Departments of France

The départements (or departments) are administrative parts of France and many French colonies, similar to English counties. Départements are a kind of local government.

The 101 French départements are now grouped into 13 metropolitan and five overseas régions. Their capitals are called préfectures.

French régions and préfecture

Départements (Departments) and Regions of France

INSEE code Arms 1 Department Prefecture Region Named after 01 Ain Bourg-en-Bresse  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Ain (river) 02 Aisne Laon  Hauts-de-France Aisne (river) 03 Allier Moulins  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Allier (river) 04 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 2 Digne-les-Bains  Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Alps 05 Hautes-Alpes Gap  Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Alps 06 Alpes-Maritimes Nice  Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Alps 07 Ardèche Privas  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Ardèche (river) 08 Ardennes Charleville-Mézières  Grand Est Ardennes Forest 09 Ariège Foix  Occitanie Ariège (river) 10 Aube Troyes  Grand Est Aube (river) 11 Aude Carcassonne  Occitanie Aude (river) 12 Aveyron Rodez  Occitanie Aveyron (river) 13 Bouches-du-Rhône Marseille  Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Rhône (river) 14 Calvados Caen  Normandy Calvados rocks 15 Cantal Aurillac  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Mounts of Cantal 16 Charente Angoulême  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Charente (river) 17 Charente-Maritime 3 La Rochelle  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Charente (river) 18 Cher Bourges  Centre-Val de Loire Cher (river) 19 Corrèze Tulle  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Corrèze (river) 2A Corse-du-Sud Ajaccio  Corsica Island of Corsica 2B Haute-Corse Bastia  Corsica Island of Corsica 21 Côte-d'Or Dijon  Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Côte d'Or (escarpment) 22 Côtes-d'Armor 4 Saint-Brieuc Brittany coasts of Armorica 23 Creuse Guéret  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Creuse (river) 24 Dordogne Périgueux  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Dordogne (river) 25 Doubs Besançon  Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Doubs (river) 26 Drôme Valence  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Drôme (river) 27 Eure Évreux  Normandy Eure (river) 28 Eure-et-Loir Chartres  Centre-Val de Loire Eure and Loir rivers 29 Finistère Quimper Brittany Finis Terræ (end of earth) 30 Gard Nîmes  Occitanie Gardon (river) 31 Haute-Garonne Toulouse  Occitanie Garonne (river) 32 Gers Auch  Occitanie Gers (river) 33 Gironde 5 Bordeaux  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Gironde (river) 34 Hérault Montpellier  Occitanie Hérault (river) 35 Ille-et-Vilaine Rennes Brittany Ille and Vilaine rivers 36 Indre Châteauroux  Centre-Val de Loire Indre (river) 37 Indre-et-Loire Tours  Centre-Val de Loire Indre and Loire rivers 38 Isère Grenoble  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Isère (river) 39 Jura Lons-le-Saunier  Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Jura Mountains 40 Landes Mont-de-Marsan  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Landes forest 41 Loir-et-Cher Blois  Centre-Val de Loire Loir and Cher rivers 42 Loire Saint-Étienne  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Loire (river) 43 Haute-Loire Le Puy-en-Velay  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Loire (river) 44 Loire-Atlantique 6 Nantes  Pays de la Loire Loire (river) 45 Loiret Orléans  Centre-Val de Loire Loiret (river) 46 Lot Cahors  Occitanie Lot (river) 47 Lot-et-Garonne Agen  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Lot and Garonne rivers 48 Lozère Mende  Occitanie Mont Lozère 49 Maine-et-Loire 7 Angers  Pays de la Loire Maine and Loire rivers 50 Manche Saint-Lô  Normandy English Channel 51 Marne Châlons-en-Champagne  Grand Est Marne (river) 52 Haute-Marne Chaumont  Grand Est Marne (river) 53 Mayenne Laval  Pays de la Loire Mayenne (river) 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle Nancy  Grand Est Meurthe and Moselle rivers 55 Meuse Bar-le-Duc  Grand Est Meuse (river) 56 Morbihan Vannes Brittany Gulf of Morbihan 57 Moselle Metz  Grand Est Moselle (river) 58 Nièvre Nevers  Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Nièvre (river) 59 Nord