arrondissement

An arrondissement is a territorial division used in French-speaking countries, most prominently France. The term denotes a subdivision of a department or, in large cities, a subdivision of the city itself.

In France, arrondissements serve two distinct purposes. The administrative form subdivides a department into several arrondissements, each with a seat that bears the same name. An arrondissement is governed locally by a sous-préfet who represents the national government, while the department's préfet is the state's representative for the entire department. The boundaries are defined by decree and can be adjusted by national authorities.

In the municipal form, some large cities are divided into arrondissements. The best known examples are Paris, Lyon and Marseille. In these cities, each arrondissement has a mayor and a council and handles local affairs such as urban planning, road maintenance, and social services. The citywide government retains policy direction and budgetary control for the whole city.

Outside France, the word is used in other contexts. In Belgium, for example, an arrondissement is an administrative district within a province and, in the judiciary, a district for courts. In other Francophone countries, arrondissements similarly denote subdivisions of larger administrative units, though powers and boundaries vary.