Departments of France

administrative subdivision in France

The départements (or departments) are administrative parts of France and many French colonies, similar to English counties. Départements are a kind of local government.

The 101 French départements are now grouped into 13 metropolitan and five overseas régions. Their capitals are called préfectures.

French régions and préfecture change

 
Départements (Departments) and Regions of France
INSEE code Arms 1 Department Prefecture Region Named after
01   Ain Bourg-en-Bresse   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Ain (river)
02   Aisne Laon   Hauts-de-France Aisne (river)
03   Allier Moulins   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Allier (river)
04   Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 2 Digne-les-Bains   Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Alps
05   Hautes-Alpes Gap   Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Alps
06   Alpes-Maritimes Nice   Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Alps
07   Ardèche Privas   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Ardèche (river)
08   Ardennes Charleville-Mézières   Grand Est Ardennes Forest
09   Ariège Foix   Occitanie Ariège (river)
10   Aube Troyes   Grand Est Aube (river)
11   Aude Carcassonne   Occitanie Aude (river)
12   Aveyron Rodez   Occitanie Aveyron (river)
13   Bouches-du-Rhône Marseille   Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Rhône (river)
14   Calvados Caen   Normandy Calvados rocks
15   Cantal Aurillac   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Mounts of Cantal
16   Charente Angoulême   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Charente (river)
17   Charente-Maritime 3 La Rochelle   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Charente (river)
18   Cher Bourges   Centre-Val de Loire Cher (river)
19   Corrèze Tulle   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Corrèze (river)
2A   Corse-du-Sud Ajaccio   Corsica Island of Corsica
2B   Haute-Corse Bastia   Corsica Island of Corsica
21   Côte-d'Or Dijon   Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Côte d'Or (escarpment)
22   Côtes-d'Armor 4 Saint-Brieuc   Brittany coasts of Armorica
23   Creuse Guéret   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Creuse (river)
24   Dordogne Périgueux   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Dordogne (river)
25   Doubs Besançon   Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Doubs (river)
26   Drôme Valence   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Drôme (river)
27   Eure Évreux   Normandy Eure (river)
28   Eure-et-Loir Chartres   Centre-Val de Loire Eure and Loir rivers
29   Finistère Quimper   Brittany Finis Terræ (end of earth)
30   Gard Nîmes   Occitanie Gardon (river)
31   Haute-Garonne Toulouse   Occitanie Garonne (river)
32   Gers Auch   Occitanie Gers (river)
33   Gironde 5 Bordeaux   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Gironde (river)
34   Hérault Montpellier   Occitanie Hérault (river)
35   Ille-et-Vilaine Rennes   Brittany Ille and Vilaine rivers
36   Indre Châteauroux   Centre-Val de Loire Indre (river)
37   Indre-et-Loire Tours   Centre-Val de Loire Indre and Loire rivers
38   Isère Grenoble   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Isère (river)
39   Jura Lons-le-Saunier   Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Jura Mountains
40   Landes Mont-de-Marsan   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Landes forest
41   Loir-et-Cher Blois   Centre-Val de Loire Loir and Cher rivers
42   Loire Saint-Étienne   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Loire (river)
43   Haute-Loire Le Puy-en-Velay   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Loire (river)
44   Loire-Atlantique 6 Nantes   Pays de la Loire Loire (river)
45   Loiret Orléans   Centre-Val de Loire Loiret (river)
46   Lot Cahors   Occitanie Lot (river)
47   Lot-et-Garonne Agen   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Lot and Garonne rivers
48   Lozère Mende   Occitanie Mont Lozère
