Arrondissements of the Dordogne department facts for kids

The 4 arrondissements of Dordogne (2017).

There are 4 arrondissements in the Dordogne department. The French departments, and in other countries, are divided into arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts (in some cases, as boroughs). The capital of an arrondissement is called a subprefecture.

If the prefecture (capital) of the department is in an arrondissement, that prefecture is the capital of the arrondissement, acting both as a prefecture and as a subprefecture.

Arrondissements are further divided into communes.

The 4 arrondissements of Dordogne are:

History

Since its creation, the Dordogne department has had some changes:

• 1790 : creation of the Dordogne department with nine districts: Belvès, Bergerac, Excideuil, Montignac, Montpon, Nontron, Périgueux, Ribérac and Sarlat. Bergerac, Périgueux and Sarlat-la-Canéda were alternatively the capital of the department but later, in the same year, it was decided that only Périgueux would be the capital.
• 1800 : creation of the arrondissements: Périgueux, Bergerac, Nontron, Ribérac, Sarlat.
• 1926 : the arrondissement of Ribérac is eliminated.
• 1965 : when the communes Sarlat and La Canéda were combined, the arrondissement of Sarlat became the arrondissement of Sarlat-la-Canéda.
• 2017 : the arrondissements were modified, affecting 72 communes; 28 communes were moved from Périgueux to Nontron, 22 from Périgueux to Sarlat-la-Canéda, 21 from Bergerac to Périgueux and 1 from Bergerac to Sarlat-la-Canéda.

Images for kids

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  Map of arrondissements of the Dordogne department.