Editing Regions of France (section)

== History ==
{{Further|Territorial evolution of France|Decentralisation in France}}

===1982–2015===
The term {{lang|fr|région}} was officially created by the [[decentralisation in France|Law of Decentralisation]] (2 March 1982), which also gave regions their legal status. The first direct elections for regional representatives took place on 16 March 1986.<ref>Jean-Marie Miossec (2009), ''Géohistoire de la régionalisation en France,'' Paris: Presses universitaires de France {{ISBN|978-2-13-056665-6}}.</ref>

Between 1982 and 2015, there were 22 regions in Metropolitan France.  Before 2011, there were four [[overseas department and region|overseas regions]] ([[French Guiana]], [[Guadeloupe]], [[Martinique]], and [[Réunion]]); in 2011 [[Mayotte]] became the fifth.

{| style="border-spacing: 0; margin: 1em auto;"
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| style="vertical-align: top;" | {{France Regions Labelled Map from 2015}} 
|+'''Regions of France between 2011 and 2015'''
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" border="1" style="font-size:90%; border-spacing: 0; margin: 1em auto;"
|+{{nowrap|Regions in Metropolitan France between 1982 and 2015}}
|-
! Region
! French name
! Other local name(s)
! [[INSEE]] No.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/2560563#titre-bloc-29|title=Code officiel géographique au 1er janvier 2014: Liste des régions|publisher=INSEE}}</ref>
! Capital
! [[Placename etymology|Derivation or etymology]]
|-
| [[Alsace]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Alsace|Alsace]]}}
| [[Alsatian language|Alsatian]]: {{lang|gsw|Elsàss}}<br/>{{langx|de|Elsass}}
| align="center" | 42
| [[Strasbourg]]
| Formerly a [[Décapole|coalition of free cities]] in [[Holy Roman Empire]], attached to [[Kingdom of France]] in 1648; annexed by Germany from [[Franco-Prussian war]] to the end of [[World War I]] and briefly during [[World War II]]
|-
| [[Aquitaine]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Aquitaine (ancienne région)|Aquitaine]]}}
| {{langx|oc|Aquitània}}<br/>{{langx|eu|Akitania}}<br/>[[Saintongeais]] : ''Aguiéne''
| align="center" | 72
| [[Bordeaux]]
| [[Guyenne]] and [[Gascony]]
|-
| [[Auvergne]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Auvergne|Auvergne]]}}
| {{langx|oc|Auvèrnhe / Auvèrnha}}
| align="center" | 83
| [[Clermont-Ferrand]]
| Former [[Auvergne (province)|province of Auvergne]]
|-
| [[Brittany (administrative region)|Brittany]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Région Bretagne|Bretagne]]}}
| {{langx|br|Breizh}}<br/>[[Gallo language|Gallo]]: {{lang|fr-gallo|Bertaèyn}}
| align="center" | 53
| [[Rennes]]
| [[Duchy of Brittany]]
|-
| [[Burgundy]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Bourgogne (ancienne région administrative)|Bourgogne]]}}
| [[Burgundian language (Oïl)|Burgundian]]: ''Bregogne''{{\}}''Borgoégne''<br/>{{langx|frp|Borgogne}}
| align="center" | 26
| [[Dijon]]
| [[Duchy of Burgundy]]
|-
| [[Centre-Val de Loire]]<ref name="ReferenceA">New name as of 17 January 2015; formerly named {{lang|fr|Centre}}.</ref>
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Centre-Val de Loire|Centre-Val de Loire]]}}
| 
| align="center" | 24
| [[Orléans]]
| Located in [[Geography of France|north-central France]]; straddles the middle of the [[Loire Valley]]
|-
| [[Champagne-Ardenne]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Champagne-Ardenne|Champagne-Ardenne]]}}
| 
| align="center" | 21
| [[Châlons-en-Champagne|Châlons-en-<br/>Champagne]]
| Former [[province of Champagne]]
|-
| [[Corsica]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Corse|Corse]]}}
|
| align="center" | 94
| [[Ajaccio]]
|
|-
| [[Franche-Comté]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Franche-Comté|Franche-Comté]]}}
| [[Frainc-Comtou dialect|Franc-Comtois]]: ''Fràntche-Comté''<br/>{{langx|frp|Franche-Comtât}}
| align="center" | 43
| [[Besançon]]
| [[Free County of Burgundy]] (''Franche-Comté'')
|-
| [[Île-de-France]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Île-de-France|Île-de-France]]}}
| 
| align="center" | 11
| [[Paris]]
