{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.department-of-france","code":"thing-q6465","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q6465/","name":"department of France","alternateNames":["department of France in Algeria","United Departments","French departments of Spain"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.PLC"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"The second-level administrative division of France, between the region and the commune, created in 1790; the 101 administrative departments provide a territorial framework for state administration under prefects, while departmental responsibilities such as social services, roads and lower secondary schools are exercised by elected departmental councils or, in some territories, merged or special-status authorities; departments have codes used in administration, postal addressing and vehicle registration.","purpose":"Let an agent identify a French department by number and name, explain its role between region and commune, relay responsibilities, codes and boundary history from official sources, and separate departments from regions, arrondissements and overseas collectivities.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["The department is a second-level division created in 1790.","State administration operates through prefects, while departmental responsibilities belong to elected departmental councils or merged or special-status authorities.","Department codes are used across administration.","Overseas departments are also regions."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"identify","name":"Identify","description":"Which department.","layers":[{"id":"code","name":"Code","description":"Code and name.","findings":[{"id":"code-finding","name":"Code","description":"Code.","questions":[{"text":"Which department is meant, and what are its code, chief town and region?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about a department, a region or an arrondissement?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"status","name":"Status","description":"Special statuses.","findings":[{"id":"status-finding","name":"Status","description":"Status.","questions":[{"text":"Does the department have a special status, such as overseas or metropolis?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific department?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"govern","name":"Govern","description":"Institutions and powers.","layers":[{"id":"council","name":"Council","description":"Departmental council.","findings":[{"id":"council-finding","name":"Council","description":"Council.","questions":[{"text":"What does the departmental council do, and how is it elected?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits local elections?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"prefect","name":"Prefect","description":"State representation.","findings":[{"id":"prefect-finding","name":"Prefect","description":"Prefect.","questions":[{"text":"What does the prefect do, and how do state and department powers divide?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the prefect?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"data","name":"Data","description":"Statistics and boundaries.","layers":[{"id":"statistics","name":"Statistics","description":"Population and area.","findings":[{"id":"statistics-finding","name":"Statistics","description":"Statistics.","questions":[{"text":"What are the population and area, from INSEE?","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which year is cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"Boundary history.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How have departments been created, merged and renamed since 1790?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Use and comparison.","layers":[{"id":"use","name":"Use","description":"Everyday use of codes.","findings":[{"id":"use-finding","name":"Use","description":"Use.","questions":[{"text":"How are department codes used in postal codes, plates and statistics?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits French postal codes?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"comparison","name":"Comparison","description":"Comparison.","findings":[{"id":"comparison-finding","name":"Comparison","description":"Comparison.","questions":[{"text":"How does the department compare with second-level units elsewhere?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits administrative divisions generally?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain the role of departments, departmental councils and prefects.","Look up departments and their codes from official sources."],"mustNot":["Confuse departmental and regional powers when advising on services.","Report outdated boundaries or numbers of departments as current.","Impersonate a prefecture or council."],"requiresHuman":["Contacting authorities or filing applications on a person's behalf."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Departments run social services many vulnerable people depend on.","Overseas departments have distinct histories and needs."],"affectedParties":["Residents","People receiving social services"]},"owners":{"steward":"The French state through the relevant prefect, with the elected departmental council or the merged or special-status authority exercising departmental responsibilities.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Official geographic code registers record departments."]},"relations":[{"target":"Q12357832","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q12357920","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q192611","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q41773366","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q583865","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q643589","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"second-level administrative division","type":"related","note":"the category"},{"target":"region of France","type":"related","note":"the level above"},{"target":"commune of France","type":"contains","note":"the level below"},{"target":"General Code of Local Authorities","type":"related","note":"the law that defines it"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.department-of-france","Wikidata: Q6465 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6465)","department code: 01 to 95, 2A, 2B, 971 to 976 INSEE and postal use","ISO 3166-2: FR-xx codes for departments"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["departments: 101 departments - 96 in metropolitan France and 5 overseas","created: 1790 year"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Departments have two-digit or three-digit codes used in postal addressing.","A prefecture identifies the seat of state administration, while departmental responsibilities may be exercised by a departmental council or a merged or special-status authority.","Regions are above departments and communes below them, while overseas collectivities have other statuses.","Not a physical object; seen on maps, in postal codes and on vehicle plates."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["identify a department by code and name","explain its responsibilities and institutions","relay codes and official sources","distinguish it from region, arrondissement and commune"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing department, region and arrondissement","Outdated codes after mergers such as Corsica and Lyon","Historical departments cited as current"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Code general des collectivites territoriales","Decentralisation laws of 1982 and later","INSEE official geographic code"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Organising local government and state administration in France.","metropolitan departments","overseas departments and regions","the Metropolis of Lyon as a special status","Corsica and Paris with particular arrangements","former departments such as those in Algeria"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q6465: department of France","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6465","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Departments of France","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departments_of_France","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should each department be a separate entry?","How should INSEE codes be linked by year?","The registry entry has merged historical aliases for Algerian and Spanish departments; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q6465/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q6465/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T19:44:28Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:32+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}