France

The French Republic or France ({{ll|French}}: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents.{{ref|overseasholdings}}

Administrative divisions

France has 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a "territorial collectivity", not a région, but is referred to as a région in common speech), 4 are overseas. The régions are further subdivided into 100 départements. The departments are numbered (mainly alphabetically) and this number is used, for instance, in postal codes and vehicle number plates.

Related Topics:
Régions - Metropolitan France - Corse - Corsica - Département

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The departments are further subdivided into 342 arrondissements, but they have no elected assembly and serve only for the districting of state administrations. The arrondissements are further divided into 4,035 cantons, but again these serve only administrative and electoral purposes. Finally, the arrondissements are divided into 36,682 communes, which are all municipalities with an elected assembly (municipal council).

Related Topics:
''arrondissements'' - ''cantons'' - ''communes''

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The régions, départements, and communes are known as territorial collectivities (collectivités territoriales), and they possess local assemblies as well as an executive, while the arrondissements and the cantons are mere administrative divisions. Until 1940, the arrondissements were also territorial collectivities with an elected assembly (arrondissement council), but these were suspended by the Vichy regime and definitely abolished by the Fourth Republic in 1946. Anciently, the cantons were also territorial collectivities with each their own elected assembly.

Related Topics:
Vichy regime - Fourth Republic

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Four of these 100 départements are overseas départements, which are former colonies outside metropolitan France that now enjoy a status similar to European or metropolitan France. They are considered to be a part of France (and the EU) rather than dependent territories, and each of them is an overseas région at the same time.

Related Topics:
Metropolitan France - EU

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In addition to the 26 régions and 100 départements, the French Republic is further made up of overseas territories, overseas countries, overseas "départements", and overseas collectivities.

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Overseas territories and countries form part of the French Republic, but do not form part of the Republic's European territory or the EU fiscal area. The Pacific ocean territories continue to use the French Pacific Franc as their currency, which was not replaced by the euro like the French franc was in 2002. The French Pacific Franc's value is, however, now tied to that of the euro. The overseas "départements", on the other hand, used the French franc and now use the euro.

Related Topics:
EU - French Pacific Franc - Euro

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The departmental and overseas collectivities have an intermediate status between overseas départements and overseas territories.

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France also maintains control over a number of small non permanently inhabited islands in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Tromelin Island. See Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Related Topics:
Indian Ocean - Pacific Ocean - Bassas da India - Clipperton Island - Europa Island - Glorioso Islands - Juan de Nova Island - Tromelin Island - Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans

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