it is 7 times larger than Paris

France is teeming with communes. Established in 1789, these “basic local authorities, the smallest French administrative divisions (…) administered by the mayor” today number 34,945 according to INSEE*. A record which makes France the European champion of municipalities, according to the JDD. The country alone represents 40% of all those in the Old Continent, far ahead of Germany (11,275) and the United Kingdom (10,375).

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Beyond their significant number, these autonomous local authorities are also distinguished by their diversity. They can be rural, urban, very sparsely inhabited or, on the contrary, overloaded with souls. Likewise, some extend over less than 1 km², while others cover more than 700.

Arles is the largest municipality in metropolitan France: it covers 759 km²

And, surprise, the largest municipality in mainland France is neither Marseille nor the capital: it is Arles, the stage city of the Olympic flame in PACA! On the official website of the municipality, it is indicated that it “is as big as seven times Paris (105 km²) with its surface area of approximately 759 km²”.

It must be said that the commune of Arles is, of course, made up of a central city, but also of 11 villages. Five of them fortunately have an annexed town hall to facilitate administrative procedures: Le Sambuc, Mas-Thibert, Moulès, Raphèle and Salin-de-Giraud.

The ranking of the 20 largest municipalities in mainland France

According to the INSEE Territory Comparator Base tool, the first 39 largest municipalities in France are all located in overseas territories (Guyana, New Caledonia) with the exception of Arles, which comes in 26th. position. The one with a record surface area? Maripasoula (Guyana), with 18,360 km².