Departments of 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 22 metropolitan and five overseas régions. Their capitals are called préfectures.

French régions and préfecture

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