Departments of France

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Updates: 

Since the book "Administrative Subdivisions of Countries" was written, I've come across some new sources of French population data. The column of Population history headed 1913 in the book, as it turns out, was derived from the 1901 census. The table below has better dates and population figures.

Secondary 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.

NameHASCRegISOFIPSNUTSPopulationArea(km.²)Area(mi.²)Capital
AinFR.AR.AIV01FR01FR711614,3315,7622,225Bourg-en-Bresse
AisneFR.NC.ASS02FR02FR221555,0947,3692,845Laon
AllierFR.AR.ALC03FR03FR721353,1247,3402,834Moulins
Alpes-de-Haute-ProvenceFR.PR.APU04FR12FR821165,1556,9252,674Digne
Alpes-MaritimesFR.PR.AMU06FR04FR8231,094,5794,2991,660Nice
ArdècheFR.AR.AHV07FR05FR712324,8855,5292,135Privas
ArdennesFR.AO.ANG08FR06FR211291,6785,2292,019Charleville-Mézières
AriègeFR.LP.AGN09FR07FR621157,5824,8901,888Foix
AubeFR.AO.ABG10FR08FR212311,7206,0042,318Troyes
AudeFR.LP.ADK11FR09FR811365,8546,1392,370Carcassonne
AveyronFR.LP.AVN12FR10FR622288,3648,7353,373Rodez
Bas-RhinFR.AO.BRA67FR11FR4211,115,2264,7551,836Strasbourg
Bouches-du-RhôneFR.PR.BDU13FR15FR8242,000,5505,0871,964Marseille
CalvadosFR.ND.CVP14FR16FR251699,5615,5482,142Caen
CantalFR.AR.CLC15FR17FR722154,1355,7262,211Aurillac
CharenteFR.AC.CTT16FR18FR531364,4295,9562,300Angoulême
Charente-MaritimeFR.AC.CMT17FR19FR532640,8036,8642,650La Rochelle
CherFR.CN.CHF18FR20FR241319,6007,2352,793Bourges
CorrèzeFR.AC.CZL19FR21FR631252,2355,8572,261Tulle
Corse-du-SudFR.CE.CSH2AFR90FR831145,9984,0141,550Ajaccio
Côte-d'OrFR.BF.COD21FR22FR261538,5058,7633,383Dijon
Côtes-d'ArmorFR.BT.CAE22FR23FR521612,3836,8782,655Saint-Brieuc
CreuseFR.AC.CRL23FR24FR632127,9195,5652,149Guéret
Deux-SèvresFR.AC.DST79FR25FR533380,5695,9992,316Niort
DordogneFR.AC.DDB24FR26FR611426,6079,0603,498Périgueux
DoubsFR.BF.DBI25FR27FR431542,5095,2342,021Besançon
DrômeFR.AR.DMV26FR28FR713499,3136,5302,521Valence
EssonneFR.IF.ESJ91FR79FR1041,233,6451,804697Évry
EureFR.ND.EUQ27FR29FR231603,1946,0402,332Évreux
Eure-et-LoirFR.CN.ELF28FR30FR242440,2915,8802,270Chartres
FinistèreFR.BT.FIE29FR31FR522929,2866,7332,600Quimper
GardFR.LP.GAK30FR32FR812726,2855,8532,260Nîmes
GersFR.LP.GEN32FR33FR624195,4896,2572,416Auch
GirondeFR.AC.GIB33FR34FR6121,479,27710,0003,861Bordeaux
Haute-CorseFR.CE.HCH2BFR96FR832168,8694,6661,801Bastia
Haute-GaronneFR.LP.HGN31FR35FR6231,268,3706,3092,436Toulouse
Haute-LoireFR.AR.HLC43FR36FR723231,8774,9771,922Le Puy
Haute-MarneFR.AO.HMG52FR37FR214191,0046,2112,398Chaumont
Hautes-AlpesFR.PR.HAU05FR38FR822142,3125,5492,142Gap
Haute-SaôneFR.BF.HNI70FR39FR433247,3115,3602,070Vesoul
Haute-SavoieFR.AR.HSV74FR40FR718760,9794,3881,694Annecy
Hautes-PyrénéesFR.LP.HPN65FR41FR626237,9454,4641,724Tarbes
Haute-VienneFR.AC.HVL87FR42FR633384,7815,5202,131Limoges
Haut-RhinFR.AO.HRA68FR43FR422765,6343,5251,361Colmar
Hauts-de-SeineFR.IF.HDJ92FR77FR1051,590,74917668Nanterre
HéraultFR.LP.HEK34FR44FR8131,062,6176,1012,356Montpellier
Ille-et-VilaineFR.BT.IVE35FR45FR5231,015,4706,7752,616Rennes
