Regions of France

Region of France
*Région française* (French)
Region of France; Région française (French)
Also known as:; Rannvroioù Bro-C'hall (Breton), Règion Francêsa (Franco-Provençal), Region Francesa (Occitan), Regió Francesa (Catalan);
	Hauts-de-; France Normandy Île-de-; France Grand Est Bourgogne-; Franche-; Comté Centre-; Val de Loire Pays de ; la Loire Brittany Nouvelle-; Aquitaine Auvergne-; Rhône-Alpes Occitanie Provence-; Alpes-; Côte d'Azur Corsica French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique Mayotte Réunion Belgium Luxembourg Germany Switzerland Italy United Kingdom Andorra Brazil Suriname Spain Channel Bay of; Biscay Ligurian; Sea Mediterranean; Sea
Category	Unitary republic
Location	France
Number	18
Possible status	Overseas region (région d'outre-mer) (5);
Additional status	Territorial collectivity (collectivité territoriale);
Populations	279,471 (Mayotte) – 12,278,210 (Île-de-France)
Areas	376 km2 (145 sq mi) (Mayotte) – 84,061 km2 (32,456 sq mi) (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)
Government	Regional Government, National Government;
Subdivisions	Department;

France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (French: régions, singular région [ʁeʒjɔ̃]), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (on the European continent), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collectivities, which have a semi-autonomous status).^[1]

All of the thirteen metropolitan administrative regions (including Corsica as of 2019) are further subdivided into two to thirteen administrative departments, with the prefect of each region's administrative centre's department also acting as the regional prefect. The overseas regions administratively consist of only one department each and hence also have the status of overseas departments.

Most administrative regions also have the status of regional territorial collectivities, which comes with a local government, with departmental and communal collectivities below the region level. The exceptions are Corsica, French Guiana, Mayotte and Martinique, where region and department functions are managed by single local governments having consolidated jurisdiction and which are known as single territorial collectivities.

History[]

1982–2015[]

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

Between 1982 and 2015, there were 22 regions in Metropolitan France. Before 2011, there were four overseas regions (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion); in 2011 Mayotte became the fifth.

**Regions of France between 2011 and 2015**
Nord-Pas de Calais Picardy Upper Normandy Île-de- France Champagne- Ardenne Lorraine Alsace Franche- Comté Burgundy Centre- Val de Loire Pays de la Loire Brittany Lower Normandy Poitou- Charentes Limousin Auvergne Rhône- Alpes Aquitaine Midi-Pyrénées Languedoc- Roussillon Provence- Alpes- Côte d'Azur Corsica French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique Mayotte Réunion Belgium Luxembourg Germany Switzerland Italy United Kingdom Andorra Brazil Suriname Spain Monaco Channel Bay of Biscay Ligurian Sea Mediterranean Sea

