| Communes of France | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Municipality |
| Location | France |
| Found in | Departments |
| Number | 34,965 (List) (as of January 2021) |
| Populations | 0 (Several) – 2,175,601 (Paris) |
| Government | Municipal Council |
A commune is the lowest administrative division in France. It is all the parts of a town or a village under the same name. Examples are Paris, Bordeaux or Rennes. As of January 1, 2008, there were 36,781 communes in France; 36,569 of them are in metropolitan France and 212 of them are in overseas France.
This is much more than in any other European country. Every commune in France elects a mayor. The French word commune was first used in the 12th century,[source?] from Medieval Latin communia, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common.[source?]