IndreFR.CN.INF36FR46FR243238,2616,7912,622Châteauroux
Indre-et-LoireFR.CN.ILF37FR47FR244605,8196,1272,366Tours
IsèreFR.AR.ISV38FR48FR7141,233,7597,4312,869Grenoble
JuraFR.BF.JUI39FR49FR432271,9734,9991,930Lons-le-Saunier
LandesFR.AC.LDB40FR50FR613397,7669,2433,569Mont-de-Marsan
LoireFR.AR.LRV42FR51FR715766,7294,7811,846Saint-Étienne
Loire-AtlantiqueFR.PL.LAR44FR52FR5111,317,6856,8152,631Nantes
LoiretFR.CN.LTF45FR53FR246674,9136,7752,616Orléans
Loir-et-CherFR.CN.LCF41FR54FR245340,7296,3432,449Blois
LotFR.LP.LON46FR55FR625181,2325,2172,014Cahors
Lot-et-GaronneFR.AC.LGB47FR56FR614342,5005,3612,070Agen
LozèreFR.LP.LZK48FR57FR81481,2815,1671,995Mende
Maine-et-LoireFR.PL.MLR49FR58FR512808,2987,1662,767Angers
MancheFR.ND.MHP50FR59FR252517,1215,9382,293Saint-Lô
MarneFR.AO.MRG51FR60FR213579,5338,1623,151Châlons-en-Champagne
MayenneFR.PL.MYR53FR61FR513317,0065,1751,998Laval
Meurthe-et-MoselleFR.AO.MMM54FR62FR411746,5025,2412,024Nancy
MeuseFR.AO.MSM55FR63FR412200,5096,2162,400Bar-le-Duc
MorbihanFR.BT.MBE56FR64FR524744,6636,8232,634Vannes
MoselleFR.AO.MOM57FR65FR4131,066,6676,2162,400Metz
NièvreFR.BF.NID58FR66FR262226,9976,8172,632Nevers
NordFR.NC.NOO59FR67FR3012,617,9395,7432,217Lille
OiseFR.NC.OIS60FR68FR222823,6685,8602,263Beauvais
OrneFR.ND.ORP61FR69FR253301,4216,1032,357Alençon
Pas-de-CalaisFR.NC.PCO62FR70FR3021,489,2096,6712,576Arras
Puy-de-DômeFR.AR.PDC63FR71FR724649,6437,9703,077Clermont-Ferrand
Pyrénées-AtlantiquesFR.AC.PAB64FR13FR615674,9087,6452,952Pau
Pyrénées-OrientalesFR.LP.POK66FR72FR815457,2384,1161,589Perpignan
RhôneFR.AR.RHV69FR73FR7161,756,0693,2491,254Lyon
Saône-et-LoireFR.BF.SLD71FR74FR263574,8748,5753,311Mâcon
SartheFR.PL.STR72FR75FR514579,4976,2062,396Le Mans
SavoieFR.AR.SVV73FR76FR717428,7516,0282,328Chambéry
Seine-et-MarneFR.IF.SEJ77FR78FR1021,347,0085,9152,284Melun
Seine-MaritimeFR.ND.SMQ76FR80FR2321,275,9526,2782,424Rouen
Seine-Saint-DenisFR.IF.SSJ93FR91FR1061,534,89523691Bobigny
SommeFR.NC.SOS80FR81FR223583,3886,1702,382Amiens
TarnFR.LP.TAN81FR82FR627387,0995,7582,223Albi
Tarn-et-GaronneFR.LP.TGN82FR83FR628248,2273,7181,436Montauban
Territoire de BelfortFR.BF.TBI90FR14FR434146,475609235Belfort
Val-de-MarneFR.IF.VMJ94FR92FR1071,340,86824595Créteil
Val-d'OiseFR.IF.VOJ95FR93FR1081,187,8361,246481Cergy-Pontoise
VarFR.PR.VRU83FR84FR8251,026,2225,9732,306Toulon
VaucluseFR.PR.VCU84FR85FR826555,2403,5671,377Avignon
VendéeFR.PL.VDR85FR86FR515654,0966,7202,594La Roche-sur-Yon
VienneFR.AC.VNT86FR87FR534438,5666,9902,699Poitiers
Ville de ParisFR.IF.VPJ75FR94FR1012,268,26510541Paris
VosgesFR.AO.VGM88FR88FR414392,8465,8742,268Épinal
YonneFR.BF.YOD89FR89FR264353,3667,4272,868Auxerre
YvelinesFR.IF.YVJ78FR95FR1031,435,4482,284882Versailles
96 departments64,207,050543,965210,028
  • HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes.
  • Reg: pre-2016 regions of France, identified by their ISO 3166-2 codes.
  • ISO: codes from ISO 3166-2 (see note on codes).
  • FIPS: codes from FIPS PUB 10-3.
  • NUTS: Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics.
  • Population: 2010-01-01 legal population.

