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 th ...
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 are divided into 342 ''arrondissements'', which may be roughly translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a
subprefecture
A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province.
Albania
There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...
. 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
A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...
and
communes
An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...
.
Municipal arrondissement
A
municipal arrondissement
In France, a municipal arrondissement ( ) is a subdivision of the commune in France, commune, and is used in the country's three largest cities: Paris, Lyon and Marseille. It functions as an even lower administrative division, with its own Mayor ...
(, pronounced ), is a subdivision of the
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
, used in the three largest cities: Paris,
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
, 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 Fra ...
. 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 th ...
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—alo ...
(Walloon Region) are subdivided into five provinces each; the
Brussels-Capital Region
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
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
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
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 ou ...
.
* Belgium has 12 judicial arrondissements.
* For the elections of the
Parliament of Wallonia
The Parliament of Wallonia (french: Parlement de Wallonie) (Walloon Parliament (french: Parlement wallon) in the decrees) is the legislative body of Wallonia, one of the three self-governing regions of Belgium (the other two being Flanders and t ...
, 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
The area within Belgium known as Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde encompasses the bilingual— French and Dutch—Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides with the arrondissement of Brussels-Capital and the surrounding Dutch-speaking area of Halle-Vil ...
and Leuven 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
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
jurisdiction.
Switzerland
Subdivisions of the canton of Bern On 1 January 2010, the 26 districts (german: Amtsbezirke, french: districts) were combined into 10 new precincts (german: Verwaltungskreise, french: arrondissement administratif):
They are grouped into five regions (german: Verwaltungsregionen).
T ...
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
Urban raions or urban districts ( uk, райони у містах України, translit=raiony u mistakh Ukrainy) are the second-level administrative division in certain cities in Ukraine. An urban district is subordinate to the city administr ...
,
Municipal divisions of Russia
The municipal divisions in Russia, also called municipal formations (russian: муниципальные образования, munitsipalnye obrazovaniya), are territorial divisions of the Russian Federation which are formally granted the au ...
,
Administrative divisions of Minsk
Currently, there are 9 administrative divisions of Minsk, called ''raions'' (districts):
#, russian: Центральный), or "Central District"
#, russian: Советский, Sovetsky), or "Soviet District
#, russian: Первомайски ...
).
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. Mal ...
the arrondissement is a subunit of a cercle, while in some places arrondissements are essentially subdistricts of large cities.
*Each of
's departments is subdivided into arrondissements.
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
is further subdivided into arrondissements; see
Arrondissements of Senegal
The departments of Senegal are subdivided into arrondissements. As of 2008 there were 133. The arrondissements are listed below, by department:
Bakel
* Bélé Arrondissement
* Kéniaba Arrondissement
* Moudéry Arrondissement
Bambey
* Baba G ...
.
*Between 1962 and 2002, each of
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languagesArrondissements of Niger: 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 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; the C ...
'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 Cameroo ...
for maps of arrondissements by Department.
*Since 2002, Chad retains arrondissements only in the city of
N'Djamena
N'Djamena ( ) is the capital and largest city of Chad. It is also a special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements''.
The city serves as the centre of economic activity in Chad. Meat, fish and cotton processing are the c ...
, 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 Red ...
retains arrondissements only in the city of
Djibouti City
Djibouti (also called Djibouti City and in many early English texts and on many early maps, Jibuti; so, Magaalada Jabuuti, french: link=no, Ville de Djibouti, ar, مدينة جيبوتي, aa, Gabuutî Magaala) is the eponymous capital of Dji ...
, 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 t ...
'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.
North America
Haiti
As of 2015, Haiti's ten departments are sub-divided into 42 arrondissements.
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the 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 one of the thirtee ...
, 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 A ...
s in English. In Quebec, boroughs are provincially organized and recognized sub-municipal entities that have mayors and councillors.