| [[Île-de-France|Province of Île-de-France]] and parts of the former [[Champagne (province)|province of Champagne]]
|-
| [[Languedoc-Roussillon]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Languedoc-Roussillon|Languedoc-Roussillon]]}}
| {{langx|oc|Lengadòc-Rosselhon}}<br/>{{langx|ca|Llenguadoc-Rosselló}}
| align="center" | 91
| [[Montpellier]]
| Former provinces of [[Languedoc]] and [[Roussillon]]
|-
| [[Limousin]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Limousin|Limousin]]}}
| {{langx|oc|Lemosin}}
| align="center" | 74
| [[Limoges]]
| Former [[Limousin (province)|province of Limousin]] and parts of [[Marches#France|Marche]], [[Berry (province)|Berry]], [[Auvergne (province)|Auvergne]], [[Poitou]] and [[Angoumois]]
|-
| [[Lorraine]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Lorraine (ancienne région administrative)|Lorraine]]}}
| {{langx|de|Lothringen}}<br/>[[Lorraine Franconian]]: {{lang|gmw|Lottringe}}
| align="center" | 41
| [[Metz]]
| Named for [[Charlemagne]]'s son [[Lothair I]], the kingdom of [[Lotharingia]] is etymologically the source for the name [[Lorraine (duchy)]], {{native name|de|Lothringen}}, {{lang|gmw|Lottringe}} ([[Lorraine Franconian]]) 
|-
| [[Lower Normandy]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Basse-Normandie|Basse-Normandie]]}}
| [[Norman language|Norman]]: {{lang|nrf|Basse-Normaundie}}<br/>{{langx|br|Normandi-Izel}}
| align="center" | 25
| [[Caen]]
|Western half of former province of [[Normandy]] 
|-
| [[Midi-Pyrénées]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Midi-Pyrénées|Midi-Pyrénées]]}}
| {{langx|oc|Miègjorn-Pirenèus}}<br/>{{langx|oc|Mieidia-Pirenèus}}
| align="center" | 73
| [[Toulouse]]
| None; created for [[Toulouse]]
|-
| [[Nord-Pas-de-Calais]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Nord-Pas-de-Calais|Nord-Pas-de-Calais]]}}
|[[Picard language|Picard]]: ''Nord-Pas-Calés''
| align="center" | 31
| [[Lille]]
| [[Nord (French department)|Nord]] and [[Pas-de-Calais]] departments
|-
| [[Pays de la Loire]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Pays de la Loire|Pays de la Loire]]}}
| {{langx|br|Broioù al Liger}}
| align="center" | 52
| [[Nantes]]
| None; created for [[Nantes]]
|-
| [[Picardy]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Picardie (ancienne région administrative)|Picardie]]}}
| 
| align="center" | 22
| [[Amiens]]
| Former province of Picardy
|-
| [[Poitou-Charentes]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Poitou-Charentes|Poitou-Charentes]]}}
| {{langx|oc|Peitau-Charantas}}<br/>[[Poitevin dialect|Poitevin]] and [[Saintongeais]] : ''Poetou-Chérentes''
| align="center" | 54
| [[Poitiers]]
| Former provinces of [[Angoumois]], [[Aunis]], [[Poitou]] and [[County of Saintonge|Saintonge]]
|-
| [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] (PACA)
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur|Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]}} (PACA)
|style="white-space:nowrap;"| [[Provençal dialect|Provençal]]: {{lang|oc-provenc|Provença-Aups-Còsta d'Azur}}<br />({{lang|oc-provenc|Prouvènço-Aup-Costo d'Azur}})
| align="center" | 93
| [[Marseille]]
| Former historical province of [[Provence]] and [[County of Nice]] annexed by France in 1860. 
|-
| [[Rhône-Alpes]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Rhône-Alpes|Rhône-Alpes]]}}
| {{langx|frp|Rôno-Arpes}}<br/>{{langx|oc|Ròse Aups}}
| align="center" | 82
| [[Lyon]]
| Created for [[Lyon]] from [[Dauphiné]] and [[Lyonnais]] provinces and [[Savoy]]
|-
| [[Upper Normandy]]
| {{lang|fr|[[:fr:Haute-Normandie|Haute-Normandie]]}}
| [[Norman language|Norman]]: {{lang|nrf|Ĥâote-Normaundie}}<br/>{{langx|br|Normandi-Uhel}}
| align="center" | 23
| [[Rouen]]
| Eastern half of former province of [[Normandy]]
|}

===Reform and mergers of regions===
In 2014, the French parliament passed a law reducing the number of metropolitan regions from 22 to 13 effective 1 January 2016.<ref>[http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2014/12/17/la-carte-a-13-regions-definitivement-adoptee_4542278_823448.html La carte à 13 régions définitivement adoptée], [[Le Monde]], 17 December 2014, accessed 2 January 2015</ref>

