Seine was a département of France encompassing Paris and its immediate suburbs. Its préfecture (capital) was Paris and its official number was 75. The Seine département was abolished in 1968. The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties and are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas régions. ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... In France, a préfecture is the capital city of a département. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

General characteristics

The Seine département was created on March 4, 1790 under the name Paris département. In 1795 the name was changed into Seine département after the Seine River flowing through it. March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 1790 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Events January 16 - French occupy Utrecht, Netherlands. ... This article is about the river in France; it should not be confused with the Senne, a much smaller river that flows through Brussels. ...

From 1929 to its end in 1968, Seine consisted of the city of Paris and 80 independent suburban communes surrounding Paris. It had an area of 480 km² (185 sq. miles), 22% of that area being the city of Paris, and 78% being independent suburbs. It was divided into three arrondissements: Paris, Sceaux, and Saint-Denis. 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The commune is an administrative division of France. ... The 100 French départements are divided into 342 arrondissements. ... Saint-Denis is a commune of France, in the Seine-Saint-Denis département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ...

Split-up

At the first French census in 1801, the Seine département had 631,585 inhabitants (87% of them living in the city of Paris, 13% in the independent suburbs) and was the second most populous département of the vast Napoleonic Empire (behind the Nord département), more populous than even the dense départements of what is now Belgium and the Netherlands. With the growth of Paris and its suburbs, the population of the Seine département increased tremendously, and by 1968 it had reached a staggering 5,700,754 inhabitants figure (45% of them living in the city of Paris, 55% in the independent suburbs), being now by far the most populous département of France. It was judged that the Seine département was now too large and ungovernable, and so on January 1, 1968 it was split into four smaller départements: Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne. Events January 1 - Legislative union of Ireland completed under the Act of Union 1800, bringing about the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... The First French Empire, commonly known as the French Empire, the Napoleonic Empire or simply as The Empire, covers the period of the domination of France and of much of continental Europe by Napoleon I of France. ... Nord (French, the north) is a département in the north of France. ... The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België, French: Royaume de Belgique, German: Königreich Belgien) is a country in Western Europe, bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Hauts-de-Seine is a département in France. ... Seine-Saint-Denis is a French département located in the Île-de-France région. ... Val-de-Marne is a French département, named after the Marne River, located in the Île-de-France région. ...

In detail, the splitting up of the Seine département was carried out like this: the city of Paris was turned into a département in its own right, with no other communes inside this département. The official number 75 which was used for the Seine département was given to the new Paris département. 29 communes of the Seine département were grouped with 18 communes of the Seine-et-Oise département (which was also abolished in 1968) to form the new Val-de-Marne département, and the official number 94 was assigned to this département (a number previously used for the Territoires du Sud territory in the Saharan part of French Algeria). 27 communes of the Seine département were grouped with 9 communes of the Seine-et-Oise département to form the new Hauts-de-Seine département, and the official number 92 was assigned to this département (a number previously used for the département of Oran in French Algeria). Finally, the 24 remaining communes of the Seine département were grouped with 16 communes of the Seine-et-Oise département to form the new Seine-Saint-Denis département, and the official number 93 was assigned to this département (a number previously used for the département of Constantine in French Algeria). Seine-et-Oise was a département of France encompassing the western, northern, and southern parts of the metropolitan area of Paris. ... Satellite image The Sahara is the worlds second largest desert (second to Antarctica), over 9,000,000 km² (3,500,000 mi²), located in northern Africa and is 2. ... The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, or Algeria, is a nation in north Africa, and the second largest country on the African continent. ... The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, or Algeria, is a nation in north Africa, and the second largest country on the African continent. ... The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, or Algeria, is a nation in north Africa, and the second largest country on the African continent. ...

Thus, it should be noted that Hauts-de-Seine, Val-de-Marne, and Seine-Saint-Denis, three départements known in France as the petite couronne (i.e. "small ring", as opposed to the "large ring" of the more distant suburbs), plus the city of Paris, are altogether larger than the former Seine département (480 km² for the Seine département vs. 762 km² for Paris and petite couronne).

Population

At the 1999 French census, if the Seine département still existed its population would have been 5,203,818 inhabitants. 1968 was the highest point in the population of this département, and it has lost inhabitants ever since, as people relocate more and more from the center to the distant suburbs of the metropolitan area of Paris. Of the new départements created in 1968, Paris (75) was the most populous in 1999 with 2,125,246 inhabitants. The Paris département is now only the second most populous of France behind the Nord département. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Nord (French, the north) is a département in the north of France. ...

Controversy over the split-up

Today, there are some people in France who regret the old Seine département. In the 1960s it was felt that the département was too large to be properly governed, and everybody welcomed the change. However, in the last 40 years large ghettos have appeared in the suburbs of Paris, while the city of Paris itself was becoming more and more a place for wealthy people with the departure of lower-middle-class people to the suburbs. The building of the large Périphérique freeway all around the city of Paris also contributed to the feeling of marked segregation between Paris proper and its suburbs. Many politicians and intellectuals regret the old Seine département in the sense that before there existed a common administration for the city of Paris and its immediate suburbs, creating a sense of community throughout the metropolitan area, whereas today rich Paris administers itself solely and leaves the suburbs to their own fate. Boulevard Périphérique is the French term for a ring road ( US: beltway), a motorway or freeway encircling or orbiting a large city. ...

However, so far there are no real plans to revive the old Seine département. Moreover, the creation of the Île-de-France région in the 1970s, which encompasses not only the territory of the former Seine département, but also the more distant suburbs of Paris, may in time prove to be the unifying structure for the metropolitan area that was once the Seine département. Île-de-France can refer to: the historical province of France: see Île-de-France (province) the modern French administrative région: see Île-de-France (région) For other meanings without the circumflex accent, see Ile de France. ... France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common...