^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

France: Regions

Status of the Regions
Index of the Regions pages

See also:

External site:

Emblèmes des collectivités territoriales de France by Pascal Vagnat

Status of the Regions

The Régions de programme were established in 1955 as groups of departments but received their present status and name of Régions only in 1982 after the adoption of the so-called "decentralisation law".
The duties of the Préfets, who represent the French government, were reduced, and each Region is ruled by a Conseil Régional (Regional Council) constituted of Conseillers Régionaux (Régional Councellors) elected by universal suffrage on a departmental basis.The authonomy of the Regions is therefore favoured.
Some Regions have reused the names of the traditional provinces, but their geographical borders may differ from those of the provinces.

It is necessary to make the distinction between the flag used by the Regional Council as an administrative authority and the flag used by the Region as an entity. Private citizens are usually not allowed to use the flag of the Regional Council.

Index of the Regions pages

Each page includes links towards the traditional province(s) whose territory(ies) overlap(s) the Region territory and the department(s) which constitute(s) the Region.