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Arrondissements of the Isère department facts for kids

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The Isère department in France is divided into three main areas called arrondissements. You can think of arrondissements as districts or boroughs, which are smaller parts of a larger region. The main town of an arrondissement is known as a subprefecture. If the main city of the whole department (called the prefecture) is inside an arrondissement, then that city serves as both the prefecture and the subprefecture. Arrondissements are also divided into even smaller areas called communes, which are like towns or villages.

Arrondissements Isère
Arrondissements of Isère, shown in red, within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Isère's Arrondissements

The Isère department has three arrondissements: Grenoble, La Tour-du-Pin, and Vienne. Each one has its own capital city and a certain number of communes. The table below shows more details about each arrondissement, like how many people live there and its size.

Arrondissements of the Isère
INSEE
code
Arrondissement Capital Population
(2014)
Area
(km²)
Density
(Inh./km²)
Communes
381 Grenoble Grenoble 758,956 4,714.7 161.0 267
382 La Tour-du-Pin La Tour-du-Pin 270,681 1,489.7 181.7 137
383 Vienne Vienne 213,960 1,227.1 174.4 117

History of Arrondissements in Isère

The way the Isère department is divided has changed a few times since it was first created.

  • In 1790: The Isère department was first set up with four main areas called districts. These were Grenoble, Saint-Marcellin, La Tour-du-Pin, and Vienne.
  • In 1800: These districts were changed and became what we now call arrondissements. So, Isère still had four: Grenoble, Saint-Marcellin, La Tour-du-Pin, and Vienne.
  • In 1926: The arrondissement of Saint-Marcellin was removed. This left Isère with the three arrondissements it has today.

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