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Updates: 

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter Number I-9 was published on 2007-11-28. It adds Clipperton Island (ISO code FR-CP) to France as a dependency (dépendance), and Saint Barthélemy (FR-BL) and Saint Martin (FR-MF) as overseas territorial collectivities (collectivités territoriales d'outre-mer), to correspond to the changes in status that took place this year. The codes for Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin are redundant, because they also have separate country codes. The newsletter also changes the status of French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna from overseas territories to overseas territorial collectivities, probably reflecting changes that took place in 2004.

Clipperton Island has been placed directly under the administration of the French Overseas Ministry. Technically, it is now a public domain of the French state (domaine public de l'État français, propriété domaniale de l’Etat). As such, it is part of France, but not part of any other subdivision of France. Since it has no permanent inhabitants, I have exercised my editorial prerogatives by listing it under French Polynesia, where it belongs geographically and historically.

The NUTS code scheme was revised in 2003. The digit '0' was appended to the codes for Île-de-France and Nord-Pas-de-Calais regions to make all the region codes the same length.

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter Number I-2 was published on 2002-05-21. It corrects an error in the original standard document which placed the department of Deux-Sèvres in the wrong region.

The results of the census of France, taken on March 8, 1999, have been published. Also, since the book "Administrative Subdivisions of Countries" was written, I've come across some new sources of French population data. The table below replaces the one in the book under the heading "Population history". Note particularly that the "1913" column in the book is replaced by the "1901-03-24" column below. It appears that the data I had were actually derived from the 1901 census.

Country overview: 

Short name	FRANCE
ISO code	FR
FIPS code	FR
Language	French (fr)
Time zone	+1 ~
Capital	Paris

 

Alsace-Lorraine has changed hands several times between France and Germany. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Germany won the territory. France recovered it in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. It was placed under German administration in 1940, but restored to France in 1944 as the German army retreated. It has remained part of France ever since.

ISO code note: ISO standard 3166 contains a specific disclaimer stating that the scope of different codes may overlap. It even gives France and Martinique as an example, explaining that although Martinique is part of France (and presumably covered by the code FR), it also has its own code MQ. However, the only cases of overlap seem to follow the same paradigm as Martinique. The remote territories of a colonial power have their own listings, but can also be considered as covered under the mother country. Until 1993, it was possible to use the standard as if its countries were disjoint, by ignoring the disclaimer and making the mental proviso that codes like FR applied to the mother country only. In 1993, the code FX was added to the standard. FX is described as referring to Metropolitan France, excluding territories such as Martinique. It was withdrawn again in 1997, but remains an "exceptionally reserved code element".

Other names of country: 

1. Danish: Frankrig
2. Dutch: Frankrijk, Franse Republiek (formal)
3. English: French Republic (formal)
4. Finnish: Ranska
5. French: France f, République f française (formal)
6. German: Frankreich n
7. Icelandic: Frakkland
8. Italian: Francia f
9. Norwegian: Frankrike, Republikken Frankrike (formal)
10. Portuguese: França f, República f Francesa (formal)
11. Spanish: Francia f, República f Francesa (formal)
12. Swedish: Frankrike

Origin of name: 

Land of the Franks.

Primary subdivisions: 

France, in Europe and adjacent islands (Corsica), is divided into 96 départements (departments). It also has a number of possessions, some of which are classified as départements d'outre-mer (overseas departments). The overseas departments are nominally equivalent in status to the continental ones, but they are listed as separate countries here, following ISO 3166-1.