 

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.

Note on codes: France has an official system of geocoding. Its name is "Code officiel géographique", but since it is administered by the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (Insee), it is commonly called the Insee code. Part of this system is a set of five-digit codes that covers the whole world. If the first two digits are between 01 and 95, they indicate a department, and match the ISO code shown above. If they are 97 or 98, the third digit must also be used to determine an overseas department (97x) or territory (98x). If they are 99, the remaining three digits indicate a country. For example, 98735 is the code for Papeete, Tahiti, where the first three digits designate the overseas territory of French Polynesia. Qatar's code is 99248; in it, the third digit is "2" for Asia. Codes for communes in Corsica have a letter rather than a digit as their second character; for example, Calvi, Haute-Corse's code is 2B050.

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). A few places have postal codes corresponding to a neighboring department. 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. These should not be confused with the municipal arrondissements, which are subdivisions of the three largest communes by population: Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. The municipal arrondissements are numbered. The arrondissements constituting the tertiary level of subdivision of France have names, usually after one or more cities in them. The arrondissements were formerly always subdivided into cantons. In 2015, the cantons were reorganized so that they may sometimes span more than one arrondissement. Communes are the basic building block of France: both arrondissements and cantons are subdivided into communes. (The same words, arrondissement, canton, and commune, 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. Municipal arrondissements 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.

Territorial extent: 

  1. Corse-du-Sud includes Île Cavallo in the Strait of Bonifacio.
  2. Côte-d'Or includes an exclave that lies between Nièvre and Saône-et-Loire, consisting of the commune of Ménessaire.
  3. Finistère includes the Île d'Ouessant and Île de Sein.
  4. Hautes-Pyrénées includes two exclaves within Pyrénées-Atlantiques, containing five communes, including Luquet and Séron.
  5. Manche includes the Îles Chausey in the Gulf of Saint-Malo.
  6. Meurthe-et-Moselle includes an exclave within Meuse, consisting of the commune of Othe.
  7. Morbihan includes the Île de Groix and Belle-Île.
  8. Nord includes an exclave within Pas-de-Calais, containing three communes, including Boursies.
  9. Île des Faisans, in the Bidassoa River, is a condominium of France and Spain. It lies in Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
  10. Var includes the Îles d'Hyères.
  11. Vaucluse includes an exclave within Drôme, containing the canton of Valréas.
  12. Vendée includes the Île d'Yeu.
  13. 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 Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Wallis and Futuna. Each of the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion) is also a region: Mayotte since it became an overseas department in 2011, the others since 1974. Although each one has its own ISO country code, they also have supplementary codes which are the country code with FR- prefixed, making it possible to represent them as parts of France. In addition, ISO gives Clipperton Island the code FR-CP (but no country code). I have called Clipperton Island part of French Polynesia for classification purposes.
  14. According to my latest information, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, and Wallis and Futuna Islands are overseas collectivities (collectivités d'outre-mer); French Polynesia and New Caledonia are overseas countries (pays d'outre-mer); French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion are overseas departments (départements d'outre-mer); French Southern Lands is an overseas territory (territoire d'outre-mer); and Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a territorial collectivity (collectivité territoriale).

