On cartes-2-france.com, access a wide selection of maps of France sorted by themes: geographical maps, regional maps, department maps, as well as detailed plans of all French communes and cities.
In 2025, French cartography experiences many innovations: the IGN enhances its regional maps, Michelin launches slow tourism maps focused on cycling and soft mobility, while Cartes.gouv.fr democratizes map creation for all public and private uses.
For each region, you will find a precise map showing the regional boundaries, the associated departments, their numbers, and prefectures. Each department also has an interactive map with the complete list of communes it contains.
To quickly access all our maps, go to the dedicated page: Maps of France. There you will discover high-definition maps organized by themes: road maps, demographic maps, economic maps, administrative maps, tourist maps, and many more.
Each city has its own profile with: the postal code, the department, the administrative region, as well as its geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude). You can also use our route planner to plan a trip between two cities, or discover the sports facilities near you.
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The administrative division of France
History: from provinces to departments
Before the French Revolution, France was divided into historical provinces such as Brittany, Burgundy, Languedoc, or Provence. These provinces often corresponded to former kingdoms or feudal counties, with different legal and fiscal statuses.
It was on February 26, 1790, under the impetus of the Constituent Assembly, that the territory was reorganized into 83 departments, with a desire for administrative uniformity and fiscal simplification. The goal was that every citizen could reach the departmental capital within a day’s ride on horseback.
The 101 French Departments in 2025
Today, France has 101 departments: 96 metropolitan departments and 5 overseas departments (Guadeloupe 971, Martinique 972, Guyane 973, La Réunion 974, Mayotte 976).
Originally, the metropolitan departments were listed in alphabetical order (e.g.: 01 Ain, 02 Aisne, 03 Allier, etc.). However, changes such as the creation of Seine-Saint-Denis (93), Val-de-Marne (94), and Val-d’Oise (95) in 1968, and the division of Corsica into two entities (2A Corse-du-Sud and 2B Haute-Corse) in 1976, altered this initial logic.
Role and Competencies of the Departments
Each department is led by a prefect representing the State, and administered by a Departmental Council (formerly General Council). Its main competencies concern:
- 🩺 health and social action (RSA, home help, elderly people, maternal and child protection)
- 🛣️ departmental roads (maintenance of departmental roads, infrastructure)
- 🏫 management of middle schools (construction, maintenance, equipment)
- 🏞️ rural development and local policies
- 🚑 emergency services (SDIS – Departmental Fire and Rescue Service)
🔎 Looking for a detailed map of France including roads, cities, airports, population densities, and relief? Check out the very high resolution maps available on worldmaps.info. This site also offers maps of all the countries of the world.
Territorial Reform: France went from 22 to 13 regions
Context and Objectives of the Reform
The French territorial reform of 2015, formalized by law no. 2015-29 of January 16, 2015, profoundly changed the regional division of metropolitan France. This legislative text reduced the number of regions from 22 to 13, as part of the Third Act of decentralization, carried out under the presidency of François Hollande and the government of Manuel Valls.
The French regional division as known before 2015 dated back to 1972. The distribution of competencies among the various local authorities (regions, departments, municipalities) had been specified by the Defferre laws of 1983. But faced with new economic, European, and budgetary challenges, a reorganization became necessary according to the government.
On June 3, 2014, the President of the Republic published a first draft of a new territorial division, which would be included in the bill officially presented on June 18, 2014. This redistricting aimed to:
- ✅ Streamline the administrative map and reduce operating costs
- ✅ Strengthen the effectiveness of the regions in the face of European competition
- ✅ Create regions of critical size (minimum 4-5 million inhabitants)
- ✅ Simplify public action and improve institutional clarity
The 7 Regional Mergers
Here are the details of the regional mergers carried out in 2015, effective since January 1, 2016:
- 🔁 Nouvelle-Aquitaine: merger of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes → 84,061 km², 6 million inhabitants
- 🔁 Occitanie: merger of Midi-Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon → 72,724 km², 6 million inhabitants
- 🔁 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes → 69,711 km², 8 million inhabitants
- 🔁 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: merger of Bourgogne and Franche-Comté → 47,784 km², 2.8 million inhabitants
- 🔁 Grand Est: merger of Alsace, Lorraine, and Champagne-Ardenne → 57,433 km², 5.5 million inhabitants
- 🔁 Normandie: merger of Haute-Normandie and Basse-Normandie → 29,906 km², 3.3 million inhabitants
- 🔁 Hauts-de-France: merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardie → 31,813 km², 6 million inhabitants
The regions Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, Île-de-France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and Corsica remain unchanged.