49   Maine-et-Loire 7 Angers   Pays de la Loire Maine and Loire rivers
50   Manche Saint-Lô   Normandy English Channel
51   Marne Châlons-en-Champagne   Grand Est Marne (river)
52   Haute-Marne Chaumont   Grand Est Marne (river)
53   Mayenne Laval   Pays de la Loire Mayenne (river)
54   Meurthe-et-Moselle Nancy   Grand Est Meurthe and Moselle rivers
55   Meuse Bar-le-Duc   Grand Est Meuse (river)
56   Morbihan Vannes   Brittany Gulf of Morbihan
57   Moselle Metz   Grand Est Moselle (river)
58   Nièvre Nevers   Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Nièvre (river)
59   Nord Lille   Hauts-de-France North
60   Oise Beauvais   Hauts-de-France Oise (river)
61   Orne Alençon   Normandy Orne (river)
62   Pas-de-Calais Arras   Hauts-de-France Strait of Dover
63   Puy-de-Dôme Clermont-Ferrand   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Puy de Dôme volcano
64   Pyrénées-Atlantiques 8 Pau   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Pyrenees
65   Hautes-Pyrénées Tarbes   Occitanie Pyrenees
66   Pyrénées-Orientales Perpignan   Occitanie Pyrenees
67   Bas-Rhin Strasbourg   Grand Est Rhine (river)
68   Haut-Rhin Colmar   Grand Est Rhine (river)
69   Rhône Lyon (provisional)   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rhône (river)
69M Metropolitan Lyon 18 Lyon   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes communes of Lyon
70   Haute-Saône Vesoul   Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Saône (river)
71   Saône-et-Loire Mâcon   Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Saône and Loire rivers
72   Sarthe Le Mans   Pays de la Loire Sarthe (river)
73   Savoie Chambéry   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Savoy
74   Haute-Savoie Annecy   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Savoy
75   Paris 9 Paris   Île-de-France city of Paris
76   Seine-Maritime 10 Rouen   Normandy Seine (river)
77   Seine-et-Marne Melun   Île-de-France Seine and Marne rivers
78   Yvelines 11 Versailles   Île-de-France Forest of Yvelines
79   Deux-Sèvres Niort   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Sèvre Nantaise and Sèvre Niortaise rivers
80   Somme Amiens   Hauts-de-France Somme (river)
81   Tarn Albi   Occitanie Tarn (river)
82   Tarn-et-Garonne Montauban   Occitanie Tarn and Garonne rivers
83   Var Toulon   Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Var (river)
84   Vaucluse Avignon   Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Fontaine-de-Vaucluse spring
85   Vendée La Roche-sur-Yon   Pays de la Loire Vendée (river)
86   Vienne Poitiers   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Vienne (river)
87   Haute-Vienne Limoges   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Vienne (river)
88   Vosges Épinal   Grand Est Vosges Mountains
89   Yonne Auxerre   Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Yonne (river)
90   Territoire de Belfort Belfort   Bourgogne-Franche-Comté city of Belfort
91   Essonne 12 Évry   Île-de-France Essonne (river)
92   Hauts-de-Seine 13 Nanterre   Île-de-France Seine (river)
93   Seine-Saint-Denis 14 Bobigny   Île-de-France Seine (river)
94   Val-de-Marne Créteil   Île-de-France Marne (river)
95   Val-d'Oise Pontoise 15   Île-de-France Oise (river)
971   Guadeloupe 16 Basse-Terre   Guadeloupe
972   Martinique 16 Fort-de-France   Martinique
973   Guyane 16 Cayenne   French Guiana
974   La Réunion 16 Saint-Denis   Réunion
976   Mayotte 17 Mamoudzou   Mayotte
Notes:
  • ^1 Most of the coats of arms are not official
  • ^2 This department was known as Basses-Alpes until 1970
  • ^3 This department was known as Charente-Inférieure until 1941
  • ^4 This department was known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990
  • ^5 This department was known as Bec-d'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 until 1957
  • ^7 This department was known as Mayenne-et-Loire until 1791
  • ^8 This department was known as Basses-Pyrénées until 1969
  • ^9 Number 75 was formerly assigned to Seine
  • ^10 This department was known as Seine-Inférieure 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