An arrondissement (,
,
) is any of various
administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
s of France,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
,
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
,
certain other
Francophone countries, as well as the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
Europe
France
The 101 French
departments
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
are divided into 342 ''arrondissements'',
which may be roughly translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a
subprefecture. When an arrondissement contains the
prefecture (capital) of the department, that prefecture is the capital of the arrondissement, acting both as a prefecture and as a subprefecture. Arrondissements are further divided into
cantons and
communes.
Municipal arrondissement
A
municipal arrondissement (, pronounced ), is a subdivision of the
commune, used in the three largest cities: Paris,
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...
, and
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fran ...
. It functions as an even lower administrative division, with its own mayor. Although usually referred to simply as an "arrondissement," they should not be confused with departmental
arrondissements
An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands.
Europe
France
The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements'' ...
, which are groupings of communes within one ''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...
''. The official translation into English is "district".
Belgium
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
is a
federalized country which geographically consists of three regions, of which only
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
(Flemish Region) and
Wallonia
Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...
(Walloon Region) are subdivided into five provinces each; the
Brussels-Capital Region is neither a province nor is it part of one.
In Belgium, there are administrative, judicial and electoral arrondissements. These may or may not relate to identical geographical areas.
* The 43 administrative arrondissements
are an administrative level between the
municipalities and the
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
.
* Belgium has 12 judicial arrondissements.
* For the elections of the
Parliament of Wallonia, 13 electoral arrondissements (or grouped arrondissements) are used as
electoral districts.
** Until 2002, the electoral districts for the
Chamber of Representatives were electoral arrondissements; at present these are provincial constituencies and one for
Brussels-Capital. The electoral districts
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde and
Leuven
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. Th ...
still existed until 2012.
** Electoral arrondissements were also used for the
Flemish Parliament elections, until 2004 when they were changed to provincial electoral districts.
Netherlands
In the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
an ''arrondissement'' is a
judicial jurisdiction.
Switzerland
Subdivisions of the canton of Bern include districts since 2010, which are called ''arrondissements administratifs'' in French.
Post-Soviet states
In some
post-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
, there are cities that are divided into municipal
raion
A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is co ...
i similarly to how some French cities are divided into municipal arrondissements (see e.g.
Raions of cities in Ukraine,
Municipal divisions of Russia,
Administrative divisions of Minsk).
Francophone Africa
Most nations in Africa that have been colonised by France have retained the arrondissement administrative structure. These are normally subunits of a department, and may either contain or be coequal with communes (towns). In
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...
the arrondissement is a subunit of a
cercle, while in some places arrondissements are essentially subdistricts of large cities.
*Each of
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣 ...
's departments is subdivided into arrondissements.
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in ...
is further subdivided into arrondissements; see
Arrondissements of Senegal.
*Between 1962 and 2002, each of
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages[Arrondissements of Niger
The regions of Niger are subdivided into 63 departments (french: départements). Before the devolution program on 1999–2005, these departments were styled arrondissements. Confusingly, the next level up (regions) had, before 2002-2005 been s ...](_blank)
: Since 2002 they have been renamed Departments (with the former Departments renamed Regions).
*Each of Mali's cercles is subdivided into arrondissements; see
Cercles of Mali
A cercle is the second-level administrative unit in Mali. Mali is divided into eight ''régions'' and one capital district (Bamako); the ''régions'' are subdivided into 49 ''cercles''. These subdivisions bear the name of their principal city.
...
for maps of arrondissements by cercle.
*Each of
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...
's departments is subdivided into communes, which are in turn subdivided into arrondissements: they sit above villages in Benin's structure; see
Communes of Benin for maps of communes by Department.
*Each of
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west- central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; th ...
's departments is subdivided into arrondissements: they sit above ''subdistricts'' and communes in Cameroon's structure; see
Departments of Cameroon
The Regions of Cameroon are divided into 58 divisions or departments. The divisions are further sub-divided into sub-divisions (''arrondissements'') and districts. The divisions are listed below, by province.
The constitution divides Camero ...
for maps of arrondissements by Department.
*Since 2002,
Chad
Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Repub ...
retains arrondissements only in the city of
N'Djamena
N'Djamena ( ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Chad. It is also a Regions of Chad, special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements''.
The city serves as the centre of economic activity in Chad. Meat, fish a ...
, which is divided into 10 municipal arrondissements.
*
Djibouti
Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Re ...
retains arrondissements only in the city of
Djibouti City, which is divided into six arrondissements.
*
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...
's cercles are subdivided into communes rurales, municipalities, communes urbaines, and arrondissements, depending on the classification of the community.
*The
Republic of the Congo retains arrondissements only in the city of
Brazzaville, which is divided into seven arrondissements. See
Administrative divisions of the Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo is divided into 12 ''départements'' (départements). Departments are divided into communes and/or districts;With inconsistent figures:
* Thsite of the Presidency of the Republic of Congolists 11 departments, 7 communes ...
.
North America
Haiti
As of 2015,
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
's ten
departments
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
are sub-divided into 42 arrondissements.
Quebec
In the
Canadian province of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
, eight cities are divided into arrondissements, known as
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle ...
s in English. In Quebec, boroughs are provincially organized and recognized sub-municipal entities that have mayors and councillors.
References
External links
*
{{Terms for types of administrative territorial entities
Types of administrative division