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The administrative division of France (1/3)
Decentralisation is a way of organising a unitary State. The State transfers powers and resources to other authorities, the local authorities (collectivités territoriales).
Key points of the sheet
- There are several levels: municipalities (communes), départements, regions, authorities with special status (for example Corsica or New Caledonia) and overseas authorities.
- The municipality (commune) acts mainly in town planning, housing and social action. It runs primary and nursery schools. There are more than 35,000 municipalities.
- The département acts mainly in social action, for example help for disabled people. It also runs lower secondary schools (collèges). There are 101 départements.
- The region helps in particular to run upper secondary schools (lycées), develop economic activity and plan the territory. There are 18 regions.
- Paris and the Lyon metropolis have the powers of both the municipality and the département. The European Collectivity of Alsace (collectivité européenne d'Alsace) has the powers of a département. It also has specific powers adapted to the particular features of Alsace.
- Overseas authorities also have special features. For example, they can adapt laws and regulations to their local constraints and set their own rules (except Réunion).
- The municipality can act in all areas of local interest, except the powers of the State or of another authority. The département and the region have precise, defined powers.
- The constitutional reform of 2003 enshrines "the decentralised organisation of the Republic".
Words to know
- decentralisation (décentralisation)
- It is the State transferring powers and resources to local authorities.
- local authorities (collectivités territoriales)
- They are the authorities that receive powers from the State, such as municipalities, départements and regions.
- general competence clause (clause générale de compétence)
- Thanks to it, the municipality can act in all areas of local interest, except the powers of the State or of another authority.
- authorities with special status (collectivités à statut particulier)
- They are authorities with their own features, such as Paris or the Lyon metropolis.
- overseas authorities (collectivités d’outre-mer)
- They do not have special status, but they can for example adapt laws and regulations and set their own rules (except Réunion).
Test yourself: 3 questions
How many regions are there in France?
In French, the language of the exam: Combien y a-t-il de régions en France ?
The sheet says there are 18 regions in France.
Which authority runs lower secondary schools (collèges)?
In French, the language of the exam: Quelle collectivité gère les collèges ?
The département runs lower secondary schools (collèges).
In what year did a constitutional reform enshrine the decentralised organisation of the Republic?
In French, the language of the exam: En quelle année une réforme constitutionnelle consacre-t-elle l'organisation décentralisée de la République ?
The constitutional reform of 2003 enshrines the decentralised organisation of the Republic.
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Questions on the ministry's list that rest on this sheet
More in this topic (Organisation of the French Republic)
- The administrative divisions of France (2/3): the prefect (préfet) and the prefecture (préfecture)
- The administrative divisions of France (3/3)
Source
Sheet “Le découpage administratif de la France (1/3)” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.