Lille  Hauts-de-France North 60 Oise Beauvais  Hauts-de-France Oise (river) 61 Orne Alençon  Normandy Orne (river) 62 Pas-de-Calais Arras  Hauts-de-France Strait of Dover 63 Puy-de-Dôme Clermont-Ferrand  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Puy de Dôme volcano 64 Pyrénées-Atlantiques 8 Pau  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Pyrenees 65 Hautes-Pyrénées Tarbes  Occitanie Pyrenees 66 Pyrénées-Orientales Perpignan  Occitanie Pyrenees 67 Bas-Rhin Strasbourg  Grand Est Rhine (river) 68 Haut-Rhin Colmar  Grand Est Rhine (river) 69 Rhône Lyon (provisional)  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rhône (river) 69M Metropolitan Lyon 18 Lyon  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes communes of Lyon 70 Haute-Saône Vesoul  Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Saône (river) 71 Saône-et-Loire Mâcon  Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Saône and Loire rivers 72 Sarthe Le Mans  Pays de la Loire Sarthe (river) 73 Savoie Chambéry  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Savoy 74 Haute-Savoie Annecy  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Savoy 75 Paris 9 Paris  Île-de-France city of Paris 76 Seine-Maritime 10 Rouen  Normandy Seine (river) 77 Seine-et-Marne Melun  Île-de-France Seine and Marne rivers 78 Yvelines 11 Versailles  Île-de-France Forest of Yvelines 79 Deux-Sèvres Niort  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Sèvre Nantaise and Sèvre Niortaise rivers 80 Somme Amiens  Hauts-de-France Somme (river) 81 Tarn Albi  Occitanie Tarn (river) 82 Tarn-et-Garonne Montauban  Occitanie Tarn and Garonne rivers 83 Var Toulon  Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Var (river) 84 Vaucluse Avignon  Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Fontaine-de-Vaucluse spring 85 Vendée La Roche-sur-Yon  Pays de la Loire Vendée (river) 86 Vienne Poitiers  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Vienne (river) 87 Haute-Vienne Limoges  Nouvelle-Aquitaine Vienne (river) 88 Vosges Épinal  Grand Est Vosges Mountains 89 Yonne Auxerre  Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Yonne (river) 90 Territoire de Belfort Belfort  Bourgogne-Franche-Comté city of Belfort 91 Essonne 12 Évry  Île-de-France Essonne (river) 92 Hauts-de-Seine 13 Nanterre  Île-de-France Seine (river) 93 Seine-Saint-Denis 14 Bobigny  Île-de-France Seine (river) 94 Val-de-Marne Créteil  Île-de-France Marne (river) 95 Val-d'Oise Pontoise 15  Île-de-France Oise (river) 971 Guadeloupe 16 Basse-Terre  Guadeloupe 972 Martinique 16 Fort-de-France  Martinique 973 Guyane 16 Cayenne  French Guiana 974 La Réunion 16 Saint-Denis  Réunion 976 Mayotte 17 Mamoudzou  Mayotte Notes: ^1 Most of the coats of arms are not official ^2 This department was known as Basses-Alpes until 1970 ^3 This department was known as Charente-Inférieure until 1941 ^4 This department was known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 ^5 This department was known as Bec-d'Ambès from 1793 until 1795. The Convention eliminated the name to avoid recalling the outlawed Girondin political faction. ^6 This department was known as Loire-Inférieure until 1957 ^7 This department was known as Mayenne-et-Loire until 1791 ^8 This department was known as Basses-Pyrénées until 1969 ^9 Number 75 was formerly assigned to Seine ^10 This department was known as Seine-Inférieure until 1955 ^11 Number 78 was formerly assigned to Seine-et-Oise ^12 Number 91 was formerly assigned to Alger, in French Algeria ^13 Number 92 was formerly assigned to Oran, in French Algeria ^14 Number 93 was formerly assigned to Constantine, in French Algeria ^15 The prefecture of Val-d'Oise was established in Pontoise when the department was created, but moved de facto to the neighbouring commune of Cergy; currently, both part of the ville nouvelle of Cergy-Pontoise ^16 The overseas departments each constitute a region and enjoy a status identical to metropolitan France. They are part of France and the European Union, though special EU rules apply to them. ^17 Mayotte became the 101st department of France on 31 March 2011. The INSEE code of Mayotte is 976 (975 is already assigned to the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon) ^18 Metropoles with territorial collectivity statute.

Regions and departments of metropolitan France; the numbers are those of the first column The departments in the immediate vicinity of Paris; the numbers are those of the first column