • County of Namur

Holy Roman Empire:


  • Bishopric of Liège


  • Imperial Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy


1795–1814

Sambre-et-Meuse

Namur
Belgium

Austrian Netherlands:
  • Duchy of Brabant

  • Duchy of Luxembourg

Holy Roman Empire:


  • Bishopric of Liège
1795–1814

Corcyre
Corfou

Corfu
Greece

Republic of Venice4
1797–1799

Ithaque

Argostoli
1797–1798

Mer-Égée

Zante

Zakynthos
1797–1798

Mont-Tonnerre
Mayence

Mainz
Germany

Holy Roman Empire:
  • Archbishopric of Mainz

  • Electorate of the Palatinate

  • Bishopric of Speyer

1801–1814

Rhin-et-Moselle
Coblence

Koblenz

Holy Roman Empire:
  • Archbishopric of Cologne

  • Electorate of the Palatinate

  • Archbishopric of Trier

1801–1814

Roer
Aix-la-Chapelle

Aachen
Germany
Netherlands

Holy Roman Empire:
  • Free Imperial City of Aachen

  • Archbishopric of Cologne


  • Electorate of the Palatinate:
    • Grand Duchy of Berg

    • Duchy of Jülich



  • Kingdom of Prussia:
    • Prussian Guelders


  • Imperial Free City of Wesel (after 1805)


1801–1814

Sarre
Trèves

Trier
Belgium
Germany

Holy Roman Empire:

  • Electorate of the Palatinate:
    • County of Veldenz

    • Duchy of Zweibrücken


  • Archbishopric of Trier

1801–1814

Doire
Ivrée

Ivrea
Italy

Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia
  • Duchy of Savoy
1802–1814

Marengo
Alexandrie

Alessandria
1802–1814



Turin
1802–1814

Sésia
Verceil

Vercelli
1802–1814

Stura
Coni

Cuneo
1802–1814

Tanaro6

Asti
1802–1805

Apennins

Chiavari

Republic of Genoa7
1805–1814

Gênes
Gênes

Genoa
1805–1814

Montenotte
Savone

Savona
1805–1814

Arno

Florence

Grand Duchy of Tuscany8
1808–1814

Méditerranée
Livourne

Livorno
1808–1814

Ombrone
Sienne

Siena
1808–1814

Taro
Parme

Parma

Holy Roman Empire:

  • Duchy of Parma & Piacenza

1808–1814

Rome9

Rome

Papal States
1809–1814

Trasimène
Spolète

Spoleto
1809–1814

Bouches-du-Rhin
Bois-le-Duc

's-Hertogenbosch
Netherlands

Dutch Republic:10

  • Batavian Brabant (Brabant of the States)


  • Dutch Guelders

1810–1814

Bouches-de-l'Escaut
Middelbourg

Middelburg

Dutch Republic:10
  • County of Zeeland
1810–1814

Simplon

Sion
Switzerland

République des Sept-Dizains11
1810–1814

Bouches-de-la-Meuse
La Haye

The Hague
Netherlands

Dutch Republic:10
  • County of Holland
1811–1814

Bouches-de-l'Yssel

Zwolle

Dutch Republic:10
  • Overijssel
1811–1814

Ems-Occidental
Groningue

Groningen
Netherlands
Germany

Dutch Republic:10
  • Dutch Upper Guelders
1811–1814

Ems-Oriental

Aurich
Germany

Holy Roman Empire:

  • Kingdom of Prussia:

    • County of East Frisia10
1811–1814

Frise
Leuwarden

Leeuwarden
Netherlands

Dutch Republic:10
  • Friesland
1811–1814

Yssel-Supérieur

Arnhem

Dutch Republic:10
  • Dutch Upper Guelders
1811–1814

Zuyderzée

Amsterdam

Dutch Republic:10
  • County of Holland

  • Lordship of Utrecht

1811–1814

Bouches-de-l'Elbe
Hambourg

Hamburg
Germany

Holy Roman Empire:

  • Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg


  • Electorate of Hanover


  • Free Hanseatic City of Lübeck


1811–1814

Bouches-du-Weser
Brême

Bremen

Holy Roman Empire:

  • Free Hanseatic City of Bremen


  • Electorate of Hanover

  • Duchy of Oldenburg

1811–1814

Ems-Supérieur

Osnabrück

Holy Roman Empire:
  • Electorate of Hanover

  • Bishopric of Osnabrück


  • Kingdom of Prussia:

    • Town and County of Lingen


    • Principality of Minden

    • County of Ravensberg


1811–1814

Lippe12
Munster

Münster

Holy Roman Empire:
  • Bishopric of Münster


  • Electorate of the Palatinate:
    • Grand Duchy of Berg

1811–1814

Bouches-de-l'Èbre
Lérida

Lleida
Spain

Kingdom of Spain:
  • Catalonia
1812–1813

Montserrat
Barcelone

Barcelona
1812–1813

Sègre
Puigcerda

Puigcerdà
1812–1813

Ter
Gérone

Girona
1812–1813

Bouches-de-l'Èbre-Montserrat
Barcelone

Barcelona

Previously the departments of Bouches-de-l'Èbre and Montserrat
1813–1814

Sègre-Ter
Gérone

Girona

Previously the departments of Sègre and Ter
1813–1814

Notes for Table 7:


  1. Where a Napoleonic department 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 department.

  2. Territories that were a part of Austrian Netherlands were also a part of Holy Roman Empire.

  3. The Bishopric of Basel was a German Prince-Bishopric, not to be confused with the adjacent Swiss Canton of Basel.

  4. The territories of the Republic of Venice were lost to France, becoming the Septinsular Republic, a nominal vassal of the Ottoman Empire, from 1800–07. After reverting to France at the Treaty of Tilsit, these territories then became a British protectorate, as the United States of the Ionian Islands


  5. Maastricht was a condominium of the Dutch Republic and the Bishopric of Liège.

  6. 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 departments of Marengo, Montenotte and Stura.

  7. Before becoming the department of Apennins, the Republic of Genoa was converted to a puppet successor state, the Ligurian Republic.

  8. Before becoming the department of Arno, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was converted to a puppet successor state, the Kingdom of Etruria.


  9. Rome was known as the department du Tibre until 1810.

  10. Before becoming the departments 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 departments here), along with the Prussian County of East Frisia, were converted to another puppet state, the Kingdom of Holland.

  11. Before becoming the department 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.

  12. 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.


See also






  • ISO 3166-2:FR

  • List of French departments by population, area and population density


References




  1. ^ Ministère de l'intérieur, Les élections départementales : comprendre ce qui change (in French), retrieved 2015-07-30 


  2. ^ Masson, Jean-Louis (1984). "Provinces, départements, régions: L'organisation administrative de la France d'hier à demain". Google Livres (French Google Books site). Éditions Fernand Lanore. Retrieved 2017-07-15. 


  3. ^ "La fusion département-région n'est pas à l'ordre du jour". L'Express. Retrieved 2011-07-21. 


  4. ^ Report of the Attali Commission "Decision 260", p. 197 (in French)


  5. ^ ab "Les 20 propositions du Comité (20 propositions of the Committee)" (in French). Committee for the reform of local authorities. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 









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