Critical Analysis of the Reform
The stated goal of this reform was to create more powerful regions better equipped to compete with large European regions such as Bavaria, Lombardy, or Catalonia. The average population of a region thus increased from 2.9 to 4.5 million inhabitants.
However, the reform sparked numerous criticisms:
- ⚠️ Lack of citizen consultation in several regions (referendums requested but denied)
- ⚠️ Imposed mergers deemed culturally incoherent (e.g., Alsace-Lorraine-Champagne)
- ⚠️ Obvious economic imbalances between merged regions (Rhône-Alpes vs Auvergne)
- ⚠️ Distance from regional power for some rural territories
- ⚠️ Significant implementation costs (administrative harmonization, relocations)
For example, the new Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region has more than 8 million inhabitants and represents 12% of the French GDP, while Bourgogne-Franche-Comté has only 2.8 million with a much more modest economic weight.
Map of the Regions of France 2025
This map of the French regions shows the current 13 metropolitan regions, with their borders, their administrative centers, and the distribution of departments. Each region has extensive powers in economy, territorial planning, transportation, high schools, and vocational training.
The 13 metropolitan regions
- Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes – Prefecture: Lyon
- Bourgogne-Franche-Comté – Prefecture: Dijon
- Brittany – Prefecture: Rennes
- Centre-Val de Loire – Prefecture: Orléans
- Corsica – Prefecture: Ajaccio
- Grand Est – Prefecture: Strasbourg
- Hauts-de-France – Prefecture: Lille
- Île-de-France – Prefecture: Paris
- Normandy – Prefecture: Rouen
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine – Prefecture: Bordeaux
- Occitanie – Prefecture: Toulouse
- Pays de la Loire – Prefecture: Nantes
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – Prefecture: Marseille
The 5 overseas regions
- Guadeloupe (971) – Prefecture: Basse-Terre
- Martinique (972) – Prefecture: Fort-de-France
- French Guiana (973) – Prefecture: Cayenne
- Réunion (974) – Prefecture: Saint-Denis
- Mayotte (976) – Prefecture: Mamoudzou
Map of cities and municipalities of France
Number of municipalities in France in 2025
As of January 1, 2025, France has approximately 36,681 municipalities in metropolitan France and overseas departments, a figure constantly evolving due to municipal mergers and the creation of new municipalities.
In 2013, France had 36,700 municipalities, that is 19 more than in 2012. The changes result from:
- 📉 Disappearances: absorption by merger with other municipalities
- 📈 Creations: merger of 2 or more municipalities forming a new municipality
- 🔄 Recompositions: transformation of associated municipalities or intermunicipal syndicates
This is why the number of municipalities in France tends to change from year to year. Since 2010, the law on new municipalities encourages voluntary mergers to pool services and reduce costs.
