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Seine (département)
Encyclopedia
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 and its territory divided among four new départements.
flowing through it.
From 1929 to its abolition in 1968, the department consisted of the city (commune) of Paris and 80 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.
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 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 contained 5,700,754 residents (45% of them living in the city of Paris, 55% in the 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
.
In detail, the break-up of the Seine département was carried out like this:
Taken together, 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 larger than the former Seine département (480 km² for the Seine département vs. 762 km² for Paris and petite couronne).
.
Of the new départements created in 1968, Paris (75) was the most populous in 2006 with 2,181,371 inhabitants. The Paris département is currently the second-most populous of France behind that of Nord.
Today, there are some people in France who regret the break-up of 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 has become more of a place for the wealthy, with the departure of lower-middle-class residents 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 loss of 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.
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.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
encompassing Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and its immediate suburbs. Its préfecture
Préfecture
A prefecture in France can refer to :*the Chef-lieu de département, the town in which the administration of a department is located;*the Chef-lieu de région, the town in which the administration of a region is located;...
(capital) was Paris and its official number was 75. The Seine département was abolished in 1968 and its territory divided among four new départements.
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 (French: département de la Seine), after the Seine RiverSeine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
flowing through it.
From 1929 to its abolition in 1968, the department consisted of the city (commune) of Paris and 80 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
Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine
Sceaux is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Wealth:Sceaux is famous for the Château of Sceaux, set in its large park , designed by André Le Nôtre, measuring...
, and Saint-Denis.
Split-up
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. With the growth of Paris and its suburbs, the population of the Seine département increased tremendously, and by 1968 it contained 5,700,754 residents (45% of them living in the city of Paris, 55% in the 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
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine is designated number 92 of the 101 départements in France. It is part of the Île-de-France region, and covers the western inner suburbs of Paris...
, Seine-Saint-Denis
Seine-Saint-Denis
- Culture :A number of hip hop artists come from the Seine-Saint-Denis, including one of the first major hip-hop groups in France, NTM, as well as Lord Kossity, or more recent acts such as Tandem or Sefyu.- Miscellaneous topics :...
, and Val-de-Marne
Val-de-Marne
Val-de-Marne is a French department, named after the Marne River, located in the Île-de-France region. The department is situated to the southeast of the city of Paris.- Geography :...
.
In detail, the break-up of the Seine département was carried out like this:
- the city (commune) 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.
- To the south and south-east of the city, 29 communes of the Seine département were grouped with 18 communes of the Seine-et-OiseSeine-et-OiseSeine-et-Oise was a département of France encompassing the western, northern, and southern parts of the metropolitan area of Paris. Its préfecture was Versailles and its official number was 78. Seine-et-Oise was abolished in 1968....
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 SaharaSaharaThe Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
n part of French AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
). - To the west of Paris, 27 communes of the Seine département were grouped with nine communes of Seine-et-Oise 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 OranOran (département)Oran is a former French département in Algeria existing from 1848 until 1962.Originally a French province, it was departmentalised on 9 December 1848. Its principal town, Oran, was made the prefecture of the département. There were three French départements in Algeria: Oran in the west, Alger in...
in French AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
). - Finally, to the north and north-east 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 ConstantineConstantine (département)Constantine is a former French département in Algeria which existed between 1848 and 1962.Considered as a French province, Algeria was departmentalised on 9 December 1848. Three civil zones replaced the three beyliks into which the Ottoman former rulers had divided the territory...
in French AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
).
Taken together, 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 larger than the former Seine département (480 km² for the Seine département vs. 762 km² for Paris and petite couronne).
Population
At the 2006 census, the population of the communes that had previously comprised the Seine département was 5,496,468. The population of the département peaked in 1968 at 5,700,754. It then lost inhabitants until 1999 (nadir of 5,203,818 inhabitants at the 1999 census) as residents increasingly relocated to the more distant suburbs of the metropolitan area of Paris, but since 1999 it has regained some inhabitants, with a population increase of 292,650 inhabitants between 1999 and 2006. This new population growth after a long period of decline is comparable to what is observed in the central areas of other large Western metropolises such as Inner LondonInner London
Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time. The terms Inner London and Central...
.
Of the new départements created in 1968, Paris (75) was the most populous in 2006 with 2,181,371 inhabitants. The Paris département is currently the second-most populous of France behind that of Nord.
Controversy over the break-up
Périphérique (Paris)
Boulevard Périphérique is a controlled-access dual-carriageway ring road in Paris, France. One of the busiest highways in Europe, the Périphérique is the generally-accepted boundary between the city proper of Paris and its suburbs...
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 loss of 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.
However, so far there are no real plans to revive the old Seine département. Moreover, the creation of the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
région
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
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.