The UN LOCODE page  for France lists locations in the country, some of them with their latitudes and longitudes, some with their ISO 3166-2 codes for their subdivisions. This information can be put together to approximate the territorial extent of subdivisions.

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 of the full names.

  1. Alpes: probably from an Indo-European root meaning mountain, high place
  2. Ardennes: said to come from Celtic ardu-: high
  3. Atlantique(s): for the Atlantic Ocean, which was probably named for Atlas, a Titan of Greek mythology. Takes -s to agree with a plural noun.
  4. Aube: from Latin alba: white
  5. Bas: French for low (m.), usually applied to downstream areas
  6. Belfort: Latin Bellofortis: beautiful and strong
  7. Bouches-du-Rhône: French for Mouths of the Rhône River
  8. 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.
  9. Cantal: Mediterranean root kanto: stone, mountain
  10. Charente: from Gallic word for sandy
  11. Corrèze: Latin Curretia, from pre-Latin cur: stream
  12. Corse: from ethnic name Corsi, possibly from Phoenician horsi: wooded
  13. Corse-du-Sud: French for Southern Corsica
  14. Côte-d'Or: French: golden hillside (from color of grapevines, or their monetary value)
  15. Côtes-d'Armor: coasts of Armorica (ancient name of Bretagne)
  16. Côtes-du-Nord: French: northern coasts
  17. 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.)
  18. Deux-Sèvres: French: two Sèvres, referring to the rivers Sèvre Nantaise and Sèvre Niortaise
  19. Doubs: from Celtic dubis: black
  20. Finistère: Latin finis terrae: end of the earth
  21. Gascogne: Latin Vasconia: land of the Basques
  22. Gironde: the estuary of the Garonne River. In ancient times they had the same name.
  23. Haut, Haute, Hautes, Hauts: French for high (m., f., f. pl., m. pl.), usually used for upstream areas
  24. Indre: Latin Angerum, from Frankish anger: prairie
  25. Isère: from pre-Celtic Isara, in which ara means river
  26. Jura: from Celtic juris: wooded heights
  27. Landes: from Gallic landa: flatlands
  28. 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.
  29. Maine: see Mayenne
  30. Manche: = sleeve, from the French name for the English Channel, which resembles a sleeve; or from a Celtic word for channel
  31. Maritime(s): French: seaside (adjective). Takes -s to agree with a plural noun.
  32. Marne: Gallic, apparently from Matrona, a goddess of motherhood
  33. 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.)
  34. Morbihan: Breton mor: sea, bihan: little, by contrast with the Atlantic Ocean, a great sea
  35. Moselle: from Latin Mosella, a diminutive form of Mosa, the Latin name for the Meuse. The Moselle was being likened to a smaller Meuse.
  36. Nord: French for North
  37. Orientales: French for eastern (feminine plural), from Latin oriens: rising (direction of the rising sun)
  38. Paris: from ethnic name Parisii; shortened from Latin name Lutetia Parisiorum
  39. Pas-de-Calais: French: Strait of Calais. Calais comes from the ethnic name Caleti.
  40. Puy-de-Dôme: Puy comes from Latin podium: high place. The mountain had a temple dedicated to Mercury Dumias, whence Dôme
  41. Pyrénées: Mountains named for a village named Pyrene.
  42. Rhin: from the Celtic root renos: river
  43. Rhône: came through Latin Rhodanus from an old root Rhod-: river
  44. Somme: from Celtic samara: tranquil
  45. Val-d': French for "valley of"
  46. Var: from a Celtic root meaning river
  47. Vaucluse: after the source of the Sorgue River at a place called, in Latin, Vallis clusa: enclosed valley
  48. Vendée: from Gallic vindo: white, clear, describing the river
  49. Vosges: named for the god Vosegus
  50. 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: Following the Franco-German armistice (1940-06-22), Alsace-Lorraine became de facto part of Germany. It became part of two new Gauen (districts): Lothringen-Pfalz (Lorraine-Palatinate) and Baden-Elsaß (Baden-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. 1976-01-01: Corse department (capital Ajaccio) split into Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse.
  51. 1988-03-17: Capital of Haute-Loire department renamed from Le Puy to Le Puy-en-Velay, its historic name.
  52. 1990-02-27: Côtes-du-Nord department renamed to Côtes-d'Armor, to avoid the supposedly negative connotations of "North" for tourism.
  53. 1991-01-17: FIPS Change Notice #9, affecting FIPS PUB 10-3, discontinued the department codes shown in the main table above.
  54. 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. Alpes Maritimes: Alpes Marítimos (Portuguese)
  3. Bas-Rhin: Baixo Reno (Portuguese); Unterelsaß (German-obsolete)
  4. Basse-Normandie: Baixa Normandia (Portuguese); Baja Normandía (Spanish); Bassa Normandia (Italian); Lower Normandy (English)
  5. Charente-Maritime: Charente-Inférieure (obsolete)
  6. Côtes-d'Armor: Côtes-du-Nord (obsolete)
  7. Deux-Sèvres: Dois-Sevres (Portuguese)
  8. Dordogne: Dordonha (Portuguese)
  9. Gironde: Gironda (Portuguese, Spanish)
  10. Haute-Garonne: Alto Garona (Portuguese, Spanish)
  11. Haute-Normandie: Alta Normandia (Italian, Portuguese); Alta Normandía (Spanish); Upper Normandy (English)
  12. Hautes-Pyrénées: Altos Pirineos (Spanish); Altos Pirinéus (Portuguese)
  13. Haut-Rhin: Oberelsaß (German-obsolete)
  14. Landes: Landas (Spanish)
  15. Loire-Atlantique: Loire-Inférieure (obsolete)
  16. Meuse: Mosa (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
  17. Moselle: Lothringen (German-obsolete); Mosela (Portuguese)
  18. Paris: Parigi (Italian); París (Spanish); Париж (Russian)
  19. Pyrénées-Atlantiques: Basses-Pyrénées (obsolete); Pirinéus Atlânticos (Portuguese); Pirinio Atlantiarrak (Basque)
  20. Pyrénées-Orientales: Pirineos Orientales (Spanish); Pirinéus Orientais (Portuguese)
  21. Savoie: Sabóia (Portuguese), Savoia (Italian)
  22. Seine: Сена (Russian)
  23. Seine-Maritime: Seine-Inférieure (obsolete); Sena Marítimo (Portuguese)
  24. Vendée: Vendéia (Portuguese)
  25. Vosges: Вогезы (Russian)