Name	HASC	Reg	ISO	FIPS	NUTS	Population	Area(km.²)	Area(mi.²)	Capital
Ain	FR.AI	V	01	FR01	FR711	515,270	5,762	2,225	Bourg-en-Bresse
Aisne	FR.AS	S	02	FR02	FR221	535,842	7,369	2,845	Laon
Allier	FR.AL	C	03	FR03	FR721	344,721	7,340	2,834	Moulins
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence	FR.AP	U	04	FR12	FR821	139,561	6,925	2,674	Digne
Alpes-Maritimes	FR.AM	U	06	FR04	FR823	1,011,326	4,299	1,660	Nice
Ardèche	FR.AH	V	07	FR05	FR712	286,023	5,529	2,135	Privas
Ardennes	FR.AN	G	08	FR06	FR211	290,130	5,229	2,019	Charleville-Mézières
Ariège	FR.AG	N	09	FR07	FR621	137,205	4,890	1,888	Foix
Aube	FR.AB	G	10	FR08	FR212	292,131	6,004	2,318	Troyes
Aude	FR.AD	K	11	FR09	FR811	309,770	6,139	2,370	Carcassonne
Aveyron	FR.AV	N	12	FR10	FR622	263,808	8,735	3,373	Rodez
Bas-Rhin	FR.BR	A	67	FR11	FR421	1,026,120	4,755	1,836	Strasbourg
Bouches-du-Rhône	FR.BD	U	13	FR15	FR824	1,835,719	5,087	1,964	Marseille
Calvados	FR.CV	P	14	FR16	FR251	648,385	5,548	2,142	Caen
Cantal	FR.CL	C	15	FR17	FR722	150,778	5,726	2,211	Aurillac
Charente	FR.CT	T	16	FR18	FR531	339,628	5,956	2,300	Angoulême
Charente-Maritime	FR.CM	T	17	FR19	FR532	557,024	6,864	2,650	La Rochelle
Cher	FR.CH	F	18	FR20	FR241	314,428	7,235	2,793	Bourges
Corrèze	FR.CZ	L	19	FR21	FR631	232,576	5,857	2,261	Tulle
Corse-du-Sud	FR.CS	H	2A	FR90	FR831	118,593	4,014	1,550	Ajaccio
Côte-d'Or	FR.CO	D	21	FR22	FR261	506,755	8,763	3,383	Dijon
Côtes-d'Armor	FR.CA	E	22	FR23	FR521	542,373	6,878	2,655	Saint-Brieuc
Creuse	FR.CR	L	23	FR24	FR632	124,470	5,565	2,149	Guéret
Deux-Sèvres	FR.DS	T	79	FR25	FR533	344,392	5,999	2,316	Niort
Dordogne	FR.DD	B	24	FR26	FR611	388,293	9,060	3,498	Périgueux
Doubs	FR.DB	I	25	FR27	FR431	499,062	5,234	2,021	Besançon
Drôme	FR.DM	V	26	FR28	FR713	437,778	6,530	2,521	Valence
Essonne	FR.ES	J	91	FR79	FR104	1,134,238	1,804	697	Évry
Eure	FR.EU	Q	27	FR29	FR231	541,054	6,040	2,332	Évreux
Eure-et-Loir	FR.EL	F	28	FR30	FR242	407,665	5,880	2,270	Chartres
Finistère	FR.FI	E	29	FR31	FR522	852,418	6,733	2,600	Quimper
Gard	FR.GA	K	30	FR32	FR812	623,125	5,853	2,260	Nîmes
Gers	FR.GE	N	32	FR33	FR624	172,335	6,257	2,416	Auch
Gironde	FR.GI	B	33	FR34	FR612	1,287,334	10,000	3,861	Bordeaux
Haute-Corse	FR.HC	H	2B	FR96	FR832	141,603	4,666	1,801	Bastia
Haute-Garonne	FR.HG	N	31	FR35	FR623	1,046,338	6,309	2,436	Toulouse
Haute-Loire	FR.HL	C	43	FR36	FR723	209,113	4,977	1,922	Le Puy
Haute-Marne	FR.HM	G	52	FR37	FR214	194,873	6,211	2,398	Chaumont
Hautes-Alpes	FR.HA	U	05	FR38	FR822	121,419	5,549	2,142	Gap
Haute-Saône	FR.HN	I	70	FR39	FR433	229,732	5,360	2,070	Vesoul
Haute-Savoie	FR.HS	V	74	FR40	FR718	631,679	4,388	1,694	Annecy
Hautes-Pyrénées	FR.HP	N	65	FR41	FR626	222,368	4,464	1,724	Tarbes
Haute-Vienne	FR.HV	L	87	FR42	FR633	353,893	5,520	2,131	Limoges
Haut-Rhin	FR.HR	A	68	FR43	FR422	708,025	3,525	1,361	Colmar
Hauts-de-Seine	FR.HD	J	92	FR77	FR105	1,428,881	176	68	Nanterre
Hérault	FR.HE	K	34	FR44	FR813	896,441	6,101	2,356	Montpellier
Ille-et-Vilaine	FR.IV	E	35	FR45	FR523	867,533	6,775	2,616	Rennes
Indre	FR.IN	F	36	FR46	FR243	231,139	6,791	2,622	Châteauroux
Indre-et-Loire	FR.IL	F	37	FR47	FR244	554,003	6,127	2,366	Tours
Isère	FR.IS	V	38	FR48	FR714	1,094,006	7,431	2,869	Grenoble
Jura	FR.JU	I	39	FR49	FR432	250,857	4,999	1,930	Lons-le-Saunier
Landes	FR.LD	B	40	FR50	FR613	327,334	9,243	3,569	Mont-de-Marsan
Loire	FR.LR	V	42	FR51	FR715	728,524	4,781	1,846	Saint-Étienne
Loire-Atlantique	FR.LA	R	44	FR52	FR511	1,134,266	6,815	2,631	Nantes
Loiret	FR.LT	F	45	FR53	FR246	618,126	6,775	2,616	Orléans
Loir-et-Cher	FR.LC	F	41	FR54	FR245	314,968	6,343	2,449	Blois
Lot	FR.LO	N	46	FR55	FR625	160,197	5,217	2,014	Cahors
Lot-et-Garonne	FR.LG	B	47	FR56	FR614	305,380	5,361	2,070	Agen
Lozère	FR.LZ	K	48	FR57	FR814	73,509	5,167	1,995	Mende
Maine-et-Loire	FR.ML	R	49	FR58	FR512	732,942	7,166	2,767	Angers
Manche	FR.MH	P	50	FR59	FR252	481,471	5,938	2,293	Saint-Lô
Marne	FR.MR	G	51	FR60	FR213	565,229	8,162	3,151	Châlons-en-Champagne
Mayenne	FR.MY	R	53	FR61	FR513	285,338	5,175	1,998	Laval
Meurthe-et-Moselle	FR.MM	M	54	FR62	FR411	713,779	5,241	2,024	Nancy
Meuse	FR.MS	M	55	FR63	FR412	192,198	6,216	2,400	Bar-le-Duc
Morbihan	FR.MB	E	56	FR64	FR524	643,873	6,823	2,634	Vannes
Moselle	FR.MO	M	57	FR65	FR413	1,023,447	6,216	2,400	Metz
Nièvre	FR.NI	D	58	FR66	FR262	225,198	6,817	2,632	Nevers
Nord	FR.NO	O	59	FR67	FR301	2,555,020	5,743	2,217	Lille
Oise	FR.OI	S	60	FR68	FR222	766,441	5,860	2,263	Beauvais
Orne	FR.OR	P	61	FR69	FR253	292,337	6,103	2,357	Alençon
Pas-de-Calais	FR.PC	O	62	FR70	FR302	1,441,568	6,671	2,576	Arras
Puy-de-Dôme	FR.PD	C	63	FR71	FR724	604,266	7,970	3,077	Clermont-Ferrand
Pyrénées-Atlantiques	FR.PA	B	64	FR13	FR615	600,018	7,645	2,952	Pau
Pyrénées-Orientales	FR.PO	K	66	FR72	FR815	392,803	4,116	1,589	Perpignan
Rhône	FR.RH	V	69	FR73	FR716	1,578,869	3,249	1,254	Lyon
Saône-et-Loire	FR.SL	D	71	FR74	FR263	544,893	8,575	3,311	Mâcon
Sarthe	FR.ST	R	72	FR75	FR514	529,851	6,206	2,396	Le Mans
Savoie	FR.SV	V	73	FR76	FR717	373,258	6,028	2,328	Chambéry
Seine-et-Marne	FR.SE	J	77	FR78	FR102	1,193,767	5,915	2,284	Melun
Seine-Maritime	FR.SM	Q	76	FR80	FR232	1,239,138	6,278	2,424	Rouen
Seine-Saint-Denis	FR.SS	J	93	FR91	FR106	1,382,861	236	91	Bobigny
Somme	FR.SO	S	80	FR81	FR223	555,551	6,170	2,382	Amiens
Tarn	FR.TA	N	81	FR82	FR627	343,402	5,758	2,223	Albi
Tarn-et-Garonne	FR.TG	N	82	FR83	FR628	206,034	3,718	1,436	Montauban
Territoire de Belfort	FR.TB	I	90	FR14	FR434	137,408	609	235	Belfort
Val-de-Marne	FR.VM	J	94	FR92	FR107	1,227,250	245	95	Créteil
Val-d'Oise	FR.VO	J	95	FR93	FR108	1,105,464	1,246	481	Cergy-Pontoise
Var	FR.VR	U	83	FR84	FR825	898,441	5,973	2,306	Toulon
Vaucluse	FR.VC	U	84	FR85	FR826	499,685	3,567	1,377	Avignon
Vendée	FR.VD	R	85	FR86	FR515	539,664	6,720	2,594	La Roche-sur-Yon
Vienne	FR.VN	T	86	FR87	FR534	399,024	6,990	2,699	Poitiers
Ville de Paris	FR.VP	J	75	FR94	FR101	2,125,246	105	41	Paris
Vosges	FR.VG	M	88	FR88	FR414	380,952	5,874	2,268	Épinal
Yonne	FR.YO	D	89	FR89	FR264	333,221	7,427	2,868	Auxerre
Yvelines	FR.YV	J	78	FR95	FR103	1,354,304	2,284	882	Versailles
96 departments						58,518,748	543,965	210,028
HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes. Reg: regions of France, identified by their ISO 3166-2 codes (see below). ISO: codes from ISO 3166-2. These are standard department codes for France. FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-3. NUTS: Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics. Population: 1999-03-08 census.

