department of France
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.
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 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.
The second-level administrative division of France, between the region and the commune, created in 1790; each of the 101 departments has an elected departmental council responsible for social services, roads and colleges, and a prefect representing the state, and is numbered in a code used in postal codes and vehicle registration.
What it is for: Organising local government and state administration in France.
It can be identify a department by code and name; explain its responsibilities and institutions; relay codes and official sources; distinguish it from region, arrondissement and commune.
Distinguishing features
Second-level division created in 1790
Elected council plus state prefect
Numbered code used across administration
Overseas departments are also regions
What it looks like
Not a physical object; seen on maps, in postal codes and on vehicle plates.
Physical character
departments: 101 departments - 96 in metropolitan France and 5 overseas
created: 1790 year
How it is recognised
Two-digit or three-digit code, the first digits of postal codes
Departmental council and a prefecture in the chief town
Regions are above and communes below; overseas collectivities have other statuses
Related models
is a kind of - the category
is part of - the level above
contains - the level below
is regulated by - the law that defines it
In practice
Families and kinds
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
Identifiers
department code 01 to 95, 2A, 2B, 971 to 976 INSEE and postal use
ISO 3166-2 FR-xx codes for departments
Standards and regulation
Code general des collectivites territoriales
Decentralisation laws of 1982 and later
INSEE official geographic code
Failure modes and hazards
Confusing department, region and arrondissement
Outdated codes after mergers such as Corsica and Lyon
Historical departments cited as current
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.
Identify Which department.
Codes and names.
Code
Code and name.
Code
Code.
- Which department is meant, and what are its code, chief town and region? definition
- Is the question about a department, a region or an arrondissement? boundary
Status
Special statuses.
Status
Status.
- Does the department have a special status, such as overseas or metropolis? definition
- Which entry fits the specific department? action
Govern Institutions and powers.
Who does what.
Council
Departmental council.
Council
Council.
- What does the departmental council do, and how is it elected? provenance
- Which entry fits local elections? action
Prefect
State representation.
Prefect
Prefect.
- What does the prefect do, and how do state and department powers divide? provenance
- Which entry fits the prefect? action
Data Statistics and boundaries.
Data.
Statistics
Population and area.
Statistics
Statistics.
- What are the population and area, from INSEE? measurement
- Which year is cited? provenance
History
Boundary history.
History
History.
- How have departments been created, merged and renamed since 1790? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Context Use and comparison.
Context.
Use
Everyday use of codes.
Use
Use.
- How are department codes used in postal codes, plates and statistics? provenance
- Which entry fits French postal codes? action
Comparison
Comparison.
Comparison
Comparison.
- How does the department compare with second-level units elsewhere? provenance
- Which entry fits administrative divisions generally? action
What the second pass must settle
- 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?