The Départements of France

The system of departments of France can confuse visitors at first, but it is very simple once you know the principle.

France is divided into a number of regions, which are then sub-divided into the departments. These départements of France are administrative areas, roughly analogous to English counties. With the exception of the Paris and the surrounding area (Ile-de-France), each department is numbered in alphabetical order. Most of the departments are named after the principal rivers of the area (i.e. 24 - River Dordogne) or other physical features.

The last two digits on a vehicle registration plate show where it was registered. This is a good game for the holidays - tell the kids the number of the department where you are going on holiday, the winner is whoever spots the first number plate from the area.

The first two numbers of a french post code represent the department number.

The Regions of France

(Where the English names differ greatly from the French we have shown the English names in italics)

Alsace

Aquitaine

Auvergne

Bourgogne (Burgundy)

Bretagne (Brittany)

Centre

Champagne-Ardenne

Corse (Corsica)

Franche-Comté

Ile-de-France (Paris and Paris area)

Languedoc-Roussillon

Limousin

Lorraine

Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy)

Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy)

Midi-Pyrénées

Nord-Pas-de-Calais (North-Calais)

Pays-de-la-Loire

Picardie (Picardy)

Poitou-Charentes

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Rhône-Alpes

The historic regions

Before the creation of the regions and the départements in the 18th century, France was divided into Provinces. Many of these provinces carried the same names as today's regions (although they had different geographical boundaries) and even now are sometimes referred to by the old names.

You will also encounter other names for regions - Perigord, Berry, Quercy, Gascony, Anjou, Camargue to mention a few, all a legacy of the rich history of the country.

The Departments