 

Note on collation sequence: In French usage, Bas, Haut, and their feminine and plural forms are not considered part of the collation object. For example, Haute-Marne is alphabetized as if it were "Marne, Haute", and comes between Marne and Mayenne.

Note on license plates: Since 1950, France has used these department codes for the last two digits on license plates. The phrase "plaque minéralogique" means "license plate", from the fact that plates were originally issued by the Mining Service. Thus, the department codes are sometimes called "numéros minéralogiques". That system is being abandoned as of 2009, because of a European directive. Future registration numbers will follow the pattern AA-111-AA, issued sequentially nationwide. Motorists will be given the option of identifying their department or region on a separate section of their plates.

Postal codes: 

France uses five-digit postal codes (codes postaux). The first two digits of the postal code are the same as the ISO code for the department, except for Corse-du-Sud (ISO code 2A, postal codes 200xx-201xx) and Haute-Corse (2B, 202xx). Note: postal codes for French addresses can be identified by prefixing them with "F-".

Further subdivisions:

See the Arrondissements of France page.

The departments of France are subdivided into arrondissements, which are subdivided into cantons, which are (in general) subdivided into communes. (The same words are generally used in English. The basic meaning of arrondissement is a rounding off, or rounding out.) In densely populated areas, there may be several cantons in a commune. Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements, but they are legally equivalent to cantons. On 1988-01-01, there were 22 regions, 96 departments, 326 arrondissements, 3,827 cantons, and 36,538 communes in metropolitan France (France in Europe, including Corsica). The word circonscription (circumscription, constituency) is used in France and its former colonies to describe an administrative division at any level.

In the past, various ministries of the French government found it convenient to group the departments into régions. Each one used a slightly different grouping. In 1960, the present set of regions was adopted as a standard for all ministries. The regions have gradually taken on an administrative structure, including councils, elections, and budgets. For a country the size of France, 96 departments is an unwieldy number, and it's possible that the regions will eventually become the basic administrative divisions. The regions of France are as follows.

Region	Note	ISO	FIPS	NUTS	Population	Area(km.²)	Capital
Alsace	FR:AA	A	FRC1	FR42	1,734,145	8,280	Strasbourg
Aquitaine	FR:AQ	B	FR97	FR61	2,908,359	41,308	Bordeaux
Auvergne	FR:AU	C	FR98	FR72	1,308,878	26,013	Clermont-Ferrand
Basse-Normandie	FR:BN	P	FR99	FR25	1,422,193	17,589	Caen
Bourgogne	FR:BG	D	FRA1	FR26	1,610,067	31,582	Dijon
Bretagne	FR:BT	E	FRA2	FR52	2,906,197	27,208	Rennes
Centre	FR:CN	F	FRA3	FR24	2,440,329	39,151	Orléans
Champagne-Ardenne	FR:CG	G	FRA4	FR21	1,342,363	25,606	Châlons-en-Champagne
Corse	FR:CE	H	FRA5	FR83	260,196	8,680	Ajaccio
Franche-Comté	FR:FC	I	FRA6	FR43	1,117,059	16,202	Besançon
Haute-Normandie	FR:HT	Q	FRA7	FR23	1,780,192	12,317	Rouen
Île-de-France	FR:IF	J	FRA8	FR10	10,952,011	12,012	Paris
Languedoc-Roussillon	FR:LU	K	FRA9	FR81	2,295,648	27,376	Montpellier
Limousin	FR:LM	L	FRB1	FR63	710,939	16,942	Limoges
Lorraine	FR:LE	M	FRB2	FR41	2,310,376	23,547	Metz
Midi-Pyrénées	FR:MP	N	FRB3	FR62	2,551,687	45,348	Toulouse
Nord-Pas-de-Calais	FR:NP	O	FRB4	FR30	3,996,588	12,414	Lille
Pays de la Loire	FR:PL	R	FRB5	FR51	3,222,061	32,082	Nantes
Picardie	FR:PI	S	FRB6	FR22	1,857,834	19,399	Amiens
Poitou-Charentes	FR:PT	T	FRB7	FR53	1,640,068	25,810	Poitiers
Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur	FR:PR	U	FRB8	FR82	4,506,151	31,400	Marseille
Rhône-Alpes	FR:RA	V	FRB9	FR71	5,645,407	43,698	Lyon
22 regions					58,518,748	543,964
Note: see below. ISO: codes from ISO 3166-2. FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10-4. NUTS: Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics. Population: 1999-03-08 census, calculated by adding department populations.

 

Note: I have assigned arbitrary HASC-like codes to the regions for the possible convenience of those who need to divide France up by regions rather than departments. The colon serves to distinguish them from ordinary HASC codes. There is no duplication between these codes and the HASC department codes (even if the colons are replaced with periods).

The six regions whose NUTS codes begin with FR2 form a group which the NUTS standard designates as Bassin Parisien. Similarly, FR4 is Est; FR5 is Ouest; FR6 is Sud-Ouest; FR7 is Centre-Est; and FR8 is Méditerranée. The NUTS codes beginning with FR9 are assigned to the overseas departments.

Territorial extent: 

1. Charente-Maritime includes the Île d'Oléron and Île de Ré.
2. Corse-du-Sud includes Île Cavallo in the Strait of Bonifacio.
3. Côte-d'Or includes an exclave that lies between Nièvre and Saône-et-Loire, consisting of the commune of Ménessaire.
4. Finistère includes the Île d'Ouessant and Île de Sein.
5. Hautes-Pyrénées includes two exclaves within Pyrénées-Atlantiques, containing five communes, including Luquet and Séron.
6. Manche includes the Îles Chausey in the Gulf of Saint-Malo.
7. Meurthe-et-Moselle includes an exclave within Meuse, consisting of the commune of Othe.
8. Morbihan includes the Île de Groix and Belle-Île.
9. Nord includes an exclave within Pas-de-Calais, containing three communes, including Boursies.
10. Île des Faisans, in the Bidassoa River, is a condominium of France and Spain. It lies in Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
11. Var includes the Îles d'Hyères.
12. Vaucluse includes an exclave within Drôme, containing the canton of Valréas.
13. Vendée includes the Île d'Yeu.
14. The following remote territories of France are treated as separate countries by ISO 3166-1, so they are not included here: French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Wallis and Futuna. Each of the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion) has also been a region since 1974.