The 10 largest cities in France
- Paris – 2.1 million inhabitants (75)
- Marseille – 870,000 inhabitants (13)
- Lyon – 520,000 inhabitants (69)
- Toulouse – 480,000 inhabitants (31)
- Nice – 340,000 inhabitants (06)
- Nantes – 315,000 inhabitants (44)
- Montpellier – 295,000 inhabitants (34)
- Strasbourg – 280,000 inhabitants (67)
- Bordeaux – 255,000 inhabitants (33)
- Lille – 235,000 inhabitants (59)
Cartographic news in 2025
IGN: new enriched regional maps
The National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information (IGN) is launching in 2025 new regional maps enriched with:
- 🏛️ Location of UNESCO World Heritage sites
- 🚴 Bike routes and greenways
- 🥾 Hiking trails GR and PR
- 🏞️ Regional natural parks and nature reserves
- 📱 Mobile app version with real-time geolocation
Michelin: slow tourism and cycling maps
Michelin is releasing in 2025 a new range of slow tourism maps focused on soft mobility: cycling, hiking, river tourism. These maps highlight:
- 🚲 The bike routes and EuroVelo
- 🍷 The wine routes and gastronomic terroirs
- 🏰 The cultural heritage and listed villages
- 🌳 The remarkable forests and natural sites
Cartes.gouv.fr: creation tools for everyone
The public service Cartes.gouv.fr now offers free cartographic creation tools allowing to:
- 🗺️ Create your own custom maps
- 📊 Visualize statistical data on a map background
- 🎯 Compare several administrative divisions
- 💾 Download in high resolution (PDF, PNG, SVG)
- 📱 Share online or print for professional use
Uses and trends of maps of France
Tourism and territory discovery
Maps of France are now essential for preparing trips, discovering regions, locating tourist sites, and planning routes. The main uses are:
- 🏖️ Preparing vacations and choosing destinations
- 🚲 Planning bike routes and hikes
- 🍷 Discovering wine routes and regional gastronomy
- 🏰 Visiting historical heritage (castles, museums, UNESCO sites)
- 🏞️ Exploring natural parks and reserves
Education and teaching
Maps of France are widely used in education:
- 📚 Geography: learning about regions, departments, landforms
- 📖 History: evolution of borders, from provinces to regions
- 🎓 Economics: visualization of territorial dynamics
- 🔬 Sciences: climate, biodiversity, natural resources
Real estate and economic decisions
Professionals use maps to analyze local markets:
- 🏠 Real estate prices by region and department
- 📈 Demographic dynamics (growth, aging)
- 🚆 Proximity to transport (stations, highways, airports)
- 💼 Employment basins and activity zones
Marketing and communication
Companies use maps to:
- 📍 Visualize their territorial presence
- 🎯 Target their catchment areas
- 📊 Present geographical statistics
- 🖼️ Create impactful visual content
Frequently asked questions about maps of France
❓ How many regions does France have in 2025?
France has 13 metropolitan regions since the 2015 territorial reform, plus 5 overseas collectivities: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, Réunion and Mayotte.
❓ What is the difference between a region and a department?
A region groups several departments. The departments manage middle schools, social services and departmental roads, while the regions oversee economic development, high schools and regional transport (TER).
❓ How many municipalities does France have?
France has about 36,681 municipalities in 2025 (metropolitan + overseas), this number varying slightly each year according to municipality mergers and the creation of new municipalities.
❓ When did the territorial reform take place?
The territorial reform dates from January 16, 2015. It reduced the number of regions from 22 to 13 as part of the Third Act of decentralization, with effective implementation on January 1, 2016.
❓ What are the 101 departments of France?
France has 101 departments: 96 metropolitan departments numbered from 01 to 95 (plus 2A and 2B for Corsica) and 5 overseas departments (Guadeloupe 971, Martinique 972, Guyana 973, Réunion 974, Mayotte 976).
❓ What are the largest regions of France?
The largest French regions by area are: Nouvelle-Aquitaine (84,061 km²), Occitanie (72,724 km²), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (69,711 km²), Grand Est (57,433 km²) and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (47,784 km²).
❓ Where can I find maps of France to print for free?
You can download free high-definition maps on Cartes-2-France.com, IGN.fr, Cartes.gouv.fr and the Geoportal. Available formats: PDF, JPG, PNG for printing in A4, A3 or large format.
❓ What are the cartographic new features in 2025?
In 2025, the IGN is launching new regional maps enriched with UNESCO sites and bike routes, Michelin is offering slow tourism maps, and Cartes.gouv.fr is developing online cartographic creation tools for everyone.
❓ Where to find a France map of greenways?
To view all the cycling routes and greenways across the territory, you can consult the France map of greenways and cycle paths. It lists the secure routes accessible by bike, on foot, or rollerblading, department by department.
💡 Transparency: This article provides geographical and administrative information verified from official sources (IGN, INSEE, Cartes.gouv.fr, Michelin, Worldmaps.info). Last verification: November 2, 2025. Data may be reused with citation of Cartes-2-France. External links verified and safe.