Municipal arrondissements of France

Thus, in effect, Marseille can be more properly described as being divided into eight secteurs, the sixteen arrondissements having been made merely units of demarcation.

In Paris, residents are very familiar with the arrondissements and, when asked where they live, they will almost always answer with the number.

The arrondissements of Paris form a clockwise spiral or snail pattern beginning from the first in the centre.

In Marseille, they form a meandering path from the first down through the southwest, to the southeast, northeast and finally to the northwest.

Paris, unlike the other large cities, was not split into smaller communes, but into arrondissements, a newly created category, and the central municipality was abolished.

The twelve arrondissements were preserved, being needed for the local administration of people in such a large and populous city as Paris.

In 1977, the office of mayor of Paris was re-established after almost 183 years of abolition, but the arrondissements were left untouched.

In 1981, the Socialists won the French general elections and in the following year, they passed several key laws redefining the powers of the regions, departments, and communes, with the clear objective of ushering in a less centralised France.

For all necessary queries and official business (for example, birth, marriage and death registrations and records), citizens go to their respective mairie d'arrondissement.

The city hall (mairie centrale) does not generally have direct contact with the citizens and is in charge of larger matters such as economic development or local taxation.

Nonetheless, to this day only Paris, Lyon and Marseille are divided into municipal arrondissements.

The three communes of Paris, Lyon, and Marseille are ruled by a municipal council and a mayor.