Regions and “départements” of France

What does a region consist of?

Metropolitan France is divided into 22 administrative regions, each made up of several “departments”. The aim is to decentralize power and skills. Each region has an elected assembly which is involved in economic, industrial and cultural life. The division does its best to respect cultural and historical identities.

What is a “département?”

This is an administrative constituency, first created in 1790 in order to decentralize French public services. Each of the 96 metropolitan “departments” is run by a “préfet”, based in a county town known as the “chef-lieu” or “prefecture”. In 1946, they were joined by 4 overseas “départements d’outre-mer” (DOM): Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and Réunion.

French regional tourist offices in Paris

www.maisonsregionales.com