Overview

France is divided into 18 administrative regions that serve as the highest tier of local government. Thirteen of these lie in continental Europe, commonly called Metropolitan France, while five are located overseas. Regions coordinate economic development, transportation, education, and planning, and they share authority with national government representatives called prefects. The country itself is identified as France and sits in Europe.

Structure and components

Each region contains several departments and is governed by an elected regional council and president. Regions provide funding and policy direction for secondary education (lycées), vocational training, regional transport, land use and some economic development programs. The national government retains responsibility for policing, justice, national defence and overall fiscal policy; it is represented in each region by a prefect.

History and the 2016 territorial reform

Until 2016, metropolitan France had 22 regions (and together with overseas regions the total was higher). A law implemented mergers that reduced the number to 13 metropolitan regions and 18 overall. The change aimed to simplify administration and create larger regions with stronger planning capacity. Not all territories were merged: Corsica has a distinct legal status as a territorial collectivity, and the five overseas regions maintain both regional and departmental roles.

Metropolitan and overseas regions

Metropolitan regions include widely known areas such as Île-de-France (the Paris region), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Occitanie, Grand Est, Hauts-de-France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Normandy, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Centre-Val de Loire, Pays de la Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Corsica (special status), and the historical region of Brittany. Overseas regions, which are also overseas departments, include French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Réunion.

Geography, neighbours and maritime borders

France shares land borders with a number of countries and maritime boundaries with several seas. Some neighbouring states are Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the United Kingdom, Andorra, Spain, and the microstate Monaco. Overseas departments share maritime or regional proximity with countries such as Brazil and Suriname. Important bodies of water bordering French regions include the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay, the Ligurian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Importance and distinctions

  • Regions coordinate large-scale planning and manage significant public budgets for transport, education and economic development.
  • Corsica operates under a special territorial collectivity arrangement distinct from other metropolitan regions.
  • Overseas regions are integral parts of the French Republic with the same legal status as metropolitan regions, yet they combine departmental and regional functions due to their geography and population.
  • Regional boundaries do not replace departments or communes; they are an added layer intended to promote coherent regional policy.

For further reading on individual regions, governance and recent administrative reforms, consult regional government sources and summaries from national administrative authorities via the relevant official pages and documents (Hauts-de-France, Normandy, Île-de-France, Grand Est, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Centre-Val de Loire, Pays de la Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Occitanie, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Corsica, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion).