Nord-Pas
de Calais

Picardy

Upper
Normandy

Ile-de-
France

Champagne-
Ardenne

Lorraine

Alsace

Franche-
Comté

Burgundy

Centre

Pays-de-la-
Loire

Brittany

Lower
Normandy

Poitou-
Charentes

Limousin

Auvergne

Rhône-
Alpes

Aquitaine

Midi-Pyrénées

Languedoc-
Roussillon

PACA

Corsica

French Guiana

Guadeloupe

Martinique

Réunion

Belgium

Luxembourg

Germany

Switzerland

Italy

United Kingdom

Andorra

Spain

English Channel

Bay of
Biscay

Ligurian
Sea

Mediterranean
Sea

This article is part of the series on Administrative divisions of France

Main article

Regions (incl. overseas regions)

Departments (incl. overseas departments)

Arrondissements

Cantons

Intercommunality Urban communities Agglomeration communities Commune communities Syndicates of New Agglomeration

Communes Associated communes Municipal arrondissements

Others in Overseas France Overseas collectivities Sui generis collectivity Overseas country Overseas territory Clipperton Island

France is divided into 27 administrative regions (French: régions, pronounced: [ʁe.ʒjɔ̃]), 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity (French collectivité territoriale), but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website. Each mainland region and Corsica are further subdivided into departments, ranging in number from 2 to 8 per region for the metropolitan ones whereas the overseas regions technically consist of only one department. The term region was officially created by the Law of Decentralization (2 March 1982), which also gave regions their legal status. The first direct elections for regional representatives took place on 16 March 1986.

General characteristics

In mainland France (excluding Corsica), the median land area of a region is 25,809 km² (9,965 sq mi), which is slightly larger than the U.S. state of Vermont, and 4% the median land area of a Canadian province, but 15% larger than the median land area of a German region ("Regierungsbezirk").

In 2004, the median population of a region in continental France was 2,329,000 inhabitants, three quarters of the median population of a German Land (state), but more than twice the median population of a Canadian province.

Role

Regions lack separate legislative authority and therefore cannot write their own statutory law. They levy their own taxes and, in return, receive a decreasing part of their budget from the central government, which gives them a portion of the taxes it levies. They also have considerable budgets managed by a regional council (conseil régional) made up of representatives voted into office in regional elections.

A region's primary responsibility is to build and furnish high schools. In March 2004, the French central government unveiled a controversial plan to transfer regulation of certain categories of non-teaching school staff to the regional authorities. Critics of this plan contended that tax revenue was insufficient to pay for the resulting costs, and that such measures would increase regional inequalities.

In addition, regions have considerable discretionary power over infrastructural spending, e.g., education, public transit, universities and research, and assistance to business owners. This has meant that the heads of wealthy regions such as Île-de-France or Rhône-Alpes can be high-profile positions.

Proposals to give regions limited legislative autonomy have met with considerable resistance; others propose transferring certain powers from the departments to their respective regions, leaving the former with limited authority.

Regional Control

Number of regions controlled by each coalition since 1986.

Representation of mainland France's regions and their respective historical and military flags

