Arrondissements of the Gironde department facts for kids

The Gironde department in France is divided into special areas called arrondissements. You can think of these like large districts or boroughs. Each arrondissement has a main town, which is called a subprefecture. If the main town of the whole department (the prefecture) is located within an arrondissement, then that town serves as both the prefecture and the subprefecture for that area.

Arrondissements are further divided into smaller areas known as communes, which are like towns or villages.

The Gironde department has 6 arrondissements. Here's a look at them:

How Gironde's Districts Changed Over Time

The way Gironde is organized has changed a few times since it was first created.

• 1790: When the Gironde department was first created, it was divided into seven main areas. These were called districts back then. The city of Bordeaux was chosen as the capital for the entire department.
• 1800: The districts were changed into what we now call arrondissements. There were six of them at this time: Bordeaux, Bazas, Blaye, Lesparre, Libourne, and La Réole.
• 1926: Some changes happened. The arrondissements of Lesparre and La Réole were removed. Also, the main town for the Bazas area was moved to Langon.
• 1942: The Lesparre area became an arrondissement again. It was then known as Lesparre-Médoc.
• 2006: On December 6, a brand new arrondissement was created. This new area was named Arcachon.

Images for kids

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  Map of arrondissements of the Gironde department.

See Also

• Arrondissements of France
• Departments of France