Administrative divisions of France


The administrative divisions of France are concerned with the institutional and territorial organization of French territory. These territories are located in many parts of the world. There are many administrative divisions, which may have political, electoral, or administrative objectives. All the inhabited territories are represented in the National Assembly, Senate and Economic and Social Council and their citizens have French citizenship.

Types of division

Regions, the most integrated territories

The French Republic is divided into 18 regions: 12 in mainland France and 6 elsewhere. They are traditionally divided between the metropolitan regions, located on the European continent, and the overseas regions, located outside the European continent. Both have the same status and form the most integrated part of the French Republic.

Metropolitan regions

, metropolitan France is divided into the following:
Furthermore, as of 2009, there exist 2,585 intercommunal structures grouping 34,077 communes, with 87.4% of the population of metropolitan France living in them. These intercommunal structures are:
Five overseas regions, which have the same status as metropolitan regions. The overseas regions are as follows:
  1. French Guiana
  2. Guadeloupe
  3. Martinique
  4. Mayotte
  5. Réunion
The French Republic includes five overseas collectivities with a semi-autonomous status:
  1. French Polynesia
  2. Saint Barthélemy
  3. Saint Martin
  4. Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  5. Wallis and Futuna
The French Republic includes one autonomous collectivity:
  1. New Caledonia
New Caledonia's status is unique in the French Republic: it is the only French local government which is not a territorial collectivity. It is regarded as a sui generis collectivity, which means that local government and parliament have the power to pass and enforce specific laws without seeking consent of the French Government; unless such laws are declared illegitimate by the Constitutional Council in specific proceeding brought to the Constitutional Council. As agreed in the 1998 Nouméa Accord, a New Caledonian citizenship was established and a self-determination referendum was held in 2018.
These territories have no permanent civilian population. The residents consist of military personnel, scientific researchers and support staff.

Overseas territory

1 overseas territory : the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, which have no permanent population and no communes.
  1. Adélie Land
  2. Crozet Islands
  3. Kerguelen Islands
  4. Saint Paul Island and Amsterdam Island
  5. The Scattered Islands, a collection of five non-permanently inhabited island groups in the Indian Ocean: Bassas da India, Europa Island, the Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island. These were previously administered separately but they have been combined into the French Southern and Antarctic Lands since February 2007.

    Uninhabited island directly under the authority of the Minister of Overseas France

French subdivisions that have a freedom of administration are called territorial collectivities. Among them are regions, departments, communes, overseas collectivities, provinces and the territorial collectivity of Corsica which belongs to no category. New Caledonia is unique as it is not a territorial collectivity.

General rules

Citizens from all parts of France, including the overseas administrative divisions, vote in national elections, and all of the collectivities are represented in the Senate.

List of departments by region

In the Medieval period, the territory of modern metropolitan France was occupied by a complex mosaic of more or less independent entities. Their gradual incorporation into France may be followed in the article Territorial formation of France.
Historically, France was divided into provinces; see Provinces of France.