Population history:

Name2010-01-011999-03-081990-03-051982-03-041975-02-201968-03-011962-03-07
Ain614,331515,270471,016418,516376,477339,262327,146
Aisne555,094535,842537,222533,970533,862526,346512,920
Allier353,124344,721357,710369,580378,406386,533380,221
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence165,155139,561130,883119,068112,178104,81391,843
Alpes-Maritimes1,094,5791,011,326971,763881,198816,681722,070618,265
Ardèche324,885286,023277,579267,970257,065256,927248,516
Ardennes291,678290,130296,333302,338309,306309,380300,247
Ariège157,582137,205136,483135,725137,857138,478137,192
Aube311,720292,131289,145289,300284,823270,325255,099
Aude365,854309,770298,712280,686272,366278,323269,782
Aveyron288,364263,808270,054278,654278,306281,568290,442
Bas-Rhin1,115,2261,026,120953,053915,676882,121827,367770,150
Bouches-du-Rhône2,000,5501,835,7191,759,0981,724,1991,632,9741,470,2711,248,355
Calvados699,561648,385618,468589,066560,967519,695480,686
Cantal154,135150,778158,723162,838166,549169,330172,977
Charente364,429339,628342,268340,770337,064331,016327,658
Charente-Maritime640,803557,024527,142513,220497,859483,622470,897
Cher319,600314,428321,548320,174316,350304,601293,514
Corrèze252,235232,576237,859241,448240,363237,858237,926
Corse-du-Sud145,998118,593118,174108,604128,634269,831275,465
Côte-d'Or538,505506,755493,867473,548456,070421,192387,869
Côtes-d'Armor612,383542,373538,423539,660525,556506,102501,923
Creuse127,919124,470131,346139,968146,214156,876163,515
Deux-Sèvres380,569344,392346,280342,812335,829326,462321,118
Dordogne426,607388,293386,354377,356373,179374,073375,455
Doubs542,509499,062484,770477,163471,082426,363384,881
Drôme499,313437,778414,072389,781361,847342,891304,227
Essonne1,233,6451,134,2381,084,827987,988923,061674,157 
Eure603,194541,054513,818462,300422,952383,385361,904
Eure-et-Loir440,291407,665396,064362,813335,151302,207277,546
Finistère929,286852,418838,662828,364804,088768,929749,558
Gard726,285623,125585,049530,478494,575478,544435,482
Gers195,489172,335174,566174,200175,366181,577182,264
Gironde1,479,2771,287,3341,213,4821,127,5461,061,4741,009,390935,448
Haute-Corse168,869141,603131,563131,574161,208  
Haute-Garonne1,268,3701,046,338925,958824,501777,431690,712594,633
Haute-Loire231,877209,113206,568205,895205,491208,337211,036
Haute-Marne191,004194,873204,255210,670212,304214,336208,446
Hautes-Alpes142,312121,419113,272105,07097,35891,79087,436
Haute-Saône247,311229,732229,659231,962222,254214,176208,440
Haute-Savoie760,979631,679568,256494,505447,795378,550329,230
Hautes-Pyrénées237,945222,368224,754227,922227,222225,730211,433
Haute-Vienne384,781353,893353,586355,737352,149341,589332,514
Haut-Rhin765,634708,025671,319650,372635,209585,018547,920
Hauts-de-Seine1,590,7491,428,8811,391,3141,387,0391,438,9301,461,619 
Hérault1,062,617896,441794,603706,499648,202591,397516,658
Ille-et-Vilaine1,015,470867,533798,715748,272702,199652,722614,268
Indre238,261231,139237,505243,191248,523247,178251,432
