What is Communes of France?
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}} {{Infobox subdivision type | name = Communes of France | map = [[File:Communes of France.png|450px|Map of the 36,569 communes of metropolitan France]] | category = [[Municipality]] | territory = [[France]] | upper_unit = [[Departments of France|Departments]] | current_number = 34,965 ([[Lists of communes of France|List]]) | number_date = January 2021 | population_range = 0 (Several) – 2,175,601 ([[Paris]]) | area_range = | government = [[Municipal council (France)|Municipal Council]] | subdivision = }} A '''''commune''''' is the lowest [[administrative division]] in [[France]]. It represents all parts of a [[town]] or a [[village]] under the same name, for example [[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]].<ref>{{in lang|fr}} {{cite web|url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/methodes/nomenclatures/cog/documentation.asp|title=Code officiel géographique - Présentation|publisher=INSEE|accessdate=2008-06-27}}</ref><ref>{{in lang|fr}} {{cite web|url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/methodes/default.asp?page=nomenclatures/cog/outremer.htm|title=Code des collectivités d'outre-mer (COM)|publisher=INSEE|accessdate=2008-06-27}}</ref> This is much more than in any other [[European Union|European country]]. Every commune in France [[Election|elects]] a [[mayor]]. The French word ''commune'' was first used in the 12th century<sup>[''[[Wikipedia:Citing sources|source?]]'']</sup>, from [[Medieval Latin]] ''[[Medieval commune|communia]]'', meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life, from [[Latin]] ''communis'', things held in common.<sup>[''[[Wikipedia:Citing sources|source?]]'']</sup> ==References== {{reflist}} {{France-geo-stub}} [[Category:Communes in France|*]]