Natural regions of France
In France, a natural region, traditionally called "a country", is a territory of often limited extent with homogeneous physical characteristics associated with a human occupation that shares a distinct cultural identity. In some cases, traditional "pays" are subdivided into smaller territories; for example, the Bresse region is divided into Bresse bourguignonne, Bresse savoyarde, and Bresse comtoise. In Corsica, the term microrégion is used, with the island being divided into about fifteen such regions. The word "pays" derives from the Latin "pagus".
History
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. The definition of a natural region may stem from the work of a local scholarly society, local scholars, or ancient rural identities, particularly since the 16th century.Over time, natural regions, conflated with the political power that administered them, may have given their names to much larger entities. This sometimes leads to confusion, as the same name often designates very different areas, sometimes unrelated to the original regions bearing that name. There are many examples:
- Artois and the County of Artois;
- The Pays de France and Île-de-France, which, like France itself, derive their names from Francia;
- Hainaut, originally limited to the valley of the Haine, now refers to historical entities and an administrative province ;
- The Val de Loire, which includes part of the Centre-Val de Loire region, Mayenne, Sarthe, and Maine-et-Loire;
- The Pays Catalans in France includes the department of Pyrénées-Orientales.