The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements,[6] which may be roughly translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a subprefecture. When an arrondissement contains the prefecture (capital) of the department, that prefecture is the capital of the arrondissement, acting both as a prefecture and as a subprefecture. Arrondissements are further divided into cantons and communes.
A municipal arrondissement (French: arrondissement municipal, pronounced [aʁɔ̃dismɑ̃mynisipal]), is a subdivision of the commune, used in the three largest cities: Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. It functions as an even lower administrative division, with its own mayor. Although usually referred to simply as an "arrondissement", they should not be confused with departmental arrondissements, which are groupings of communes within one département. The official translation into English is "district".
Belgium is a federalized country which geographically consists of three regions, of which only Flanders (Flemish Region) and Wallonia (Walloon Region) are subdivided into five provinces each; the Brussels-Capital Region is neither a province nor is it part of one.
In Belgium, there are administrative, judicial and electoral arrondissements. These may or may not relate to identical geographical areas.
The 43 administrative arrondissements[4] are an administrative level between the municipalities and the provinces.
Most nations in Africa that have been colonized by France have retained the arrondissement administrative structure. These are normally subunits of a department and may either contain or be coequal with communes (towns). In Mali the arrondissement is a subunit of a cercle, while in some places arrondissements are essentially subdistricts of large cities.
Between 1962 and 2002, each of Niger's departments was subdivided into arrondissements; see Arrondissements of Niger: Since 2002, they have been renamed Departments (with the former Departments renamed Regions).
Each of Mali's cercles is subdivided into arrondissements; see Cercles of Mali for maps of arrondissements by cercle.
Each of Benin's departments is subdivided into communes, which are in turn subdivided into arrondissements: they sit above villages in Benin's structure; see Communes of Benin for maps of communes by Department.
Each of Cameroon's departments is subdivided into arrondissements: they sit above subdistricts and communes in Cameroon's structure; see Departments of Cameroon for maps of arrondissements by Department.
Since 2002, Chad retains arrondissements only in the city of N'Djamena, which is divided into 10 municipal arrondissements.
Djibouti retains arrondissements only in the city of Djibouti City, which is divided into six arrondissements.
Morocco's cercles are subdivided into communes rurales, municipalities, communes urbaines, and arrondissements, depending on the classification of the community.
In the Canadian province of Quebec, eight cities are divided into arrondissements, known as boroughs in English. In Quebec, boroughs are provincially organized and recognized sub-municipal entities that have mayors and councilors.