Indre-et-Loire605,819554,003529,328506,097478,601437,870395,210
Isère1,233,7591,094,0061,016,227936,771860,378768,450729,789
Jura271,973250,857248,759242,925238,856233,547225,682
Landes397,766327,334311,458297,424288,323277,381260,495
Loire766,729728,524746,288739,521742,396722,383696,348
Loire-Atlantique1,317,6851,134,2661,052,109995,448934,499861,452803,372
Loiret674,913618,126580,601536,000490,189430,629389,854
Loir-et-Cher340,729314,968305,925296,220283,686267,896250,741
Lot181,232160,197155,813154,533150,725151,198149,929
Lot-et-Garonne342,500305,380305,988298,522292,616290,592275,028
Lozère81,28173,50972,81474,29474,82577,25881,868
Maine-et-Loire808,298732,942705,869675,321629,849584,709556,272
Manche517,121481,471479,630465,948451,662451,939446,878
Marne579,533565,229558,309543,627530,399485,388442,195
Mayenne317,006285,338278,016271,784261,789252,762250,030
Meurthe-et-Moselle746,502713,779711,952716,846722,587705,413678,078
Meuse200,509192,198196,344200,101203,904209,513215,985
Morbihan744,663643,873619,754590,889563,588540,474530,833
Moselle1,066,6671,023,4471,011,2611,007,1891,006,373971,314919,412
Nièvre226,997225,198233,278239,635245,212247,702245,921
Nord2,617,9392,555,0202,531,8552,521,9002,510,7382,417,8992,293,112
Oise823,668766,441725,575661,781606,320540,988481,289
Orne301,421292,337293,183295,472293,523288,524280,549
Pas-de-Calais1,489,2091,441,5681,433,2031,412,4131,403,0351,397,1591,366,282
Puy-de-Dôme649,643604,266598,213594,365580,033547,743508,928
Pyrénées-Atlantiques674,908600,018578,475555,696534,748508,734466,038
Pyrénées-Orientales457,238392,803363,793334,557299,506281,976251,231
Rhône1,756,0691,578,8691,508,9671,445,2081,429,6471,325,6111,116,664
Saône-et-Loire574,874544,893559,413571,852569,810550,362535,772
Sarthe579,497529,851513,614504,768490,385461,839443,019
Savoie428,751373,258348,312323,675305,118288,921266,678
Seine-et-Marne1,347,0081,193,7671,078,145887,112755,762604,340524,486
Seine-Maritime1,275,9521,239,1381,223,4291,192,3001,172,7431,113,9771,035,844
Seine-Saint-Denis1,534,8951,382,8611,381,1691,324,3011,322,1271,251,792 
Somme583,388555,551547,825544,570538,462512,113488,225
Tarn387,099343,402342,741339,345338,024332,011319,560
Tarn-et-Garonne248,227206,034200,220190,485183,314183,572175,847
Territoire de Belfort146,475137,408134,097131,999128,125118,450109,371
Val-de-Marne1,340,8681,227,2501,215,5381,193,6551,215,6741,121,340 
Val-d'Oise1,187,8361,105,4641,049,598920,598840,885693,269 
Var1,026,222898,441814,731708,331626,093555,926469,557
Vaucluse555,240499,685467,075427,343390,446353,966303,536
Vendée654,096539,664509,293483,027450,641421,250408,928
Vienne438,566399,024380,181371,428357,366340,256331,619
Ville de Paris2,268,2652,125,2462,152,3332,176,4232,299,8302,590,7715,646,446
Vosges392,846380,952386,234395,769397,957388,201380,676
Yonne353,366333,221323,096311,019299,851283,376269,826
Yvelines1,435,4481,354,3041,307,1451,196,1111,082,255853,3862,298,931
Totals64,207,05058,518,74856,613,31654,334,78452,655,80249,778,54046,520,271

