MODERN DEPARTMENTS OF FRANCE
Researched and prepared by Robert E. Chenard
 

Official numbers assigned to each department
(same numbers are also used in the map below)

01 Ain 25 Doubs 49 Maine-et-Loire 73 Savoie
02 Aisne 26 Drôme 50 Manche 74 Haute-Savoie
03 Allier 27 Eure 51 Marne 75 Paris
04Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 28 Eure-et-Loir 52 Haute-Marne 76 Seine-Maritime
05 Hautes-Alpes 29 Finistère 53 Mayenne 77 Seine-et-Marne
06 Alpes-Maritime 30 Gard 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle 78 Yvelines
07 Ardèche 31 Haute-Garonne 55 Meuse 79 Deux-Sèvres
08 Ardennes 32 Gers 56 Morbihan 80 Somme
09 Ariège 33 Gironde 57 Moselle 81 Tarn
10 Aube 34 Hérault 58 Nièvre 82 Tarn-et-Garonne
11 Aude 35 Ille-et-Vilaine 59 Nord 83 Var
12 Aveyron 36 Indre 60 Oise 84 Vaucluse
13 Bouches-du-Rhône 37 Indre-et-Loire 61 Orne 85 Vendée
14 Calvados 38 Isère 62 Pas-de-Calais 86 Vienne
15 Cantal 39 Jura 63 Puy-de-Dome 87 Haute-Vienne
16 Charente 40 Landes 64 Pyrénées-Atlantic 88 Vosges
17 Charente-Maritime 41 Loir-et-Cher 65 Hautes-Pyrénées 89 Yonne
18 Cher 42 Loire 66 Pyrénées-Orientales 90 Belfort
19 Corrèze 43 Haute-Loire 67 Bas-Rhin 91 Essone
20 Corse (see note) 44 Loire-Atlantic 68 Haut-Rhin 92 Hauts-de-Seine
21 Côte-D'Or 45 Loiret 69 Rhône 93 Seine-Saint-Denis
22 Côtes-du-Nord 46 Lot 70 Haute-Saône 94 Val-de-Marne
23 Creuse 47 Lot-et-Garonne 71 Saône-et-Loire 95 Val-D'Oise
24 Dordogne 48 Lozère 72 Sarthe
 
NOTE: Corse (Island of Corsica) is now divided into two areas: 2A = Corse-du-Sud, and 2B = Haute-Corse
 
The numbers assigned to each of the 95 departments in France are also used for official purposes such as their postal codes, vehicle license plates, etc. You will note many similarities in the borders of the ancient provinces and those of the modern departments. The colors used on the map below were used to show those similarities. When creating the new departments from the old provinces, the French officials obviously kept many of the same political borders due to various reasons such as physical characteristics (rivers, mountains, plateaus, etc.) population distributions, major roads and canals, etc. Some of the departments were reorganized under the presidency of Charles De Gaul supposedly purely for political reasons.
 
THE MODERN DEPARTMENTS OF FRANCE

The above map is approximately 12 inches wide. Suggest you reduce it to 60% before printing it on an 8-1/2 X 11 sheet.
    (designed with Photoshop on a Power Macintosh computer)
Return to  Origins

Uploaded to web site 15 January 1999