Origins of names: 

When the departments of France were created in 1790, they were named fairly systematically after the geographic features that marked them. The following 51 rivers have all contributed to department names: Ain, Aisne, Allier, Ardèche, Ariège, Aube, Aude, Aveyron, Charente, Cher, Corrèze, Creuse, Dordogne, Doubs, Drôme, Eure, Gard, Garonne, Gers, Gironde, Hérault, Ille, Indre, Isère, Loir, Loire, Loiret, Lot, Maine, Marne, Mayenne, Meurthe, Meuse, Moselle, Nièvre, Oise, Orne, Rhin (Rhine), Rhône, Saône, Sarthe, Seine, Sèvre Nantaise, Sèvre Niortaise, Somme, Tarn, Var, Vendée, Vienne, Vilaine, and Yonne. Topographic features used in department names include five mountain ranges (Alpes (Alps), Jura, Lozère, Pyrénées, and Vosges); two individual mountains (Cantal and Puy de Dôme); and a range of hills (the Côte d'Or). There are also departments named for forests (Ardennes and Yvelines), a gulf (Morbihan), two straits (Pas-de-Calais and Manche), rocky islets (Calvados), a spring (Vaucluse), and a sandy plain (Landes).

Since France so often re-uses name elements (there are six departments and one region containing Loire in their names), I have given the probable origins of name elements rather than the full names.

1. Alpes: probably from an Indo-European root meaning mountain, high place
2. Alsace: from ethnic name, probably Germanic for "those of foreign parts"; or, land of the Ill (River)
3. Aquitaine: from ethnic name Aquitani; or, Latin Aquitania: land of water
4. Ardennes: said to come from Celtic ardu-: high
5. Atlantique: for the Atlantic Ocean, which was probably named for Atlas, a Titan of Greek mythology
6. Aube: from Latin alba: white
7. Auvergne: from ethnic name Arverni, from Gallic are verno: at the alders
8. Bas, Basse: French for low (m., f.), usually applied to downstream regions
9. Belfort: Latin Bellofortis: beautiful and strong
10. Bouches-du-Rhône: French for Mouths of the Rhône River
11. Bourgogne: Germanic Burgundja, either from Indo-European bhrghu: tall, or from Gothic baurgjans: inhabitants of fortified places
12. Bretagne: Land of the Bretons
13. Calvados: from the rocks of Calvados. When the department was founded in 1790, Delaunay, a deputy from the area, stated that the rocks had been named for the galleon San Salvador (misspelled Çalvador) of the Spanish Armada, which foundered on them. This theory has not been confirmed.
14. Cantal: Mediterranean root kanto: stone, mountain
15. Centre: French for center
16. Champagne: Latin campania: countryside
17. Charente: from Gallic word for sandy
18. Corrèze: Latin Curretia, from pre-Latin cur: stream
19. Corse: from ethnic name Corsi, possibly from Phoenician horsi: wooded
20. Corse-du-Sud: French for Southern Corsica
21. Côte-d'Azur: French: blue coast (coined by Stephen Liégeard in his 1887 book, La Côte d'Azur)
22. Côte-d'Or: French: golden hillside (from color of grapevines, or their monetary value)
23. Côtes-d'Armor: coasts of Armorica (ancient name of Bretagne)
24. Côtes-du-Nord: French: northern coasts
25. Creuse: French: hollow (adj. f.), describing the river's course through gorges. (The adjective and the name of the river haven't always been the same, but have undergone parallel evolution.)
26. Deux-Sèvres: French: two Sèvres, referring to the rivers Sèvre Nantaise and Sèvre Niortaise
27. Doubs: from Celtic dubis: black
28. Finistère: Latin finis terrae: end of the earth
29. Franche-Comté: French for free county. From 1361 to 1678, Bourgogne was divided into a duchy, which belonged to France, and the free county, which was exempt from tribute to the king.
30. Gascogne: Latin Vasconia: land of the Basques
31. Gironde: the estuary of the Garonne River. In ancient times they had the same name.
32. Haut, Haute, Hautes: French for high (m., f., f. pl.), usually used for upstream regions
33. Île-de-France: French: Island of France (the area around Paris, once the only territory of the King of France)
34. Indre: Latin Angerum, from Frankish anger: prairie
35. Jura: from Celtic juris: wooded heights
36. Isère: from pre-Celtic Isara, in which ara means river
37. Landes: from Gallic landa: flatlands
38. Languedoc: French Langue d'Oc: language of "oc" (in the local dialect, "oc" was used for "yes")
39. Limousin: province of Limoges, from ethnic name Lemovices, from Gallic lemo: elm, vices: warrior
40. Lorraine: from Lotharingie, the domain given to Lothaire in the partition of Charlemagne's realm (A.D. 843)
41. Lot: the river's Latin name was Ulta, which became Olt in the Middle Ages. The definite article in the expression "l'Olt" became absorbed into the name itself.
42. Maine: see Mayenne
43. Manche: = sleeve, from the French name for the English Channel, which resembles a sleeve; or from a Celtic word for channel
44. Maritime: French: seaside (adjective)
45. Marne: Gallic, apparently from Matrona, a goddess of motherhood
46. Mayenne: from Celtic Meduana, in which medu- means mead. The name formerly applied to both the Mayenne and the Maine, but underwent divergent evolution. (The Mayenne meets the Sarthe near Angers, forming the Maine, which flows into the Loire 10 km. further downstream.)
47. Midi: French for South (as a region rather than a compass point), from Latin meridies: midday (sun stands in the south at midday in those latitudes)
48. Morbihan: Breton mor: sea, bihan: little, by contrast with the Atlantic Ocean, a great sea
49. Moselle: from Latin Mosella, a diminutive form of Mosa, the Latin name for the Meuse. The Moselle was being likened to a smaller Meuse.
50. Nord: French for North
51. Normandie: from ethnic name Normand (people from the North)
52. Orientales: French for eastern (feminine plural), from Latin oriens: rising (direction of the rising sun)
53. Paris: from ethnic name Parisii; shortened from Latin name Lutetia Parisiorum
54. Pas-de-Calais: French: Strait of Calais. Calais comes from the ethnic name Caleti.
55. Pays de la Loire: French for land of the Loire River
56. Poitou: province of Poitier, from ethnic name Pictones
57. Provence: Latin Provincia: the province
58. Puy-de-Dôme: Puy comes from Latin podium: high place. The mountain had a temple dedicated to Mercury Dumias, whence Dôme
59. Pyrénées: Mountains named for a village named Pyrene.
60. Rhin: from the Celtic root renos: river
61. Rhône: came through Latin Rhodanus from an old root Rhod-: river
62. Roussillon: from Ruscino, name of a city in the province (modern Château-Roussillon)
63. Somme: from Celtic samara: tranquil
64. Val-de, Val-d': French for "valley of"
65. Var: from a Celtic root meaning river
66. Vaucluse: after the source of the Sorgue River at a place called, in Latin, Vallis clusa: enclosed valley
67. Vendée: from Gallic vindo: white, clear, describing the river
68. Vosges: named for the god Vosegus
69. Yonne: for a tutelary goddess named Icauna

Change history: 

There have been numerous minor boundary adjustments between departments.

