Arrondissements of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department facts for kids

The Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in France has three main areas called arrondissements. Think of an arrondissement like a large district or a borough. These areas help organize how the department is run.

Each arrondissement has a main town called a subprefecture. This town acts as its capital. If the main capital of the whole department is inside an arrondissement, then that town is both the department's capital and the arrondissement's subprefecture.

Arrondissements are then split into smaller parts. These smaller parts are called cantons and communes. Communes are like small towns or villages.

Understanding Arrondissements

In France, a department is a bit like a state or a large county. To manage these departments better, they are divided into smaller sections. These sections are what we call arrondissements.

Each arrondissement has a main city or town. This city is known as its subprefecture. It's where the local government for that arrondissement is based.

Sometimes, the main capital city of an entire department is also the capital of one of its arrondissements. In this case, that city serves two roles at once.

Arrondissements are further broken down into even smaller areas. These include cantons and communes. Communes are the smallest local government units, like individual towns or villages.

Arrondissements in Pyrénées-Atlantiques

The Pyrénées-Atlantiques department is divided into three main arrondissements. Each one has its own capital city and a certain number of communes.

• Arrondissement of Bayonne:
  • Its capital city (subprefecture) is Bayonne.
  • This arrondissement includes 123 communes.

• Arrondissement of Oloron-Sainte-Marie:
  • Its capital city (subprefecture) is Oloron-Sainte-Marie.
  • This arrondissement includes 155 communes.

• Arrondissement of Pau:
  • The capital city of this arrondissement is Pau.
  • Pau is also the main capital (prefecture) for the entire Pyrénées-Atlantiques department.
  • This arrondissement includes 269 communes.

History of the Arrondissements

The Pyrénées-Atlantiques department has a long history. Over time, its organization has changed a few times.

• 1790: The department was first created. It was then called Basses-Pyrénées. It had six districts: Pau, Oloron, Orthez, Mauléon, Saint-Palais, and Ustaritz. The very first capital city was Navarrenx.
• 1790: Later in the same year, the capital moved from Navarrenx to Pau.
• 1795: The capital moved again, this time from Pau to Saint-Palais.
• 1796: The capital moved back to Pau, where it has stayed since.
• 1800: The current system of arrondissements was created. The department then had five arrondissements: Pau, Bayonne, Mauléon, Oloron, and Orthez.
• 1926: Two of the arrondissements, Mauléon and Orthez, were removed. This left the three arrondissements we have today.
• 1969: The name of the department was officially changed to Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

Images for kids

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  Map of arrondissements of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department.