 

Name1954-05-101946-03-101936-03-081921-03-061901-03-241891-03-061851
Ain311,941306,778316,710315,757343,048356,907365,939
Aisne487,068453,411484,647421,515535,114545,493558,334
Allier372,689373,481368,778370,950422,029424,382336,758
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence84,33583,35485,09091,882115,021124,285152,070
Alpes-Maritimes515,484448,973513,714357,759293,213258,571192,062
Ardèche249,077254,598272,698294,308353,564371,269386,559
Ardennes280,490245,335288,632277,811315,589324,923331,296
Ariège140,010145,956155,134172,851210,527227,491267,435
Aube240,797235,237239,563227,839246,163255,548265,247
Aude268,254268,889285,115287,052313,531317,372289,747
Aveyron292,727307,717314,682332,940382,074400,467394,183
Bas-Rhin707,934673,281711,830651,686659,432 608,325
Bouches-du-Rhône1,048,762971,9351,224,802841,996734,347630,622428,989
Calvados442,991400,026404,901384,730410,193428,945491,225
Cantal177,065186,843190,888199,402230,511239,601253,329
Charente313,635311,137309,279316,279350,305360,259382,912
Charente-Maritime447,973416,187419,021418,310452,149456,202469,992
Cher284,376286,070288,695304,800345,543359,276306,261
Corrèze242,798254,601262,770273,808318,422328,119320,864
Corse-du-Sud246,995267,873322,854281,959295,589288,596236,251
Côte-d'Or356,839335,602334,386321,088361,626376,866400,297
Côtes-d'Armor503,178526,955531,840557,824609,349618,652632,613
Creuse172,702188,669201,844228,244277,831284,660287,075
Deux-Sèvres312,842312,756308,841310,060341,701354,282322,870
Dordogne377,870387,643386,963396,742452,951478,471505,789
Doubs327,187298,255304,812285,022298,953303,081296,759
Drôme275,280268,233267,281263,509297,321306,419326,846
Essonne   164,617  
Eure332,514315,902303,829303,159334,781349,471415,777
Eure-et-Loir261,035258,110252,690251,255275,214284,683294,662
Finistère727,847724,735756,793762,514773,016727,012617,710
Gard396,742380,837395,299396,169420,836419,388408,163
Gers185,111190,431192,451194,406238,448261,084307,479
Gironde896,517858,381850,567819,128821,131793,528614,387
Haute-Corse      
Haute-Garonne525,669512,260458,647424,582448,481472,383481,610
Haute-Loire215,577228,076245,271268,910314,058316,735304,615
Haute-Marne197,147181,840188,471198,865226,367243,533268,208
Hautes-Alpes85,06784,93288,21089,275109,510115,522132,038
Haute-Saône209,303202,573212,829228,348267,011280,856347,989
Haute-Savoie293,852270,565259,961235,668263,803268,267269,513
Hautes-Pyrénées203,544201,954188,604185,760215,546225,861250,934
Haute-Vienne324,429336,313333,589350,235381,753372,878319,379
Haut-Rhin509,647471,705507,551468,943495,209 436,744
Hauts-de-Seine   467,391  
Hérault471,429461,100502,043488,215489,421461,651389,286
Ille-et-Vilaine586,812578,246565,766558,574613,567626,875574,618
Indre247,436252,075245,622260,535288,768292,868271,938
Indre-et-Loire364,706349,685343,276327,743335,541337,298315,641
Isère626,116574,019572,742525,522544,223572,145578,297
Jura220,202216,386220,797229,062261,179273,028313,199
