Complete list of French departments and their prefectures

This article shows all the prefectures of the French departments. There are 96 in metropolitan France, 5 in overseas territories, and 234 sub-prefectures. Generally, the department prefecture is the same place as the Department Council and its president.

List of French departments with their prefectures

The list of French departments and their prefectures is as follows:

This list includes all the departments of France and their prefectures. There are 96 departments in France and 5 overseas. Each department has a number and a special city. The map of the departments is also available for better visualization.

Administrative Geography

Some prefectures of the departments of France are far within their department. Eight prefectures are near the sea. Six others are near rivers, separating them from other departments. These number three).

They also border two or more departments. Some even touch another country.

The administrative division of the regional subdivisions of the French regions has several types. There are arrondissements, municipalities, cantons, and legislative constituencies. The figures for municipal population often change.

Population density is measured in persons per square kilometer. This varies from one department to another. The size of departments also changes. This depends on the boundaries and the accuracy of the land registry.

Some departments stand out with specificities. Some regions gain more power or change status. There have been recent mergers.

For example, Paris is now a single territory, not two. It merged with the department of Paris to become the City of Paris. It is a collectivity with special status.

And there are groupings of departments. Like the European Collectivity of Alsace, which is a good example.

Overseas Regions

France does not only rely on its 96 metropolitan departments. It also has 5 overseas departments. These 5 are Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane, La Réunion, and Mayotte. Mayotte joined the list in 2011. These areas are known as the overseas departments and regions (DROM). They have the same rights as metropolitan France.

Particular Cases

In most cases, the prefecture of a department is at its capital. But there are exceptions. For example, in the Val-d’Oise, the prefecture and the Department Council are in Cergy. The official capital remains Pontoise.

A special case is the Corsican region. It united its two departments and its collectivity on January 1, 2018. Now, Ajaccio has two prefectures, for Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse.

Finally, the Alsace region created the European Collectivity of Alsace on January 1, 2021. It united the departments of Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin. However, Strasbourg and Colmar retain their prefectures.