The basic set of departments dates back to 1790-02-26, when the French National Assembly abolished the old provinces and established 83 departments to replace them. As far as I know, this was the first time anyone had tried to create a reasoned, methodical set of administrative divisions for any country. Each department was to be small enough that all its citizens could reach its capital in a day's journey. The 83 departments at that time were Ain, Aisne, Allier, Ardèche, Ardennes, Arriège, Aube, Aude, Aveiron, Bas-Rhin, Basses-Alpes, Basses-Pyrénées, Bouches du Rhône, Calvados, Cantal, Charente, Charente Inférieure, Cher, Corrèze, Corse, Côte-d'Or, Côtes du Nord, Creuse, Dordogne, Doubs, Drôme, Eure, Eure et Loir, Finistère, Gard, Gers, Gironde, Haut-Rhin, Haute-Garonne, Haute-Loire, Haute-Marne, Hautes-Alpes, Haute-Saône, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Vienne, Hérault, Ille et Vilaine, Indre, Indre et Loire, Isère, Jura, La Manche, Landes, Loir et Cher, Loire Inférieure, Loiret, Lot, Lot et Garonne, Lozère, Marne, Mayenne, Mayne et Loire, Meurte, Meuse, Morbihan, Mozelle, Nord, Nyèvre, Oise, Orne, Paris, Pas de Calais, Puy-de-Dôme, Pyrénées Orientales, Rhône et Loire, Saône et Loire, Sarte, Seine et Marne, Seine et Oise, Seine Inférieure, Deux Sèvres, Somme, Tarn, Var, Vendée, Vienne, Vosges, and Yonne. Note that some spellings have changed slightly since then.

The departments were initially defined as sets of communes. Since the drafters had inaccurate maps, it often happened that a commune was placed in a department with which it was not contiguous. The resulting exclaves were gradually eliminated in the early 19th century, although some still remain.

1. 1791-09-14: Avignon and Comtat-Venaissin, corresponding roughly to modern Vaucluse department, annexed to France following a plebiscite.
2. 1791-12-12: Name of Mayne et Loire department changed to Maine-et-Loire.
3. 1792-03-26: Avignon and Comtat-Venaissin split and annexed to Bouches du Rhône and Drôme departments.
4. 1792-11-27: Savoie (corresponding to modern Haute-Savoie) annexed to France as the new department of Mont-Blanc (capital Chambéry).
5. 1793-01-31: Comté de Nice annexed to France. It became Alpes-Maritimes department on 1793-02-04.
6. 1793-02-13: Monaco and two nearby cities annexed to France and merged with Alpes-Maritimes department.
7. 1793-03-23: Porrentruy and Delémont annexed to France as the new department of Mont-Terrible (capital Porrentruy).
8. 1793-06-25: The territory originally consituting Avignon and Comtat-Venaissain reintegrated to form Vaucluse department.
9. 1793-08-11: Corse split into the departments of Golo (corresponding to present-day Haute-Corse, capital Bastia) and Liamone (Corse-du-Sud, capital Ajaccio).
10. 1793-12-12: Name of Gironde department changed to Bec-d'Ambes.
11. 1793: Rhône et Loire department split into two departments, Loire and Rhône.
12. 1795: Conquered territories in Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg formed into the departments of Deux-Nèthes, Dyle, Escaut, Forêts, Jemmapes, Lys, Meuse-Inférieure, Ourthe, Sambre-et-Meuse.
13. 1795-08-22: Name of Paris department changed to Seine.
14. 1798: Conquered territories in Germany and Switzerland formed into the departments of Léman, Mont-Tonnerre, Rhin-et-Moselle, Roër, and Sarre.
15. 1798: Name of Bec-d'Ambes department changed to Gironde, reversing the change of 1793.
16. 1800-02-17: Mont-Terrible department merged with Haut-Rhin.
17. 1802: Conquered territories in Italy and Egypt formed into the departments of Doire, Marengo, Pô, Sesia, Stura, and Tanaro.
18. 1804-05-18: First empire declared. Greek conquests had added three loosely attached departments of Corcyre, Ithaque, and Mer Égée.
19. 1805: Conquered territories in Italy formed into the departments of Apennin, Gênes, and Montenotte.
20. 1808: Conquered territories in Italy formed into the departments of Arno, Méditerranée, Ombrone, and Taro.
21. 1808-11-04: Parts of Aveyron, Gers, Haute-Garonne, Lot, and Lot-et-Garonne departments merged to form Tarn-et-Garonne.
22. 1810: Conquered territories in Italy and Switzerland formed into the departments of Simplon, Tibre, and Trasimène.
23. 1811: Conquered territories in Netherlands and Germany formed into the departments of Bouches-de-la-Meuse, Bouches-de-l'Elbe, Bouches-de-l'Escaut, Bouches-de-l'Yssel, Bouches-du-Rhin, Bouches-du-Weser, Ems-Occidental, Ems-Oriental, Ems-Supérieur, Frise, Lippe, Yssel-Supérieur, and Zuyderzée.
24. 1811-04-19: Golo and Liamone departments reunited to form Corse.
25. 1812: Capital of Vendée department moved from Fontenay to La Roche-sur-Yon.
26. 1814-05-30: Treaty of Paris restored France to approximately the borders of 1792-01-01. In particular, Monaco was restored as an independent principality.
27. 1815-11-20: Second Treaty of Paris adjusted the borders of France, causing changes in the territory of Ain, Ardennes, Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Moselle, and Nord departments.
28. 1824-07-21: exclave of Madré merged with Mayenne department; exclave of Saint-Denis-de-Villenette merged with Orne.
29. 1860-06-15: Part of Var department transferred to Alpes-Maritimes.
30. 1860-06-23: Nice and Savoie, returned to France on 1860-06-12, organized into the departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Haute-Savoie, and Savoie.
31. 1871-05-10: By Treaty of Frankfurt, Bas-Rhin department and parts of Haut-Rhin, Meurthe, Moselle, and Vosges ceded to Germany.
32. 1871-09-07: Remaining parts of Meurthe and Moselle departments merged to form Meurthe-et-Moselle. This was supposed to be a provisional arrangement, but has stood until the present. The section of Haut-Rhin which remained in France eventually became known as the Territoire de Belfort.
33. 1919-10-17: Alsace-Lorraine restored to France, as the departments of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle. These were known as Unterelsaß, Oberelsaß, and Lothringen respectively under German administration.
34. 1922: Territoire de Belfort given the status of department.
35. 1940-07-01: Pursuant to the terms of the Franco-German armistice (1940-06-22), Alsace-Lorraine became administratively part of Germany. It became part of two new Gauen (districts): Lothringen-Pfalz (French: Lorraine-Palatinat) and Baden-Elsaß (French: Bade-Alsace).
36. 1941-09-04: Charente-Inférieure department renamed to Charente-Maritime, to avoid the negative connotations of "Inférieure" (lower, or inferior).
37. 1944: With the liberation of France, Alsace-Lorraine reverted to its pre-1940 status.
38. 1947-02-10: Tende, La Brigue, and other villages formerly in Italy annexed to Alpes-Maritimes by the peace treaty.
39. 1955-01-18: Seine-Inférieure department renamed to Seine-Maritime.
40. 1955-03-31: Capital of Ain department renamed from Bourg to Bourg-en-Bresse.
41. 1957-03-09: Loire-Inférieure department renamed to Loire-Atlantique.
42. 1964-07-10: Seine (capital Paris) and Seine-et-Oise (capital Versailles) departments reorganized, forming the departments of Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Val-d'Oise, Ville de Paris, and Yvelines. Of these, Ville de Paris was formed entirely from Seine. Essonne, Val-d'Oise, and Yvelines were formed entirely from Seine-et-Oise. The other three contain parts of both former departments.
43. 1965: Capital of Essonne renamed from Évry-Petit-Bourg to Évry.
44. 1966: Capital of Ardennes renamed from Mézières to Charleville-Mézières because of the merging of the two cities.
45. 1967-12-29: Territory transferred from Ain and Isère departments to Rhône, in order to unite the Lyon metropolitan area within one department.
46. 1969: Capital (préfecture) of Val-d'Oise department moved from Pontoise to the nearby new town of Cergy-Pontoise.
47. 1969-10-10: Basses-Pyrénées department renamed to Pyrénées-Atlantiques, to avoid the negative connotations of "Basses" (low).
48. 1970-04-13: Basses-Alpes department renamed to Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
49. 1974: Capital of Var moved from Draguignan to Toulon.
50. 1975-05-15: Corsica region split from Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region.
51. 1976-01-01: Corse department (capital Ajaccio) split into Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse.
52. 1988-03-17: Capital of Haute-Loire department renamed from Le Puy to Le Puy-en-Velay, its historic name.
53. 1990-02-27: Côtes-du-Nord department renamed to Côtes-d'Armor, to avoid the supposedly negative connotations of "North" for tourism.
54. 1991-01-17: FIPS Change Notice #9, affecting FIPS PUB 10-3, dropped the department codes shown in the table under Primary subdivisions, and replaced them with the region codes shown under Further subdivisions.
55. 1991-05-13: Status of Corse region changed to collectivité territoriale (territorial collectivity).
56. 1995-11-17: Capital of Marne department renamed from Châlons-sur-Marne to Châlons-en-Champagne. Former name put back into use from 1997-05-01 to 1998-01-04.