Regions in Metropolitan France between 1982 and 2015 show
Region	French name	Other local name(s)	Capital	INSEE No.^[1]	Derivation or etymology
Alsace	Alsace	Alsatian: Elsàss German: Elsass	Strasbourg	42	Formerly a coalition of free cities in Holy Roman Empire, attached to Kingdom of France in 1648; annexed by Germany from Franco-Prussian war to the end of World War I and briefly during World War II
Aquitaine	Aquitaine	Occitan: Aquitània Basque: Akitania Saintongeais : Aguiéne	Bordeaux	72	Guyenne and Gascony
Auvergne	Auvergne	Occitan: Auvèrnhe / Auvèrnha	Clermont-Ferrand	83	Former province of Auvergne
Brittany	Bretagne	Breton: Breizh Gallo: Bertaèyn	Rennes	53	Duchy of Brittany
Burgundy	Bourgogne	Burgundian: Bregogne / Borgoégne Arpitan: Borgogne	Dijon	26	Duchy of Burgundy
Centre-Val de Loire^[4]	Centre-Val de Loire		Orléans	24	Located in north-central France; straddles the middle of the Loire Valley
Champagne-Ardenne	Champagne-Ardenne		Châlons-en- Champagne	21	Former province of Champagne
Franche-Comté	Franche-Comté	Franc-Comtois: Fràntche-Comté Arpitan: Franche-Comtât	Besançon	43	Free County of Burgundy (Franche-Comté)
Île-de-France	Île-de-France		Paris	11	Province of Île-de-France and parts of the former province of Champagne
Languedoc-Roussillon	Languedoc-Roussillon	Occitan: Lengadòc-Rosselhon Catalan: Llenguadoc-Rosselló	Montpellier	91	Former provinces of Languedoc and Roussillon
Limousin	Limousin	Occitan: Lemosin	Limoges	74	Former province of Limousin and parts of Marche, Berry, Auvergne, Poitou and Angoumois
Lorraine	Lorraine	German: Lothringen Lorraine Franconian: Lottringe	Metz	41	Named for Charlemagne's son Lothair I, the kingdom of Lotharingia is etymologically the source for the name Lorraine (duchy), Lothringen (German), Lottringe (Lorraine Franconian)
Lower Normandy	Basse-Normandie	Norman: Basse-Normaundie	Caen	25	Western half of former province of Normandy
Midi-Pyrénées	Midi-Pyrénées	Occitan: Miègjorn-Pirenèus Occitan: Mieidia-Pirenèus	Toulouse	73	None; created for Toulouse
Nord-Pas-de-Calais	Nord-Pas-de-Calais		Lille	31	Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments
Pays de la Loire	Pays de la Loire	Breton: Broioù al Liger	Nantes	52	None; created for Nantes
Picardy	Picardie		Amiens	22	Former province of Picardy
Poitou-Charentes	Poitou-Charentes	Occitan: Peitau-Charantas Poitevin and Saintongeais : Poetou-Chérentes	Poitiers	54	Former provinces of Angoumois, Aunis, Poitou and Saintonge
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA)	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA)	Provençal: Provença-Aups-Còsta d'Azur (Prouvènço-Aup-Costo d'Azur)	Marseille	93	Former province of Provence
Rhône-Alpes	Rhône-Alpes	Arpitan: Rôno-Arpes Occitan: Ròse Aups	Lyon	82	Created for Lyon from Dauphiné and Lyonnais provinces and Savoy
Upper Normandy	Haute-Normandie	Norman: Ĥâote-Normaundie	Rouen	23	Eastern half of former province of Normandy

Reform and mergers of regions[]

In 2014, the French parliament passed a law reducing the number of metropolitan regions from 22 to 13 effective 1 January 2016.^[5]

The law gave interim names for most of the new regions by combining the names of the former regions, e.g. the region composed of Aquitaine, Poitou-Charentes and Limousin was temporarily called Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes. However, the combined region of Upper and Lower Normandy is simply called "Normandy" (Normandie). Permanent names were proposed by the new regional councils by 1 July 2016 and new names confirmed by the Conseil d'État by 30 September 2016.^[6]^[7] The legislation defining the new regions also allowed the Centre region to officially change its name to "Centre-Val de Loire" with effect from January 2015.^[8] Two regions, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, opted to retain their interim names.^[9]^[10]

Overview of merger proposals for the metropolitan territory
Édouard Balladur's proposal
Manuel Valls's proposal A
Manuel Valls's proposal B
President François Hollande's proposal
Regions as instituted by the National Assembly in 2014

Given below is a table of former regions and which new region they became part of.