Landes248,943248,395251,436263,937291,586297,842302,196
Loire654,482631,591650,226637,130647,633616,227472,588
Loire-Atlantique733,575665,064659,428649,691664,971645,263535,664
Loiret360,523346,918343,865337,224366,660377,718341,029
Loir-et-Cher239,824242,419240,908251,528275,538280,358261,892
Lot147,754154,897162,572176,889226,720253,885296,224
Lot-et-Garonne265,549265,449252,761239,972278,740295,360341,345
Lozère82,39190,52398,480108,822128,866135,527144,705
Maine-et-Loire518,241496,068477,690474,786515,431518,589516,197
Manche446,860435,468438,539425,512491,372513,815600,882
Marne415,141386,926410,238366,734432,729434,692373,047
Mayenne251,522256,317251,348262,447313,103332,387374,566
Meurthe-et-Moselle607,022528,805576,041503,810484,722444,150384,514
Meuse207,106188,786216,934207,309283,480292,253328,657
Morbihan520,978506,884542,248546,047563,468544,470478,172
Moselle769,388622,145696,246589,120564,829 525,593
Nièvre240,078248,559249,673270,148323,783343,581327,161
Nord2,098,5451,917,4522,022,1671,787,9181,867,4081,736,3411,158,885
Oise435,308396,724402,569387,760407,808401,835403,857
Orne274,862273,181269,331274,814326,937354,387439,869
Pas-de-Calais1,276,8331,168,5451,179,467989,967956,466874,364694,294
Puy-de-Dôme481,380478,876486,103490,560544,194564,266596,897
Pyrénées-Atlantiques420,019415,797413,411402,981426,347425,027446,997
Pyrénées-Orientales230,285228,776233,347217,503212,121210,125181,955
Rhône966,782918,8661,028,379956,566875,017806,737606,945
Saône-et-Loire511,182506,749525,676554,816620,360619,523574,720
Sarthe420,393412,214388,519389,235422,699429,737473,071
Savoie252,192235,939239,010225,034254,781263,297275,459
Seine-et-Marne453,438407,137409,311349,234358,325356,709345,076
Seine-Maritime941,684846,131915,628880,671853,883839,876762,039
Seine-Saint-Denis   307,329  
Somme464,153441,368467,479452,624536,773546,495569,341
Tarn308,197298,117297,871295,588332,093346,739363,073
Tarn-et-Garonne172,379167,664164,629159,559195,669206,596237,553
Territoire de Belfort99,42786,64899,49794,33892,30483,67057,403
Val-de-Marne   288,879  
Val-d'Oise   164,982  
Var413,012370,688398,662322,945326,384288,336290,214
Vaucluse268,318249,838245,508219,602236,949235,411264,618
Vendée395,641393,787389,211397,292441,311442,355383,734
Vienne319,208313,932306,820306,248336,343344,355317,305
Ville de Paris5,154,8344,775,7114,962,9674,411,6912,714,0683,141,5951,277,064
Vosges372,523342,315376,926383,684421,104410,196406,518
Yonne266,410266,014271,685273,118321,062334,688381,133
Yvelines1,708,7911,414,9101,413,472921,673270,228628,590617,785
Totals42,777,17440,502,51341,907,05639,209,51840,681,42238,333,19236,452,451

 

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.
1921 populations are from a table found at the Insee website.
1851 and 1901 census data are predominantly from Quid 1993, a French encyclopedic almanac. It shows proleptic populations for areas corresponding to the present-day boundaries of the departments.

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