The regions, departments and communes in France are all known as territorial collectivities, meaning they possess local assemblies as well as an executive as its mentioned in France region map. Arrondissements and cantons are merely administrative divisions. However, this was not always the case. Until 1940, the arrondissements were also territorial collectivities with an elected assembly, but these were suspended by the Vichy regime and definitely abolished by the Fourth Republic in 1946.

 

The economic disparity between French regions is not as high as that in other European countries such as Spain, Italy or Germany. The most important regions are Ile-de-France (4th agglomerations for her economy in the world), Rhônes-Alpes (6th economic european region thanks to its services, high-technologies, chimical industries, wines, tourism), Provence-Alpes-Côtes d'Azur (services, industry, tourism and wines), Nord-Pas-de-Calais (industries) and Pays de la Loire as you can see in France region map. Regions like Alsace, which has a rich past in industry (machine tool), are relatively wealthy without ranking very high in absolute term. The rurals area are mainly in Auvergne, Limousin, and Centre, and wines productions account for a significant amount of the economy in Aquitaine (Bordeaux region), and champagne for Champagne-Ardennes.

 

France regions lack separate legislative authority and therefore cannot write their own statutory law. They levy their own taxes and, in return, receive a decreasing part of their budget from the central government, which gives them a portion of the taxes it levies. They also have considerable budgets managed by a regional council (conseil régional) made up of representatives voted into office in regional elections as its shown in France region map. A region primary responsibility is to build and furnish high schools. In March 2004, the French central government unveiled a controversial plan to transfer regulation of certain categories of non-teaching school staff to the regional authorities. Critics of this plan contended that tax revenue was insufficient to pay for the resulting costs, and that such measures would increase regional inequalities.

 

Before 2016 France was divided in 27 regions with : 22 regions in metropolitan France (Corsica counting) and 5 overseas regions (which are also departments) : Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, Reunion and Mayotte. Mayotte in mars 2011 obtained the status of region as its mentioned in France region map.