Natural regions of France

In France, a natural region (French: région naturelle), traditionally called a "pays", is a territory of often limited extent (at most a few hundred square kilometers) with homogeneous physical characteristics (geomorphology, geology, climate, soils, water resources) associated with a human occupation that shares a distinct cultural identity (perception and management of land that develop specific landscapes).

[1] Many natural regions in France have historically corresponded to political boundaries from the Middle Ages, inherited from the Gallo-Roman pagi, and sometimes, through them, the territory of a Gallic people or the influence of a city on its hinterland (such as Vendômois).

Over time, natural regions, conflated with the political power that administered them, may have given their names to much larger entities.

[6][7] The relatively vague notion of traditional "pays" or natural regions limits the possibility of establishing a precise list.

Different entities, each equally relevant but based on different criteria or perspectives, may overlap in the same geographic area.