As of January 1 , 2004 , metropolitan France is divided into:
- 22 '' Régions '' (although strictly speaking Corsica is in fact a "territorial collectivity", not a ''région'', but is referred to as a ''région'' in common speech)
- the ''régions'' are divided into 96 '' Département s''
- the ''départements'' are divided into 329 '' Arrondissements ''
- the ''arrondissements'' are divided into 3,879 Canton s
- the ''cantons'' are divided into 36,568 Communes
- 3 communes ( Paris , Marseille , and Lyon ) are further divided into 45 Municipal Arrondissements
Furthermore, as of January 1 , 2006 , there exist 2,558 Intercommunal structures grouping 32,826 communes (89.7% of all the communes of metropolitan France), with 51.98 million people living in them (85.7% of the population of metropolitan France). These intercommunal structures are:
The French Republic is further made up of the following overseas administrative divisions:
- 4 overseas ''régions'' (, French Guiana , Martinique , and Réunion , which have the same status as metropolitan ''régions'' (as much as Hawaii has the same status as a continental US state), each of these overseas ''régions'' also being an overseas département ( Département D'outre-mer , or DOM), with the same status as a ''département'' of metropolitan France. This double structure (''région''/''département'') is new, due to the recent extension of the regional scheme to the overseas ''départements'', and may soon transform into a single structure, with the merger of the regional and departmental assemblies, unless new départements are created such as in the case of Réunion , where it has been proposed to create a second ''département'' in the south of the island, with the ''région'' of Réunion above these two ''départements''.
- these DOM are divided into 13 '' Arrondissements ''
- these 13 ''arrondissements'' are divided into 156 Canton s
- these 156 ''cantons'' make up 114 Communes (in the 4 DOM, there are more cantons than communes, unlike in metropolitan France, because many communes are divided into several cantons, whereas in metropolitan France in general cantons are made up of several communes, except in large communes like Toulouse or Lille which are divided into several cantons)
- Furthermore, as of January 1 , 2006 , there exist 15 intercommunal structures in the DOM, grouping 87 communes (76.3% of all the communes of the DOM), with 1.35 million people living in them (78.7% of the population of the DOM). These intercommunal structures are:
- 6 Communities of Agglomeration ('' Communautés D'agglomération '')
- 9 Communities of Communes ('' Communautés De Communes '')
- 4 overseas collectivities (, Mayotte , Saint-Pierre And Miquelon and Wallis And Futuna
- .
- . No '' Arrondissements ''. Canton s are the same as communes in Mayotte.
- Saint-Pierre And Miquelon (named ''Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon'') is divided into 2 Communes . No '' Arrondissements '', no Canton s.
- , Mua , and Hihifo . No '' Arrondissements '', no Canton s. Wallis and Futuna is also the only permanently inhabited territory of the French Republic with no Communes .
- 1 sui generis collectivity (, whose status is unique in the French Republic: it is the only territory which is not a ''collectivité terrioriale'' (although its subdivisions are ''collectivités territoriales''). A self-determination referendum is scheduled for 2014 to decide the future status of the island.
- New Caledonia is divided into 3 provinces
- the provinces are divided into 33 Communes
- 1 overseas territory (
- the French Southern and Antarctic Lands are divided into 4 districts (''districts'' in French): 1- Kerguelen Islands , 2- Crozet Islands , 3- Amsterdam Island and Saint Paul Island , and 4- Adelie Land (''Terre Adélie''), although sovereignty over Adelie Land in Antarctica is suspended since the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. No permanent population, no Communes .
- Uninhabited islands which belong directly to the central State Public Land (''domaine public d'Etat''):
- a collection of five islands in the Indian Ocean with no permanent population and known as Îles Éparses ("Scattered Islands"), which are administered by the prefect of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands: Bassas da India, Europa, Juan de Nova, Glorioso, and Tromelin.
- 1 uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of .
French administrative subdivisions that have a (limited) freedom of administration are called '' Collectivités Territoriales ''. Among them are régions, départements, communes, régions d'outre-mer, départements d'outre-mer, collectivités d'outre-mer, provinces (New Caledonia) and the "collectivité territoriale de Corse (Corsica)" which belongs to no category (but is close to régions).
New Caledonia is unique as it is ''not'' a collectivité territoriale.
Citizens from all parts of France, including overseas possessions, vote in national elections ( Presidential , Legislative ) and all collectivities are represented in the Senate .
Historically, France was divided into provinces. See: Provinces Of France .
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