Former region		New region
Former region		Interim name	Final name
	Auvergne	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes		Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
	Burgundy	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
	Franche-Comté	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
	Brittany
	Centre-Val de Loire
	Corsica
	French Guiana
	Alsace	Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine	Grand Est
	Champagne-Ardenne
	Lorraine
	Guadeloupe
	Nord-Pas-de-Calais	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie	Hauts-de-France
	Picardy	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie	Hauts-de-France
	Île-de-France
	Martinique
	Mayotte
	Lower Normandy	Normandy
	Upper Normandy	Normandy
	Aquitaine	Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
	Limousin
	Poitou-Charentes
	Languedoc-Roussillon	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées	Occitanie
	Midi-Pyrénées	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées	Occitanie
	Pays de la Loire
	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
	Réunion

List of administrative regions[]

hide
Type	Region	Other local name(s)	Capital	Area (km²)	Seats in Regional council	INSEE No.^[11]	Former regions (until 2016)	President of the corresponding territorial collectivity's legislature
Metropolitan region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Auvergne-Rhône-Alps)	Occitan: Auvèrnhe-Ròse-Aups Arpitan: Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Arpes	Lyon	69,711	204	84	Auvergne Rhône-Alpes	Laurent Wauquiez (LR)
Metropolitan region	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (Burgundy-Free County)	Arpitan: Borgogne-Franche-Comtât	Besançon	47,784	100	27	Burgundy Franche-Comté	Marie-Guite Dufay (PS)
Metropolitan region	Bretagne (Brittany)	Breton: Breizh Gallo: Bertaèyn	Rennes	27,208	83	53	unchanged	Loïg Chesnais-Girard (PS)
Metropolitan region	Centre-Val de Loire^[4] (Centre-Loire Valley)		Orléans	39,151	77	24	unchanged	François Bonneau (PS)
Metropolitan region	Corse (Corsica)	Corsican: Corsica	Ajaccio	8,680	63	94	unchanged	Jean-Guy Talamoni (CL)
Metropolitan region	Grand Est (Great East)	German: Großer Osten	Strasbourg	57,441	169	44	Alsace Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine	Jean Rottner (LR)
Metropolitan region	Hauts-de-France (Upper France)		Lille	31,806	170	32	Nord-Pas-de-Calais Picardy	Xavier Bertrand (LR)
Metropolitan region	Île-de-France (Island of France)		Paris	12,011	209	11	unchanged	Valérie Pécresse (LR)
Metropolitan region	Normandie (Normandy)	Norman: Normaundie	Caen	29,907	102	28	Upper Normandy Lower Normandy	Hervé Morin (LC)
Metropolitan region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine (New Aquitaine)	Occitan: Nòva Aquitània / Nava Aquitània / Novela Aquitània Basque: Akitania Berria	Bordeaux	84,036	183	75	Aquitaine Limousin Poitou-Charentes	Alain Rousset (PS)
Metropolitan region	Occitanie (Occitania)	Occitan: Occitània Catalan: Occitània	Toulouse	72,724	158	76	Languedoc-Roussillon Midi-Pyrénées	Carole Delga (PS)
Metropolitan region	Pays de la Loire (Loire Countries)	Breton: Broioù al Liger	Nantes	32,082	93	52	unchanged	Christelle Morançais (LR)
Metropolitan region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Provence-Alps-Azure Coast)	Provençal: Provença-Aups-Còsta d'Azur (Prouvènço-Aup-Costo d'Azur)	Marseille	31,400	123	93	unchanged	Renaud Muselier (LR)
Overseas region	Guadeloupe	Antillean Creole: Gwadloup	Basse-Terre	1,628	41	01	unchanged	Ary Chalus (GUSR)
Overseas region	Guyane (French Guiana)		Cayenne	83,534	51	03	unchanged	Rodolphe Alexandre (PSG)
Overseas region	La Réunion (Réunion)	Reunion Creole: La Rényon	Saint-Denis	2,504	45	04	unchanged	Didier Robert (LR)
Overseas region	Martinique	Antillean Creole: Matinik	Fort-de-France	1,128	51	02	unchanged	Claude Lise (RDM)
Overseas region	Mayotte	Shimaore: Maore Malagasy: Mahori	Mamoudzou	374	26	06	unchanged	Soibahadine Ibrahim Ramadani (LR)
				632,734	1,910

Role[]

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

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

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

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

Regional control[]

Number of regions controlled by each coalition since 1986.