Note: Vilaine is the feminine of the French adjective vilain, which means disreputable, vile, offensive. Can it be long before the name of Ille-et-Vilaine department is expurgated?

Other names of subdivisions: 

1. Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Alpes da Alta Provença (Portuguese); Basses-Alpes (obsolete)
2. Alsace: Alsacia (Spanish); Alsazia (Italian); Elsaß (German)
3. Aquitaine: Aquitania (Italian); Aquitanien (German)
4. Auvergne: Alvernia (Italian)
5. Bas-Rhin: Unterelsaß (German-obsolete)
6. Basse-Normandie: Baja Normandía (Spanish); Bassa Normandia (Italian); Lower Normandy (English)
7. Bourgogne: Borgogna (Italian); Borgoña (Spanish); Burgund (German); Burgundy (English)
8. Bretagne: Bretagna (Italian); Bretaña (Spanish); Brittany (English)
9. Centre: Centro (Italian)
10. Champagne-Ardenne: Champaña-Ardenne (Spanish)
11. Charente-Maritime: Charente-Inférieure (obsolete)
12. Corse: Córcega (Spanish); Córsega (Portuguese); Corsica (English, Italian, Swedish); Korsika (German, Norwegian)
13. Côtes-d'Armor: Côtes-du-Nord (obsolete)
14. Franche-Comté: Franca Contea (Italian); Franco-Condado (Spanish)
15. Haute-Garonne: Alto Garona (Spanish)
16. Haute-Normandie: Alta Normandia (Italian); Alta Normandía (Spanish); Upper Normandy (English)
17. Hautes-Pyrénées: Altos Pirineos (Spanish)
18. Haut-Rhin: Oberelsaß (German-obsolete)
19. Île-de-France: Regione Parigina (Italian)
20. Landes: Landas (Spanish)
21. Languedoc-Roussillon: Languedoc-Rosellon (Spanish); Linguadoca e Rossiglione (Italian)
22. Limousin: Lemosin (Spanish); Limosino (Italian)
23. Loire-Atlantique: Loire-Inférieure (obsolete)
24. Lorraine: Lorena (Italian, Spanish); Lothringen (German)
25. Midi-Pyrénées: Midi e Pirenei (Italian)
26. Moselle: Lothringen (German-obsolete)
27. Pays de la Loire: Regione della Loira (Italian)
28. Picardie: Picardía (Spanish); Piccardia (Italian)
29. Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur: Provenza-Alpes-Costa de Azul (Spanish); Provenza-Alpi-Costa Azzurra (Italian)
30. Pyrénées-Atlantiques: Basses-Pyrénées (obsolete); Pirinio Atlantiarrak (Basque)
31. Pyrénées-Orientales: Pirineos Orientales (Spanish); Pirineus Orientais (Portuguese)
32. Rhône-Alpes: Rodano e Alpi (Italian)
33. Savoie: Sabóia (Portuguese), Savoia (Italian)
34. Seine-Maritime: Seine-Inférieure (obsolete); Sena Marítimo (Portuguese)
35. Vendée: Vendéia (Portuguese)

Population history:

