The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany. French communes have no exact equivalent in the United Kingdom, but are closest to parishes, towns or cities.
A French commune can be a city of two million inhabitants as in Paris; a town of ten thousand people—or just a ten-person hamlet....
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The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany. French communes have no exact equivalent in the United Kingdom, but are closest to parishes, towns or cities.
A French commune can be a city of two million inhabitants as in Paris; a town of ten thousand people—or just a ten-person hamlet.
The French word commune appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life; from Latin communis, things held in common.
As of January 9, 2008, there were 36,781 communes in France, 36,569 of them in metropolitan France and 212 of them overseas. This is a considerably higher total than that of any other European country. This peculiarity is explained in detail in the history section below; briefly, French communes still largely reflect the division of France into villages or...
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