kids encyclopedia robot

Lists of cantons of France facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

France is a large and interesting country in Europe, known for its history, culture, and beautiful places. To help manage everything, France is divided into smaller areas. Think of it like how your country might have states, provinces, or counties. In France, these main areas are called departments.

Each department is then split into even smaller sections known as cantons. These cantons are important because they help organize local government and elections. When people vote for their local representatives, they often do so within their canton. This system helps make sure that local voices are heard and that services can be managed effectively across the country.

Understanding France's Local Areas

France uses a system of departments and cantons to organize its territory and government. This system helps manage everything from local services to elections, making sure that every part of the country has a say in how things are run.

Departments: The Main Divisions

A department is like a large county or a smaller state within France. There are 101 departments in total. Most of these are located in mainland France, which is the part of the country on the European continent. Each department has its own number, which you can often see on car license plates! These numbers help identify where people and things come from in France.

Cantons: Smaller Local Sections

Within each department, there are even smaller areas called cantons. These cantons are mainly used for administrative purposes, especially for elections. For example, when people vote for members of the Departmental Council (the local government for a department), they vote within their canton. This means that each canton helps choose a representative for the larger department.

The number of cantons in a department can vary a lot, depending on the size and population of the department. Some departments have many cantons, while others have fewer. This system helps ensure that local needs are met and that the government is close to the people it serves.

Departments and Their Cantons in Mainland France

Here is a list of the departments in mainland France, along with links to more detailed information about their cantons. Each department has a unique number.

# Department List of cantons
1 Ain Cantons of the Ain department
2 Aisne Cantons of the Aisne department
3 Allier Cantons of the Allier department
4 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Cantons of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department
5 Hautes-Alpes Cantons of the Hautes-Alpes department
6 Alpes-Maritimes Cantons of the Alpes-Maritimes department
7 Ardèche Cantons of the Ardèche department
8 Ardennes Cantons of the Ardennes department
9 Ariège Cantons of the Ariège department
10 Aube Cantons of the Aube department
11 Aude Cantons of the Aude department
12 Aveyron Cantons of the Aveyron department
13 Bouches-du-Rhône Cantons of the Bouches-du-Rhône department
14 Calvados Cantons of the Calvados department
15 Cantal Cantons of the Cantal department
16 Charente Cantons of the Charente department
17 Charente-Maritime Cantons of the Charente-Maritime department
18 Cher Cantons of the Cher department
19 Corrèze Cantons of the Corrèze department
2a Corse-du-Sud Cantons of the Corse-du-Sud department
2b Haute-Corse Cantons of the Haute-Corse department
21 Côte-d'Or Cantons of the Côte-d'Or department
22 Côtes-d'Armor Cantons of the Côtes-d'Armor department
23 Creuse Cantons of the Creuse department
24 Dordogne Cantons of the Dordogne department
25 Doubs Cantons of the Doubs department
26 Drôme Cantons of the Drôme department
27 Eure Cantons of the Eure department
28 Eure-et-Loir Cantons of the Eure-et-Loir department
29 Finistère Cantons of the Finistère department
30 Gard Cantons of the Gard department
31 Haute-Garonne Cantons of the Haute-Garonne department
32 Gers Cantons of the Gers department
33 Gironde Cantons of the Gironde department
34 Hérault Cantons of the Hérault department
35 Ille-et-Vilaine Cantons of the Ille-et-Vilaine department
36 Indre Cantons of the Indre department
37 Indre-et-Loire Cantons of the Indre-et-Loire department
38 Isère Cantons of the Isère department
39 Jura Cantons of the Jura department
40 Landes Cantons of the Landes department
41 Loir-et-Cher Cantons of the Loir-et-Cher department
42 Loire Cantons of the Loire department
43 Haute-Loire Cantons of the Haute-Loire department
44 Loire-Atlantique Cantons of the Loire-Atlantique department
45 Loiret Cantons of the Loiret department
46 Lot Cantons of the Lot department
47 Lot-et-Garonne Cantons of the Lot-et-Garonne department
48 Lozère Cantons of the Lozère department
49 Maine-et-Loire Cantons of the Maine-et-Loire department
50 Manche Cantons of the Manche department
51 Marne Cantons of the Marne department
52 Haute-Marne Cantons of the Haute-Marne department
53 Mayenne Cantons of the Mayenne department
54 Meurthe-et-Moselle Cantons of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department
55 Meuse Cantons of the Meuse department
56 Morbihan Cantons of the Morbihan department
57 Moselle Cantons of the Moselle department
58 Nièvre Cantons of the Nièvre department
59 Nord Cantons of the Nord department
60 Oise Cantons of the Oise department
61 Orne Cantons of the Orne department
62 Pas-de-Calais Cantons of the Pas-de-Calais department
63 Puy-de-Dôme Cantons of the Puy-de-Dôme department
64 Pyrénées-Atlantiques Cantons of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
65 Hautes-Pyrénées Cantons of the Hautes-Pyrénées department
66 Pyrénées-Orientales Cantons of the Pyrénées-Orientales department
67 Bas-Rhin Cantons of the Bas-Rhin department
68 Haut-Rhin Cantons of the Haut-Rhin department
69 Rhône Cantons of the Rhône department
70 Haute-Saône Cantons of the Haute-Saône department
71 Saône-et-Loire Cantons of the Saône-et-Loire department
72 Sarthe Cantons of the Sarthe department
73 Savoie Cantons of the Savoie department
74 Haute-Savoie Cantons of the Haute-Savoie department
75 Paris Arrondissements of Paris
76 Seine-Maritime Cantons of the Seine-Maritime department
77 Seine-et-Marne Cantons of the Seine-et-Marne department
78 Yvelines Cantons of the Yvelines department
79 Deux-Sèvres Cantons of the Deux-Sèvres department
80 Somme Cantons of the Somme department
81 Tarn Cantons of the Tarn department
82 Tarn-et-Garonne Cantons of the Tarn-et-Garonne department
83 Var Cantons of the Var department
84 Vaucluse Cantons of the Vaucluse department
85 Vendée Cantons of the Vendée department
86 Vienne Cantons of the Vienne department
87 Haute-Vienne Cantons of the Haute-Vienne department
88 Vosges Cantons of the Vosges department
89 Yonne Cantons of the Yonne department
90 Territoire de Belfort Cantons of the Territoire de Belfort department
91 Essonne Cantons of the Essonne department
92 Hauts-de-Seine Cantons of the Hauts-de-Seine department
93 Seine-Saint-Denis Cantons of the Seine-Saint-Denis department
94 Val-de-Marne Cantons of the Val-de-Marne department
95 Val-d'Oise Cantons of the Val-d'Oise department

Overseas Departments of France

Besides its mainland territory in Europe, France also has several overseas departments and regions. These are parts of France located in other parts of the world, like the Caribbean or the Indian Ocean. They are just as much a part of France as the mainland departments and also use the same system of cantons for local administration and elections.

# Department List of cantons
971 Guadeloupe Cantons of the Guadeloupe department
972 Martinique Cantons of the Martinique department
973 Guyane Cantons of the Guyane department
974 Réunion Cantons of the Réunion department
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Lists of cantons of France Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.