commune of France
Let an agent explain the French commune and its governance and functions, identify specific communes with sources, describe mergers, special statuses and overseas forms, and support civic and geographic questions.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain the French commune and its governance and functions, identify specific communes with sources, describe mergers, special statuses and overseas forms, and support civic and geographic questions.
The lowest level of administrative division in France, of which there are around thirty-five thousand in metropolitan and overseas France, each governed by an elected municipal council and mayor and responsible for local services, civil registration, planning and schools, ranging from tiny villages to Paris, with special statuses for the largest cities, merged communes nouvelles, communes in merger-association and the communes of New Caledonia and other overseas territories; communes are also electoral and statistical units.
What it is for: Lowest administrative division of France.
It can be explain governance and functions; identify communes; describe mergers and statuses; support civic questions.
Distinguishing features
Elected mayor and council
Civil registration role
Great size variation
Mergers and special statuses
What it looks like
Not physical; a governed territory.
How it is recognised
Lowest French administrative level with mayor and council
Around thirty-five thousand units
A department is above; an intercommunality groups communes; a canton is an electoral unit
Related models
is a kind of - category
is a kind of - category
is related to - the general concept of commune
is related to - local religious heritage
In practice
Families and kinds
ordinary communes
communes with special status such as Paris, Lyon and Marseille
communes nouvelles from mergers
communes in merger-association
communes of overseas France including New Caledonia
Standards and regulation
General code of territorial collectivities
Municipal electoral law
Official geographic codes
Failure modes and hazards
Outdated data after mergers
Confusing communes with intercommunalities and cantons
Mixing overseas statuses
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What a French commune is.
Geography.
Concept
Concept and functions.
Concept
Concept.
- What is a French commune, and what services and functions does it provide? provenance
- Which commune or type is meant? boundary
Statuses
Special statuses and mergers.
Statuses
Statuses.
- What are communes with special status, communes nouvelles, merger-associations and overseas communes? provenance
- Which entry fits a specific status? action
Govern Governance.
Civic.
Council
Mayor and council.
Council
Council.
- How are mayors and municipal councils elected, and what powers do they hold? provenance
- Which entry fits French local government? action
Intercommunal
Intercommunality.
Intercommunal
Intercommunality.
- How do communes cooperate in intercommunal bodies, and what debates surround mergers, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Data Data and boundaries.
Reference.
Codes
Codes and boundaries.
Codes
Codes.
- Where are official commune codes, boundaries and population data published? provenance
- Is the data current after recent mergers? boundary
Specific
Specific communes.
Specific
Specific.
- What is known about a specific commune, its history and services? provenance
- Which entry fits a specific commune? action
Learn History and comparison.
Education.
History
History.
History
History.
- How did communes originate in the French Revolution and develop since? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Compare
Comparison.
Compare
Comparison.
- How do French communes compare with municipalities elsewhere? provenance
- Which misconceptions arise? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Should each commune be a separate entry?
- How should official geographic codes be linked?
- How should merger histories be tracked?