View source for Cantons of France

{{Short description|Territorial subdivisions of France}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox subdivision type|name=Canton|category=[[:Category:Fourth-level administrative divisions by country|Fourth-level]] [[administrative division]]|territory=[[Regions of France]]|current_number=2,054|number_date=2015|image=[[File:Frankreich Kantone 2019.png|450px]]|caption=Cantons of [[metropolitan France]]|government=[[Departmental council (France)|Departmental council]]}}{{Administrative divisions of France}}
The '''cantons of France''' ({{IPA|fr|kɑ̃tɔ̃|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-LoquaxFR-canton.wav}}) are territorial subdivisions of the [[France|French Republic]]'s [[Departments of France|departments]] and [[Arrondissements of France|arrondissements]].

Apart from their role as organizational units in relation to certain aspects of the administration of [[public service]]s and [[justice]], the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as [[Constituency|constituencies]] for the [[election]] of members of the representative assemblies established in each of France's territorial departments ([[Departmental council (France)|departmental councils]], formerly general councils). For this reason, such elections were known in France as "cantonal elections", until 2015 when their name was changed to "departmental elections" to match the departmental councils' name.

There are 2,054 cantons in France.<ref name="name game">{{cite journal|
url=https://www.cairn-int.info/article-E_EG_441_0073--new-cantons-in-france-name-games.htm|title=New cantons in France: Name games|journal=L'Espace Géographique|author=Roger Brunet|doi=10.3917/eg.441.0073|date=2015|volume=44|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Most of them group together a number of [[Communes of France|communes]] (the lowest administrative division of the French Republic), although larger communes may be included in more than one canton, since the cantons – in marked contrast to the communes, which have between more than two million inhabitants (Paris) and just one person ([[Rochefourchat]]) – are intended to be roughly equal in size of population for electoral purposes.

== Role and administration ==
The role of the ''canton'' is, essentially, to provide a framework for [[Departments of France|departmental]] elections. Each ''canton'' elects a woman and a man to represent it at the ''[[Departmental council (France)|conseil départemental]] du département'' – or departmental council for the ''department'', which is the principal administrative division of the French Republic.

In urban areas, a single ''commune'' generally includes several ''cantons''. Conversely, in rural areas, a ''canton'' may comprise several smaller ''communes''. In the latter case, administrative services, the ''[[gendarmerie]]'' headquarters for example, are often situated in the principal town ({{Lang|fr|[[chef-lieu]]}}) of the ''canton'', although there are exceptions, such as ''cantons'' [[Canton of Gaillon-Campagne|Gaillon-Campagne]] and [[Canton of Sarreguemines-Campagne|Sarreguemines-Campagne]], which have in common a "chief-town" which does not belong to either ''canton''.

For statistical ([[INSEE]]) purposes, the twenty [[arrondissements of Paris]]  – the administrative subdivisions of that city – are sometimes considered ''cantons'', but they serve no greater electoral function.<ref name="INSEE">[http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=cantons-2015 INSEE], Populations légales 2012 des cantons – découpage 2015</ref>

''Cantons'' also form legal districts, as seats of ''[[Tribunal d'instance|Tribunaux d'instance]]'' (''TI'') or [[court of first instance|Courts of First Instance]]. Historically, the ''cantons'' are called ''justices de paix'' or "district courts".

== History ==
The ''cantons'' were created in 1790 at the same time as the [[département in France|''départements'']] by the [[French Revolution|Revolutionary]] Committee for the Division of Territory (''Comité de division''). They were more numerous than today (between 40 and 60 to each ''département'').
''Cantons'' were, at first, grouped into what were called ''districts''. After the abolition of the ''district'' in 1800, they were reorganized by the [[French Consulate|Consulate]] into ''arrondissements''.  The number of ''cantons'' was then drastically reduced (between 30 and 50 units) by the ''Loi du 8 pluviôse an IX'' (28 January 1801), or the "Law for the Reduction of the Number of District Courts", or ''Loi portant réduction du nombre de justices de paix'' in French.  The ''département'' [[prefects]] were told by the government to group the ''communes'' within newly established ''cantons''.  The ''département'' lists, once approved by the government, were published in the ''[[Bulletin des lois]]'' in 1801 and 1802; these lists were the basis of the administrative divisions of France from then until 2015, although ''cantons'' with small populations were eliminated and new ''cantons'' created in areas of strong demographic growth. On the whole, their number increased appreciably.

In May 2013 a law was adopted that reduced the number of cantons drastically.<ref name="2013–403">[http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000027414225&categorieLien=id LOI n° 2013-403 du 17 mai 2013 relative à l'élection des conseillers départementaux, des conseillers municipaux et des conseillers communautaires, et modifiant le calendrier électoral]</ref> This law came into effect at the [[2015 French departmental elections|French departmental elections in March 2015]]. Before the cantonal reform, there were 4,032 cantons; afterwards there were 2,054, with the cantons in Martinique and Guyana abolished.<ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/2560615 Code officiel géographique au 1er janvier 2013], INSEE</ref><ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/2114819 Code officiel géographique au 1er janvier 2016], INSEE</ref> The 2013 reform law also changed the representation of the cantons in the [[General councils (France)|departmental councils]]: each canton is now represented by a man and a woman.<ref name="2013–403"/>

== Statistics ==
The number of ''cantons'' varies from one ''département'' to another. The [[Territoire de Belfort]] has the fewest at 9, while [[Nord (département)|Nord]] has the most at 41. The average figure is about 21.<ref>Based on 2,054 cantons divided by 100 departments.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Administrative divisions of France]]
* [[Canton (administrative division)]]
* [[List of cantons of France]]

==References==
{{reflist|}}

{{Cantons of France}}
{{Articles on fourth-level administrative divisions of countries}}

[[Category:Cantons of France| ]]
[[Category:Fourth-level administrative divisions by country|France]]