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Subdivisions of France

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As of January 1, 2006, metropolitan France is divided into:

Furthermore, as of January 1, 2006, there exist 2,558 intercommunal structures grouping 32,826 communes (89.7% of all the communes of metropolitan France), with 51.98 million people living in them (85.7% of the population of metropolitan France). These intercommunal structures are:

Overseas

The French Republic is further made up of the following overseas administrative divisions:

:* these DOM are divided into 13 arrondissements
:* these 13 arrondissements are divided into 156 cantons
:* these 156 cantons make up 114 communes (in the 4 DOM, there are more cantons than communes, unlike in metropolitan France, because many communes are divided into several cantons, whereas in metropolitan France in general cantons are made up of several communes, except in large communes like Toulouse or Lille which are divided into several cantons)
:*Furthermore, as of January 1, 2006, there exist 15 intercommunal structures in the DOM, grouping 87 communes (76.3% of all the communes of the DOM), with 1.35 million people living in them (78.7% of the population of the DOM). These intercommunal structures are:
::*6 Communities of Agglomeration (communautés d'agglomération)
::*9 Communities of Communes (communautés de communes)
  • 4 overseas collectivities (collectivités d'outre-mer): French Polynesia, Mayotte, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and Wallis and Futuna
    • :*French Polynesia (designated as a "overseas country", French: pays d'outre-mer) is divided into 5 administrative subdivisions (subdivisions administratives). For elections it is divided into 6 electoral districts (circonscriptions électorales) which differ slightly from the 5 administrative subdivisions. The 5 administrative subdivisions are divided into 48 communes.
    :*Mayotte (designated as a "departmental collectivity", French: collectivité départementale) is divided into 17 communes. No arrondissements. Cantons are the same as communes in Mayotte.
    :*Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (named Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon) is divided into 2 communes. No arrondissements, no cantons.
    :*Wallis and Futuna (named Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna) is divided into 3 districts (circonscriptions territoriales) which exactly match the three traditional chiefdoms (royaumes coutumiers) with their traditional kings still at their head, the only kings currently recognized in the French Republic. These 3 districts are: Uvea, Sigave, and Alo. Uvea is the most populous and is further divided into 3 wards (districts in French): Hahake, Mua, and Hihifo. No arrondissements, no cantons. Wallis and Futuna is also the only permanently inhabited territory of the French Republic with no communes.
  • 1 sui generis collectivity (collectivité sui generis): New Caledonia, whose status is unique in the French Republic: it is the only territory which is not a collectivité terrioriale (although its subdivisions are collectivités territoriales). A self-determination referendum is scheduled for 2014 to decide the future status of the island.
    • :*New Caledonia is divided into 3 provinces
    :*the provinces are divided into 33 communes
  • 1 overseas territory (territoire d'outre-mer, or TOM): the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
    • :*the French Southern and Antarctic Lands are divided into 4 districts (districts in French): 1- Kerguelen Islands, 2- Crozet Islands, 3- Amsterdam Island and Saint Paul Island, and 4- Adelie Land (Terre Adélie), although sovereignty over Adelie Land in Antarctica is suspended since the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. No permanent population, no communes.
  • Uninhabited islands which belong directly to the central State public land (domaine public d'Etat):
    • :*a collection of five islands in the Indian Ocean with no permanent population and known as Îles Éparses ("Scattered Islands"), which are administered by the prefect of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands: Bassas da India, Europa, Juan de Nova, Glorioso, and Tromelin.
    :*1 uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico which is administered by the high-commissioner of the French Republic in French Polynesia: Clipperton.

    French administrative subdivisions that have a (limited) freedom of administration are called collectivités territoriales. Among them are régions, départements, communes, régions d'outre-mer, départements d'outre-mer, collectivités d'outre-mer, provinces (New Caledonia) and the "collectivité territoriale de Corse (Corsica)" which belongs to no category (but is close to régions). New Caledonia is unique as it is not a collectivité territoriale.

    General rules

    Citizens from all parts of France, including overseas possessions, vote in national elections (presidential, legislative) and all collectivities are represented in the Senate.

    List of départements

    Historical divisions

    Historically, France was divided into provinces. See: Provinces of France.

    See also

    External links

     

    From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
    All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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