Regions of France

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This article is part of the series on
Administrative divisions of France
(incl. overseas regions)
(incl. overseas departments)
Urban communities
Agglomeration communities
Commune communities
Syndicates of New Agglomeration
Associated communes
Municipal arrondissements
Others in Overseas France
Overseas collectivities
Sui generis collectivity
Overseas country
Overseas territory
Clipperton Island
France is divided into 26 administrative regions (French: régions), 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and four of which are overseas. Corsica is a Territorial collectivity (French: collectivité territoriale), but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE Website.[1] Each mainland region and Corsica are further subdivided into departments, ranging in number from two to eight per region for the metropolitan ones whereas the overseas regions are technically composed by only one departement.

The term "région" was officially created by the Law of Decentralization (2 March 1982), which also conferred regions their legal status. The first direct elections for regional representatives took place on 16 March 1986.[2]

General characteristics

In mainland France (excluding Corsica), the Median land area of a region is 25,809 km² (9,965 sq mi), which is slightly larger than the US state of Vermont, and 4% the median land area of a Canadian province, but 15% larger than the median land area of a German region ("Regierungsbezirk"), and 67% larger than the area of a Region of England.

In 2004, the median population of a region in continental France was 2,329,000 inhabitants, slightly less than half the median population of a region of England, and three quarters of the median population of a German Land (state), but more than twice the median population of a Canadian province.

Role

Regions don't have separate legislative authority and therefore cannot write their own statutory law. They levy their own taxes and, in return, receive a decreasing part of their budget from the central government, which gives them a portion of the taxes it levies. They also have considerable budgets managed by a regional council (conseil régional) made up of representatives voted into office in regional elections.

A region's primary responsibility is to build and furnish high schools. In March 2004, the French central government unveiled a controversial plan to transfer regulation of certain categories of non-teaching school staff to the regional authorities. Critics of this plan contended that tax revenue was insufficient to pay for the resulting costs, and that such measures would increase regional inequalities.

In addition, regions have considerable discretionary power over infrastructural spending, e.g., education, public transit, universities and research, and assistance to business owners. This has meant that the heads of wealthy regions such as Île-de-France or Rhône-Alpes can be high-profile positions.

Proposals to give regions limited legislative autonomy have met with considerable resistance; others propose transferring certain powers from the departments to their respective regions, leaving the former with limited authority.

Regional Control

Number of regions controlled by each coalition since 1986.

Red: left, blue: right

Regions and their capitals

Metropolitan Regions
Flag[3] Region French name Native Name(s) Capital INSEE No.[1] Notes
Alsace Alsace Alsatian: Elsàss; German: Elsass Strasbourg 42 Takes its name from the former German territory of Elsaß.
Aquitaine Aquitaine Occitan: Aquitània; Basque: Akitania Bordeaux 72 Takes its name from the former Roman Province of Aquitaine which includes Guyenne and Gascony.
Auvergne Auvergne Occitan: Auvèrnhe / Auvèrnha Clermont-Ferrand 83 Takes its name from the province of Auvergne
Burgundy Bourgogne Burgundian: Bregogne ou Borgoégne; Arpitan: Borgogne Dijon 26 Takes its name from the Duchy of Burgundy
Brittany Bretagne Breton: Breizh; Gallo: Bertaèyn Rennes 53 Takes its name from the Duchy of Brittany
Centre CentreOrléans 24 Takes its name from its position in France
Champagne-Ardenne Champagne-Ardenne Châlons-en-Champagne 21 Takes its name from the former Province of Champagne.
Franche-Comté Franche-Comté Franc-Comtois: Fràntche-Comté; Arpitan: Franche-Comtât Besançon 43 Takes its name from the Free County of Burgundy (Franche-Comté in French)
Île-de-France Ile-de-France — Paris 11 Takes its name from the province of Ile-de-France, but also includes parts of Champagne
Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon Occitan: Lengadòc-Rosselhon; Catalan: Llenguadoc-Rosselló Montpellier 91 Takes its name from the provinces of Languedoc and Roussillon
Limousin Limousin Occitan: Lemosin Limoges 74 Takes its name from the province of Limousin, but also includes parts of Marche, Berry, Auvergne, Poitou, and Angoumois
Lorraine Lorraine German: Lothringen Metz 41 Takes its name from the province of Lorraine (itself a part of the ancient German Stem duchy of Löthringen) but also includes the Barrois and the Three Bishoprics
Lower Normandy Basse-Normandie Norman: Basse-Normaundie Caen 25
Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées Occitan: Miègjorn-Pirenèus or Mieidia-Pirenèus Toulouse 73 Artificial region, with no historical links, created as a region for Toulouse
Nord-Pas-de-Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais Dutch: Noord-Nauw van Kales Lille 31 Takes its name from the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais
Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire Breton: Broioù al Liger Nantes 52 Artificial region, with no historical links, created as a region for Nantes
Picardy Picardie Amiens 22
Poitou-Charentes Poitou-Charentes Poitiers 54 Takes its name from the former French Province of Poitou
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Occitan: Provença-Aups-Còsta d'Azur (Classical norm) or Prouvènço-Aup-Costo d'Azur (Mistralian norm) Marseille 93 The region comprises mostly of Provence and includes the former County of Nice, Principality of Orange and Avignon territories.
Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes Arpitan: Rôno-Arpes; Occitan: Ròse Aups Lyon 82 Artificial region broadly based on the provinces of Dauphiné and Lyonais, created as a region for Lyon
Upper Normandy Haute-Normandie Norman: Ĥâote-Normaundie Rouen 23
The following region has a special status, that of Territorial collectivity.
Corsica Corse Corsican: Corsica Ajaccio 94 Territorial collectivity
The following four regions have a special status, that of Overseas regions.
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe Antillean Creole: Gwadloup Basse-Terre 01 Overseas region
Martinique Martinique Antillean Creole: Matinik Fort-de-France 02 Overseas region
Reunion La Réunion Reunion Creole: La Rényon; Saint-Denis 04 Overseas region
French Guiana Guyane Cayenne 03 Overseas region

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Carte des Régions" (in French). INSEE. http://www.insee.fr/fr/methodes/nomenclatures/cog/carte_regions.asp. Retrieved 2009-09-29. 
  2. ^ Jean-Marie Miossec (2009), Géohistoire de la régionalisation en France, Paris: Presses universitaires de France ISBN 978-2-13-056665-6.
  3. ^ These flags are not official, but popularly used.

External links

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Regions of France
v • d • e
Articles on first-level Administrative divisions of European countries
1 Has part of its territory outside Europe. 2 Entirely in West Asia, but considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons. 3 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the definition of the border. 4 Partially recognised.
Table of administrative country subdivisions by country

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