In January 2016, the Assemblée Nationale of France adopted 13 new administrative regions, down from the previous 22. The Parliament's aim was to reduce costs and simplify bureaucracy.
We pulled together this infographic to help explain the changes.
Before the 13 new regions came into effect, the country was divided into 22 administrative areas.
Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie combined to form Normandie
Which French Regions Stayed the Same?
Seven remained unchanged:
Rennes remained the capital of Bretagne
Ajaccio is still the capital of Corse
Orleans continues to be the Centre's capital
Île-de-France naturally has Paris as the administrative centre
Nantes is the capital of Pays de la Loire
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur has Marseille as it's capital
Strasbourg was already made the capital of the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine region in January 2015
The capitals for the updated regions are:
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes - Lyon
Normandie - Rouen
Hauts-de-France - Lille
Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux
Occitanie - Toulouse
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté - Besançon
Grand-Est - Strasbourg
Why Have These Regions Not Been Applied to the Alan Rogers Website?
These administrative regions shouldn't be confused with the traditional historical or cultural areas, which each have their own cuisine, character and traditions.
We felt that the traditional regions are still better known by the British traveller; after all, if you're looking for a holiday in Limousin or Alsace, would you know to search for Nouvelle Aquitaine or Grand-Est?
Rob has been involved in the leisure industry since completing a BTEC in Travel & Tourism in 1993. Previous roles have included the promotion of tourism in Yorkshire and running a motorcycle touring company in the Australian Outback.
He is the General Manager at Alan Rogers Travel Group, responsible for the ongoing development of the Alan Rogers website and the publication of the Alan Rogers Guides and 'Destinations' magazine.
Rob has owned several caravans, and he regularly travels with his wife and young daughter in their VW Transporter, complete with a Tentbox roof tent. A keen cycling fan, Rob can often be found in a field in Belgium during the 'Spring Classics' season.
