Arrondissements of the Aude department facts for kids

France is divided into smaller areas called departments. These departments are then split into even smaller parts known as arrondissements. You can think of an arrondissement like a district or a borough.

The main town or city of an arrondissement is called a subprefecture. If the department's main city (its prefecture) is inside an arrondissement, then that city acts as both the prefecture for the whole department and the subprefecture for its own arrondissement.

Arrondissements are further divided into even smaller local areas called communes.

What are Arrondissements?

Arrondissements are administrative divisions used in France and some other countries. They help organize how local government works. Each arrondissement has a main town, which is its subprefecture. This system helps manage services and local matters more easily across the country.

The Arrondissements of Aude

The Aude department in France has three main arrondissements. Each one has its own capital city and a certain number of smaller towns or villages, called communes.

• Arrondissement of Carcassonne: Its capital city is Carcassonne. This arrondissement includes 207 communes.
• Arrondissement of Limoux: Its capital city is Limoux. This arrondissement includes 147 communes.
• Arrondissement of Narbonne: Its capital city is Narbonne. This arrondissement includes 82 communes.

A Little History

The way the Aude department is divided has changed a few times over the years:

• 1790: When the Aude department was first created, it had six districts. These were Carcassonne, Castelnaudary, Lagrasse, Limoux, Narbonne, and Quillan. Carcassonne was chosen as the main capital city.
• 1800: The districts were reorganized into four arrondissements. These new arrondissements were Carcassonne (which now included the old Lagrasse district), Castelnaudary, Limoux (which included the old Quillan district), and Narbonne.
• 1926: The arrondissement of Castelnaudary was removed. Its areas were then added to the arrondissement of Carcassonne. This is why Aude now has three arrondissements instead of four.

See Also

• Arrondissement of Carcassonne
• Arrondissement of Limoux
• Arrondissement of Narbonne
• List of arrondissements of France

Images for kids

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  Map of arrondissements of the Aude department.