Name	1999-03-08	1990-03-05	1982-03-04	1975-02-20	1968-03-01	1962-03-07	1954-05-10	1946-03-10	1936-03-08	1901-03-24	1891-03-06	1851
Ain	515,270	471,016	418,516	376,477	339,262	327,146	311,941	306,778	316,710	343,048	356,907	365,939
Aisne	535,842	537,222	533,970	533,862	526,346	512,920	487,068	453,411	484,647	535,114	545,493	558,334
Allier	344,721	357,710	369,580	378,406	386,533	380,221	372,689	373,481	368,778	422,029	424,382	336,758
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence	139,561	130,883	119,068	112,178	104,813	91,843	84,335	83,354	85,090	115,021	124,285	152,070
Alpes-Maritimes	1,011,326	971,763	881,198	816,681	722,070	618,265	515,484	448,973	513,714	293,213	258,571	192,062
Ardèche	286,023	277,579	267,970	257,065	256,927	248,516	249,077	254,598	272,698	353,564	371,269	386,559
Ardennes	290,130	296,333	302,338	309,306	309,380	300,247	280,490	245,335	288,632	315,589	324,923	331,296
Ariège	137,205	136,483	135,725	137,857	138,478	137,192	140,010	145,956	155,134	210,527	227,491	267,435
Aube	292,131	289,145	289,300	284,823	270,325	255,099	240,797	235,237	239,563	246,163	255,548	265,247
Aude	309,770	298,712	280,686	272,366	278,323	269,782	268,254	268,889	285,115	313,531	317,372	289,747
Aveyron	263,808	270,054	278,654	278,306	281,568	290,442	292,727	307,717	314,682	382,074	400,467	394,183
Bas-Rhin	1,026,120	953,053	915,676	882,121	827,367	770,150	707,934	673,281	711,830	659,432		608,325
Bouches-du-Rhône	1,835,719	1,759,098	1,724,199	1,632,974	1,470,271	1,248,355	1,048,762	971,935	1,224,802	734,347	630,622	428,989
Calvados	648,385	618,468	589,066	560,967	519,695	480,686	442,991	400,026	404,901	410,193	428,945	491,225
Cantal	150,778	158,723	162,838	166,549	169,330	172,977	177,065	186,843	190,888	230,511	239,601	253,329
Charente	339,628	342,268	340,770	337,064	331,016	327,658	313,635	311,137	309,279	350,305	360,259	382,912
Charente-Maritime	557,024	527,142	513,220	497,859	483,622	470,897	447,973	416,187	419,021	452,149	456,202	469,992
Cher	314,428	321,548	320,174	316,350	304,601	293,514	284,376	286,070	288,695	345,543	359,276	306,261
Corrèze	232,576	237,859	241,448	240,363	237,858	237,926	242,798	254,601	262,770	318,422	328,119	320,864
Corse-du-Sud	118,593	118,174	108,604	128,634	269,831	275,465	246,995	267,873	322,854	295,589	288,596	236,251
Côte-d'Or	506,755	493,867	473,548	456,070	421,192	387,869	356,839	335,602	334,386	361,626	376,866	400,297
Côtes-d'Armor	542,373	538,423	539,660	525,556	506,102	501,923	503,178	526,955	531,840	609,349	618,652	632,613
Creuse	124,470	131,346	139,968	146,214	156,876	163,515	172,702	188,669	201,844	277,831	284,660	287,075
Deux-Sèvres	344,392	346,280	342,812	335,829	326,462	321,118	312,842	312,756	308,841	341,701	354,282	322,870
Dordogne	388,293	386,354	377,356	373,179	374,073	375,455	377,870	387,643	386,963	452,951	478,471	505,789
Doubs	499,062	484,770	477,163	471,082	426,363	384,881	327,187	298,255	304,812	298,953	303,081	296,759
Drôme	437,778	414,072	389,781	361,847	342,891	304,227	275,280	268,233	267,281	297,321	306,419	326,846
Essonne	1,134,238	1,084,827	987,988	923,061	674,157					164,617
Eure	541,054	513,818	462,300	422,952	383,385	361,904	332,514	315,902	303,829	334,781	349,471	415,777
Eure-et-Loir	407,665	396,064	362,813	335,151	302,207	277,546	261,035	258,110	252,690	275,214	284,683	294,662
Finistère	852,418	838,662	828,364	804,088	768,929	749,558	727,847	724,735	756,793	773,016	727,012	617,710
Gard	623,125	585,049	530,478	494,575	478,544	435,482	396,742	380,837	395,299	420,836	419,388	408,163
Gers	172,335	174,566	174,200	175,366	181,577	182,264	185,111	190,431	192,451	238,448	261,084	307,479
Gironde	1,287,334	1,213,482	1,127,546	1,061,474	1,009,390	935,448	896,517	858,381	850,567	821,131	793,528	614,387
Haute-Corse	141,603	131,563	131,574	161,208
Haute-Garonne	1,046,338	925,958	824,501	777,431	690,712	594,633	525,669	512,260	458,647	448,481	472,383	481,610
Haute-Loire	209,113	206,568	205,895	205,491	208,337	211,036	215,577	228,076	245,271	314,058	316,735	304,615
Haute-Marne	194,873	204,255	210,670	212,304	214,336	208,446	197,147	181,840	188,471	226,367	243,533	268,208
Hautes-Alpes	121,419	113,272	105,070	97,358	91,790	87,436	85,067	84,932	88,210	109,510	115,522	132,038
Haute-Saône	229,732	229,659	231,962	222,254	214,176	208,440	209,303	202,573	212,829	267,011	280,856	347,989
Haute-Savoie	631,679	568,256	494,505	447,795	378,550	329,230	293,852	270,565	259,961	263,803	268,267	269,513
Hautes-Pyrénées	222,368	224,754	227,922	227,222	225,730	211,433	203,544	201,954	188,604	215,546	225,861	250,934
Haute-Vienne	353,893	353,586	355,737	352,149	341,589	332,514	324,429	336,313	333,589	381,753	372,878	319,379
Haut-Rhin	708,025	671,319	650,372	635,209	585,018	547,920	509,647	471,705	507,551	495,209		436,744
Hauts-de-Seine	1,428,881	1,391,314	1,387,039	1,438,930	1,461,619					467,391
Hérault	896,441	794,603	706,499	648,202	591,397	516,658	471,429	461,100	502,043	489,421	461,651	389,286
Ille-et-Vilaine	867,533	798,715	748,272	702,199	652,722	614,268	586,812	578,246	565,766	613,567	626,875	574,618
Indre	231,139	237,505	243,191	248,523	247,178	251,432	247,436	252,075	245,622	288,768	292,868	271,938
Indre-et-Loire	554,003	529,328	506,097	478,601	437,870	395,210	364,706	349,685	343,276	335,541	337,298	315,641
Isère	1,094,006	1,016,227	936,771	860,378	768,450	729,789	626,116	574,019	572,742	544,223	572,145	578,297
Jura	250,857	248,759	242,925	238,856	233,547	225,682	220,202	216,386	220,797	261,179	273,028	313,199
Landes	327,334	311,458	297,424	288,323	277,381	260,495	248,943	248,395	251,436	291,586	297,842	302,196
Loire	728,524	746,288	739,521	742,396	722,383	696,348	654,482	631,591	650,226	647,633	616,227	472,588