The law gave interim names for most of the new regions by combining the names of the former regions, e.g. the region composed of [[Aquitaine]], [[Poitou-Charentes]] and [[Limousin]] was temporarily called ''Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes''.  However, the combined region of Upper and Lower Normandy was simply called "Normandy" (''Normandie'').  Permanent names were proposed by the new regional councils by 1 July 2016 and new names confirmed by the {{lang|fr|[[Conseil d'État (France)|Conseil d'État]]}} by 30 September 2016.<ref>[http://www.sudouest.fr/2014/12/04/quel-nom-pour-la-nouvelle-region-vous-avez-choisi-1755244-6058.php Quel nom pour la nouvelle région ? Vous avez choisi...], [[Sud-Ouest (newspaper)|Sud-Ouest]], 4 December 2014, accessed 2 January 2015</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.midilibre.fr/2016/06/10/nouveau-nom-de-la-region-dernier-jour-de-vote-ce-vendredi,1346798.php|title=Nouveau nom de la région : dernier jour de vote, Occitanie en tête|website=midilibre.fr}}</ref> The legislation defining the new regions also allowed the Centre region to officially change its name to "[[Centre-Val de Loire]]" with effect from January 2015.<ref>{{cite web|language=fr|title=''Journal officiel'' of 17 January 2015|url=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jopdf/common/jo_pdf.jsp?numJO=0&dateJO=20150117&numTexte=1&pageDebut=00777&pageFin=00783|website=Légifrance|date=2015-01-17|access-date=2015-03-10}}</ref>
Two regions, [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]] and [[Bourgogne-Franche-Comté]], opted to retain their interim names.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.placegrenet.fr/2016/05/31/auvergne-rhone-alpes-fini-consultation-laurent-wauquiez-a-tranche/91121|title=Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes : fini la consultation, Laurent Wauquiez a tranché - Place Gre'net|date=31 May 2016|website=placegrenet.fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr/La-region-s-appellera-Bourgogne-Franche-Comte,|title=Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté|website=www.bourgognefranchecomte.fr}}</ref>

<gallery widths="150px" align="center" caption="Overview of merger proposals for the metropolitan territory">
File:France proposal regions (2009) map.svg | [[Édouard Balladur]]'s proposal
File:France proposal regions (2014) map.svg | [[Manuel Valls]]'s proposal A
File:France proposal regions (2014) map2.svg| [[Manuel Valls]]'s proposal B
File:France proposal regions (2014) map3.svg| President [[François Hollande]]'s proposal
File:France assembly vote.svg|Regions as instituted by the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] in 2014
</gallery>

Given below is a table of former regions and which new region they became part of.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | Former region !! colspan=2| New region
|-
! Interim name !! Final name
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background: #008B8B" | || [[Auvergne]] || rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]]
|-
| [[Rhône-Alpes]]
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background: #00CED1; width:15px;"| || [[Burgundy]] || rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | [[Bourgogne-Franche-Comté]]
|-
| [[Franche-Comté]]
|-
| style="background: #ff7f50; width:15px;"| || colspan=3| [[Brittany (administrative region)|Brittany]]
|-
| style="background: #FFD700"| || colspan=3| [[Centre-Val de Loire]]
|-
| style="background: #a9a9a9"| || colspan=3| [[Corsica]]
|-
|  || colspan=3| [[French Guiana]]
|-
| rowspan="3" style="background: #86aae0"| || [[Alsace]] || rowspan="3"| Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine || rowspan="3"| [[Grand Est]]
|-
| [[Champagne-Ardenne]]
|-
| [[Lorraine]]
|-
|  || colspan=3| [[Guadeloupe]]
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background: #db7093"| || [[Nord-Pas-de-Calais]] || rowspan="2"| Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie || rowspan="2"| [[Hauts-de-France]]
|-
| [[Picardy]]
|-
| style="background: #ba55d3; width:15px;"| || colspan=3| [[Île-de-France]]
|-
|  || colspan=3| [[Martinique]]
|-
|  || colspan=3| [[Mayotte]]
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background: #b22222"| || [[Lower Normandy]] || rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | [[Normandy (administrative region)|Normandy]]
|-
| [[Upper Normandy]]
|-
| rowspan="3" style="background: #DEB887"| || [[Aquitaine]] || rowspan="3"| Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes || rowspan="3"| [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]]
|-
| [[Limousin]]
|-
| [[Poitou-Charentes]]
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background: #228b22"| || [[Languedoc-Roussillon]] || rowspan="2"| Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées || rowspan="2"| [[Occitania (administrative region)|Occitanie]]
|-
| [[Midi-Pyrénées]]
|-
| style="background: #d38d5f"| || colspan=3| [[Pays de la Loire]]
|-
| style="background: #32cd32"| || colspan=3| [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]
|-
|  || colspan=3| [[Réunion]]
|}