Elections	Presidencies			Map
Elections	Left	Right	Other	Map
1986	5	21	–
1992	4	21	1
1998	10	15	1
2004	23	2	1
2010	23	3	–
2015	7	8	2
2021	8	7	1

Overseas regions[]

Overseas region (French: Région d'outre-mer) is a recent designation, given to the overseas departments that have similar powers to those of the regions of metropolitan France. As integral parts of the French Republic, they are represented in the National Assembly, Senate and Economic and Social Council, elect a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and use the euro as their currency.

Although these territories have had these political powers since 1982, when France's decentralisation policy dictated that they be given elected regional councils along with other regional powers, the designation overseas regions dates only to the 2003 constitutional change; indeed, the new wording of the constitution aims to give no precedence to either appellation overseas department or overseas region, although the second is still virtually unused by French media.

The following have overseas region status:

in the Indian Ocean (Africa):
- Mayotte
- Réunion

in the Americas:
- French Guiana in South America
- Guadeloupe in the Antilles (Caribbean)
- Martinique in the Antilles (Caribbean)

^ Saint Pierre and Miquelon (off Canada, in North America), once an overseas department, was demoted to a territorial collectivity in 1985.

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Carte des Régions" (in French). INSEE. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
^ Jean-Marie Miossec (2009), Géohistoire de la régionalisation en France, Paris: Presses universitaires de France ISBN 978-2-13-056665-6.
^ These flags are not official.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b New name as of 17 January 2015; formerly named Centre.
^ La carte à 13 régions définitivement adoptée, Le Monde, 17 December 2014, accessed 2 January 2015
^ Quel nom pour la nouvelle région ? Vous avez choisi..., Sud-Ouest, 4 December 2014, accessed 2 January 2015
^ "Nouveau nom de la région : dernier jour de vote, Occitanie en tête". midilibre.fr.
^ "Journal officiel of 17 January 2015". Légifrance (in French). 17 January 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
^ "Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes : fini la consultation, Laurent Wauquiez a tranché - Place Gre'net". placegrenet.fr. 31 May 2016.
^ "Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté". www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr.
^ "La nouvelle nomenclature des codes régions" (in French). INSEE. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

External links[]

Regions of France at Curlie
Guide to the regions of France
Local websites by region
Will 2010 regional elections lead to political shake-up? Radio France Internationale in English

Overseas regions

[INSEE-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Carte des Régions" (in French). INSEE. Retrieved 29 September 2009.

[2] Jean-Marie Miossec (2009), Géohistoire de la régionalisation en France, Paris: Presses universitaires de France ISBN 978-2-13-056665-6.

[These_flags_are_not_official-3] These flags are not official.

[ReferenceA-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b New name as of 17 January 2015; formerly named Centre.

[5] La carte à 13 régions définitivement adoptée, Le Monde, 17 December 2014, accessed 2 January 2015

[6] Quel nom pour la nouvelle région ? Vous avez choisi..., Sud-Ouest, 4 December 2014, accessed 2 January 2015

[7] "Nouveau nom de la région : dernier jour de vote, Occitanie en tête". midilibre.fr.

[8] "Journal officiel of 17 January 2015". Légifrance (in French). 17 January 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.

[9] "Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes : fini la consultation, Laurent Wauquiez a tranché - Place Gre'net". placegrenet.fr. 31 May 2016.

[10] "Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté". www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr.

[11] "La nouvelle nomenclature des codes régions" (in French). INSEE. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

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show v t Administrative regions of France
Current (since 2016)	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Brittany Centre-Val de Loire (Centre until 2015) Corsica Grand Est Hauts-de-France Île-de-France Normandy Nouvelle-Aquitaine Occitanie Pays de la Loire Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Former (1982–2015)	Alsace Aquitaine Auvergne Burgundy Champagne-Ardenne Franche-Comté Languedoc-Roussillon Limousin Lorraine Lower Normandy Midi-Pyrénées Nord-Pas-de-Calais Picardy Poitou-Charentes Rhône-Alpes Upper Normandy
Overseas regions	French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique Mayotte Réunion
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