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Understanding French Departments and Their Courts
Why if both Paris and Nanterre are part of the Ile de France region are their TGIs different?
That's a great question that highlights the different layers of France's administrative structure.
The core reason why Paris and Nanterre have different codes (75 and 92) is that they belong to two different administrative divisions even though they are grouped together in the same larger region.
Here is the breakdown:
1. The Numbers Represent Departments (Départements)
In France, the number codes like 75 and 92 refer to the Departments (Départements), which is the level of local government below the Region.
Paris is Department 75 (Paris).
Nanterre is in Department 92 (Hauts-de-Seine).
2. The Region is the Super-Structure
The Île-de-France Region is the larger super-structure that contains eight separate departments, including:
75 - Paris (which is a city that also functions as a department)
92 - Hauts-de-Seine (where Nanterre is located and serves as the prefecture)
77 - Seine-et-Marne
78 - Yvelines
91 - Essonne
93 - Seine-Saint-Denis
94 - Val-de-Marne
95 - Val-d'Oise
3. Why the Numbers are Different
The different numbers are historical and geographic, reflecting the distinct administrative identities of the Departments:
Paris (75): This number was originally assigned to the former Département de la Seine. When that department was reorganized in 1968, the City of Paris kept the 75 code.
Hauts-de-Seine (92): The territory that makes up Nanterre and the surrounding inner suburbs was part of the original Département de la Seine. When that department was split up in 1968, new departments were created in the suburbs and were given the higher numbers (91 to 95) since the original list of department codes (1 to 90) was already full.
In short, while the Île-de-France Region is the political and economic umbrella, the Departments (75 and 92) are the fundamental local administrative building blocks that define the codes.
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