Regions and their capitals

Metropolitan regions

Flag	Region	French name	Native name/s	Capital	INSEE No.	Derivation or status	President
	Alsace	Alsace	Alsatian: Elsàss German: Elsass	Strasbourg	42	Former German territory of Elsaß	P. Richert (UMP)
	Aquitaine	Aquitaine	Occitan: Aquitània Basque: Akitania	Bordeaux	72	Former Roman province of Aquitaine plus Guyenne and Gascony	A. Rousset (PS)
	Auvergne	Auvergne	Occitan: Auvèrnhe / Auvèrnha	Clermont-Ferrand	83	Former province of Auvergne	R. Souchon (PS)
	Burgundy	Bourgogne	Burgundian: Bregogne / Borgoégne Arpitan: Borgogne	Dijon	26	Duchy of Burgundy	F. Patriat (PS)
	Brittany	Bretagne	Breton: Breizh Gallo: Bertaèyn	Rennes	53	Duchy of Brittany	J-Y. Le Drian (PS)
	Centre	Centre		Orléans	24	Central position	F. Bonneau (PS)
	Champagne-Ardenne	Champagne-Ardenne		Châlons-en- Champagne	21	Former province of Champagne	J-P. Bachy (PS)
	Franche-Comté	Franche-Comté	Franc-Comtois: Fràntche-Comté Arpitan: Franche-Comtât	Besançon	43	Free County of Burgundy (Franche-Comté)	M-M. Dufay (PS)
	Île-de-France	Ile-de-France (PS)		Paris	11	Province of Ile-de-France and parts of the former province of Champagne	J-P. Huchon
	Languedoc-Roussillon	Languedoc-Roussillon	Occitan: Lengadòc-Rosselhon Catalan: Llenguadoc-Rosselló	Montpellier	91	Former provinces of Languedoc and Roussillon	C. Bourquin (DVG)
	Limousin	Limousin	Occitan: Lemosin	Limoges	74	Former province of Limousin and parts of Marche, Berry, Auvergne, Poitou and Angoumois	J-P. Denanot (PS)
	Lorraine	Lorraine	German: Lothringen	Metz	41	Former province of Lorraine plus Barrois and the Three Bishoprics	J-P. Masseret (PS)
	Lower Normandy	Basse-Normandie	Norman: Basse-Normaundie	Caen	25		L. Beauvais (PS)
	Midi-Pyrénées	Midi-Pyrénées	Occitan: Miègjorn-Pirenèus Occitan: Mieidia-Pirenèus	Toulouse	73	None; created for Toulouse	M. Malvy (PS)
	Nord-Pas-de-Calais	Nord-Pas-de-Calais	Dutch: Noord-Nauw van Kales	Lille	31	Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments	D. Percheron (PS)
	Pays de la Loire	Pays de la Loire	Breton: Broioù al Liger	Nantes	52	None; created for Nantes	J. Auxiette (PS)
	Picardy	Picardie		Amiens	22		C. Gewerc (PS)
	Poitou-Charentes	Poitou-Charentes		Poitiers	54	Former province of Poitou	S. Royal (PS)
	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur	Occitan:    Provença-Aups-Còsta d'Azur    Prouvènço-Aup-Costo d'Azur Italian:    Provenza-Alpi-Costa Azzurra	Marseille	93	Provence plus the former county of Nice, principality of Orange and Avignon	M. Vauzelle (PS)
	Rhône-Alpes	Rhône-Alpes	Arpitan: Rôno-Arpes Occitan: Ròse Aups	Lyon	82	Created for Lyon from Dauphiné and Lyonais provinces	J-J. Queyranne (PS)
	Upper Normandy	Haute-Normandie	Norman: Ĥâote-Normaundie	Rouen	23		A. Le Vern (PS)
The following region has the special status of territorial collectivity.
	Corsica	Corse	Corsican: Corsica Italian: Corsica	Ajaccio	94	Territorial collectivity	P. Giacobbi (PRG)
The following five regions have the special status of overseas region.
	French Guiana	Guyane		Cayenne	03	Overseas region	R. Alexandre (PSG)
	Guadeloupe	Guadeloupe	Antillean Creole: Gwadloup	Basse-Terre	01	Overseas region	V. Lurel (PS)
	Martinique	Martinique	Antillean Creole: Matinik	Fort-de-France	02	Overseas region	S. Letchimy (PPM)
	Mayotte	Mayotte	Shimaore: Maore Malagasy: Mahori	Mamoudzou	05	Overseas region	D. Zaïdani (DVG)
	Reunion	La Réunion	Reunion Creole: La Rényon	Saint-Denis	04	Overseas region	D. Robert (UMP)

See also

• Regional councils of France
• Administrative divisions of France
• Ranked list of French regions
• French regional elections, 2004
• Flags of the regions of France
• ISO 3166-2:FR