Région in France

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This article is part
of the series:
Subdivisions of France
Regional level
Régions
(incl. Overseas régions)
Departmental level
Départements
(incl. Overseas départements)
Arrondissement level
Arrondissements
Cantonal level
Cantons
Intercommunal level
Communautés urbaines
Communautés d'agglomération
Communautés de communes
Syndicats d'agglomération nouvelle
Communal level
Communes
Municipal arrondissements
Others
Collectivités d'outre-mer
Collectivité sui generis
Pays d'outre-mer
Territoire d'outre-mer
Scattered Islands
Clipperton Island

France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a "territorial collectivity", not a région, but is referred to as a région in common speech), 4 are overseas. Régions are further subdivided into départements.

Contents

General characteristics

In continental France (metropolitan France excluding Corsica), the median land area of a région is 25,809 km² (9,965 sq. miles), which is about one-fifth of the median land area of a U.S. state, but 28% larger than the median land area of a German state, and 67% larger than the median land area of a region of England.

In 2004, the median population of a région in continental France was 2,329,000 inhabitants, which is a little less than one-half of the median population of a region of England, a little more than one-half of the median population of a U.S. state, and three-quarter of the median population of a German state.

A median région of continental France is made up of four départements.

Role

Régions do not have legislative autonomy, nor can they issue regulations. They do levy taxes (or, rather, the national government gives them a portion of the taxes it levies) and have sizeable, though not considerable budgets.

Their main legal attribution is to build and pay equipment costs for high schools; in March 2004, the French national government announced a controversial plan to transfer to the régions some categories of non-teaching school personnel. Critics of this plan contend that it is doubtful that sufficient fiscal resources for these additional charges will be transferred, and that such measures will increase inequalities between régions.

Apart from these legal attributions, régions have considerable discretionary spending for infrastructure (education, public transportation systems, aid to universities and research, support for entrepreneurs). Because of this, being president of a wealthy région such as Île-de-France or Rhône-Alpes may be quite a high profile position.

There are, from time to time, discussions about giving limited legislative autonomy to the régions, but such proposals are controversial. There are also proposals to suppress the local governments of the départements and to folding them into the régions, keeping the départements only as administrative subdivisions.

List

  1. Alsace
  2. Aquitaine
  3. Auvergne
  4. Basse-Normandie
  5. Bourgogne
  6. Bretagne
  7. Centre
  8. Champagne-Ardenne
  9. Corse (special status)
  10. Franche-Comté
  11. Haute-Normandie
  1. Île-de-France
  2. Languedoc-Roussillon
  3. Limousin
  4. Lorraine
  5. Midi-Pyrénées
  6. Nord-Pas-de-Calais
  7. Pays de la Loire
  8. Picardie
  9. Poitou-Charentes
  10. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
  11. Rhône-Alpes

See also

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