Loire-Atlantique	1,134,266	1,052,109	995,448	934,499	861,452	803,372	733,575	665,064	659,428	664,971	645,263	535,664
Loiret	618,126	580,601	536,000	490,189	430,629	389,854	360,523	346,918	343,865	366,660	377,718	341,029
Loir-et-Cher	314,968	305,925	296,220	283,686	267,896	250,741	239,824	242,419	240,908	275,538	280,358	261,892
Lot	160,197	155,813	154,533	150,725	151,198	149,929	147,754	154,897	162,572	226,720	253,885	296,224
Lot-et-Garonne	305,380	305,988	298,522	292,616	290,592	275,028	265,549	265,449	252,761	278,740	295,360	341,345
Lozère	73,509	72,814	74,294	74,825	77,258	81,868	82,391	90,523	98,480	128,866	135,527	144,705
Maine-et-Loire	732,942	705,869	675,321	629,849	584,709	556,272	518,241	496,068	477,690	515,431	518,589	516,197
Manche	481,471	479,630	465,948	451,662	451,939	446,878	446,860	435,468	438,539	491,372	513,815	600,882
Marne	565,229	558,309	543,627	530,399	485,388	442,195	415,141	386,926	410,238	432,729	434,692	373,047
Mayenne	285,338	278,016	271,784	261,789	252,762	250,030	251,522	256,317	251,348	313,103	332,387	374,566
Meurthe-et-Moselle	713,779	711,952	716,846	722,587	705,413	678,078	607,022	528,805	576,041	484,722	444,150	384,514
Meuse	192,198	196,344	200,101	203,904	209,513	215,985	207,106	188,786	216,934	283,480	292,253	328,657
Morbihan	643,873	619,754	590,889	563,588	540,474	530,833	520,978	506,884	542,248	563,468	544,470	478,172
Moselle	1,023,447	1,011,261	1,007,189	1,006,373	971,314	919,412	769,388	622,145	696,246	564,829		525,593
Nièvre	225,198	233,278	239,635	245,212	247,702	245,921	240,078	248,559	249,673	323,783	343,581	327,161
Nord	2,555,020	2,531,855	2,521,900	2,510,738	2,417,899	2,293,112	2,098,545	1,917,452	2,022,167	1,867,408	1,736,341	1,158,885
Oise	766,441	725,575	661,781	606,320	540,988	481,289	435,308	396,724	402,569	407,808	401,835	403,857
Orne	292,337	293,183	295,472	293,523	288,524	280,549	274,862	273,181	269,331	326,937	354,387	439,869
Pas-de-Calais	1,441,568	1,433,203	1,412,413	1,403,035	1,397,159	1,366,282	1,276,833	1,168,545	1,179,467	956,466	874,364	694,294
Puy-de-Dôme	604,266	598,213	594,365	580,033	547,743	508,928	481,380	478,876	486,103	544,194	564,266	596,897
Pyrénées-Atlantiques	600,018	578,475	555,696	534,748	508,734	466,038	420,019	415,797	413,411	426,347	425,027	446,997
Pyrénées-Orientales	392,803	363,793	334,557	299,506	281,976	251,231	230,285	228,776	233,347	212,121	210,125	181,955
Rhône	1,578,869	1,508,967	1,445,208	1,429,647	1,325,611	1,116,664	966,782	918,866	1,028,379	875,017	806,737	606,945
Saône-et-Loire	544,893	559,413	571,852	569,810	550,362	535,772	511,182	506,749	525,676	620,360	619,523	574,720
Sarthe	529,851	513,614	504,768	490,385	461,839	443,019	420,393	412,214	388,519	422,699	429,737	473,071
Savoie	373,258	348,312	323,675	305,118	288,921	266,678	252,192	235,939	239,010	254,781	263,297	275,459
Seine-et-Marne	1,193,767	1,078,145	887,112	755,762	604,340	524,486	453,438	407,137	409,311	358,325	356,709	345,076
Seine-Maritime	1,239,138	1,223,429	1,192,300	1,172,743	1,113,977	1,035,844	941,684	846,131	915,628	853,883	839,876	762,039
Seine-Saint-Denis	1,382,861	1,381,169	1,324,301	1,322,127	1,251,792					307,329
Somme	555,551	547,825	544,570	538,462	512,113	488,225	464,153	441,368	467,479	536,773	546,495	569,341
Tarn	343,402	342,741	339,345	338,024	332,011	319,560	308,197	298,117	297,871	332,093	346,739	363,073
Tarn-et-Garonne	206,034	200,220	190,485	183,314	183,572	175,847	172,379	167,664	164,629	195,669	206,596	237,553
Territoire de Belfort	137,408	134,097	131,999	128,125	118,450	109,371	99,427	86,648	99,497	92,304	83,670	57,403
Val-de-Marne	1,227,250	1,215,538	1,193,655	1,215,674	1,121,340					288,879
Val-d'Oise	1,105,464	1,049,598	920,598	840,885	693,269					164,982
Var	898,441	814,731	708,331	626,093	555,926	469,557	413,012	370,688	398,662	326,384	288,336	290,214
Vaucluse	499,685	467,075	427,343	390,446	353,966	303,536	268,318	249,838	245,508	236,949	235,411	264,618
Vendée	539,664	509,293	483,027	450,641	421,250	408,928	395,641	393,787	389,211	441,311	442,355	383,734
Vienne	399,024	380,181	371,428	357,366	340,256	331,619	319,208	313,932	306,820	336,343	344,355	317,305
Ville de Paris	2,125,246	2,152,333	2,176,423	2,299,830	2,590,771	5,646,446	5,154,834	4,775,711	4,962,967	2,714,068	3,141,595	1,277,064
Vosges	380,952	386,234	395,769	397,957	388,201	380,676	372,523	342,315	376,926	421,104	410,196	406,518
Yonne	333,221	323,096	311,019	299,851	283,376	269,826	266,410	266,014	271,685	321,062	334,688	381,133
Yvelines	1,354,304	1,307,145	1,196,111	1,082,255	853,386	2,298,931	1,708,791	1,414,910	1,413,472	270,228	628,590	617,785
Totals	58,518,748	56,613,316	54,334,784	52,655,802	49,778,540	46,520,271	42,777,174	40,502,513	41,907,056	40,681,422	38,333,192	36,452,451

 

Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle were not part of France from 1871 to 1919.
Figures for Corse-du-Sud before 1976 represent Corse, which included present-day Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse.
Figures for Ville de Paris before 1964 represent Seine, which included present-day Ville de Paris and most of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne.
Figures for Yvelines before 1964 represent Seine-et-Oise, which included present-day Essonne, Val-d'Oise, Yvelines, and small parts of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne.
Six other departments have changed their names during the period covered. See "Change history" for details.
1851 and 1901 census data are predominantly from Quid 1993, a French encyclopedic almanac. It shows adjusted populations for areas corresponding to the present-day boundaries of the departments.