Maps of France

The French Country is divided into 26 regions and 96 départements, referring only to the Metropolitan France. This ancient European country is commonly said to have complex administrative divisions, splitting the territory into about 7 levels (without considering overseas French territories and collectivities)!

---

The French country is managed by several levels of Administrations.

The highest scale refers to the 26 administrative Régions (regions): 21 are strictly located on the France Métropolitaine territory, one is for the Corsica Island (officially called "territorial collectivity" but commonly considered a French region) and the last 4 designate the DOM-TOM overseas regions (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, Guyane - Mayotte may be granted this status in 2011).

Map of Regions and Departments

French Regions and Departements Map

All these regions are then divided at least into 2 Départements - often referred to as "Departments" in English. The départements - numbered in alphabetical order - are actually the most used administrative division in France as they are used for postcodes (first 2 numbers of the code) and number plates (last 2-digit number).

More details about the departments available here

Every French department has an administrative centre named Préfecture, normally established in the county town (Chef-lieu, major city of the departement and headquarters of the General Council), except for Val d'Oise.

French divisions deal foremost with administrative duties, but Regions, Departements and Communes also possess an executive and are represented by elected counsellors. The latter are gathered in local assemblies, respectively the Conseil Régional, Conseil Général and Conseil Municipal which discuss the budget and various projects for their own administrative division.

This takes part into the French national programme of "administration decentralizing".

Nonetheless, many debates have come out amongst the French Government about the future of the Regions and Departements of France. Many French officials would like to simplify the administrative French "layout" whilst purists value the traditional division of the land as a mark of the History of France. Learn more

Map of the Former French Provinces

The regions of France originally matched the historical Provinces, some of which are still known for their popular habits and feasts, food and wine or simply for their beautiful, wild landscapes. The provinces of Burgundy, Touraine and Berry are some of them.

Learn more about the Former Provinces of France!

Map of the Major Cities in France

Below is the map of the major cities in France, hover on the map to enlarge it:

Map of the Train Lines in France

Below is the map of the major cities train lines in France, just hover on the map to enlarge it:

Back to About France
Back to France Information