In France, a ''pays'' () is an area whose inhabitants share common geographical, economic, cultural, or social interests, who have a right to enter into communal planning contracts under a law known as the Loi Pasqua or LOADT (''Loi d'Orientation pour l'Aménagement et le Développement du Territoire''; en, Directive law concerning territorial planning and development), which took effect on February 4, 1995. It was augmented on June 25, 1999, by the Loi Voynet or LOADDT (''Loi d'Orientation de l'Aménagement Durable du Territoire''). The LOADDT enables the citizens of a community to form a legally recognized ''pays'' after deciding to do so by mutual consent; its aim is to help bring the inhabitants of urban and neighboring rural districts into dialogue and agreement. The Council of Development in each ''pays'' assembles together the elected officials and the economic, social, and cultural actors, and their associates, into a deliberative forum to discuss the development policies which should be followed by the community. While the Council can give advice, submit proposals, and monitor development projects, it does not have the authority to make official decisions. The Charter of the ''Pays'' makes it possible to fix the stakes and the objectives of the community. Few structures are recognized as ''pays Voynet'', meaning nationwide, because the recognition criteria are sometimes far from what the ''pays'' are. Then again, several ''pays'' are recognized by the Commission Régionale d'aménagement et de développement du Territoire.

Sense of the word

In France, the contract of the ''Pays'' can be signed among the members of the ''pays'', or between the ''pays'' and its surrounding area, the department, the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

, or with the national state when the stakes are well-identified. In this context, the French term ''pays'' is not used in the modern sense of "

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

" but preserves the original meaning of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

word from which it was derived, ''

pagus In ancient Rome, the Latin word (plural ) was an administrative term designating a rural subdivision of a tribal territory, which included individual farms, villages (), and strongholds () serving as refuges, as well as an early medieval geogra ...

'', which designated the territory controlled by a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New Yor ...

. The majority of ''pays'' are roughly coextensive with the old counties (e.g., county of

Comminges The Comminges (; Occitan/ Gascon: ''Comenge'') is an ancient region of southern France in the foothills of the Pyrenees, corresponding closely to the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens in the department of Haute-Garonne. This natural region is norm ...

, county of

Ponthieu Ponthieu (, ) was one of six feudal counties that eventually merged to become part of the Province of Picardy, in northern France.Dunbabin.France in the Making. Ch.4. The Principalities 888-987 Its chief town is Abbeville. History Ponthieu play ...

, etc). Today ''Pays de France'' still refers to a tiny area in northwest Ile-de-France, hence city names such as ''Roissy-en-France'' or ''Tremblay-en-France''. Although this word is frequently translated into English as ''country,'' its usage can mean ''a region or territory of a nation (bounded by borders and constituting a geographical entity) considered from the point of view of a certain identity or community of interest of its inhabitants''. However, this usage is also sometimes found in English word ''country'' , for example for the

constituent countries of the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), since 1922, comprises three constituent countries and a region: England, Scotland, and Wales (which collectively make up the region of Great Britain), as well as Northern Ireland, a ...

. It is held to be ''the geographical basis of the state''. The word is also used less precisely as an alternative for ''état'' (state).

''Pays'' of Brittany

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period o ...

, consisting of 4 departments, is also subdivided into 21 ''pays''. * pays de Brest * pays de

Cornouaille Cornouaille (; br, Kernev, Kerne) is a historical region on the west coast of Brittany in West France. The name is cognate with Cornwall in neighbouring Great Britain. This can be explained by the settlement of Cornouaille by migrant princ ...

* pays du

Centre-Ouest de Bretagne Centre-Ouest is one of Burkina Faso's 13 administrative regions. The population of Centre-Ouest was 1,659,339 in 2019. The region's capital is Koudougou. Four provinces ( Boulkiemdé, Sanguié, Sissili, and Ziro) make up the region. As of 2019, ...

* pays de

Morlaix Morlaix (; br, Montroulez) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Leisure and tourism The old quarter of the town has winding streets of cobbled stones and overha ...

* Pays de Trégor-Goélo * pays de

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guin ...

* pays de

Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc (, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. History Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who Christianised the region in the 6t ...

* pays de Centre-Bretagne * pays de

Pontivy Pontivy (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the confluence of the river Blavet and the Canal de Nantes à Brest. Inhabitants of Pontivy are called ''Pontivyens'' in French. Map Histor ...

* pays de

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

* pays d'

Auray Auray (; br, An Alre, or simply ) is a commune in the Morbihan department, administrative region of Brittany, northwestern France. Inhabitants of Auray are called ''Alréens'' (French) and ''Alreiz'' (Breton). Geography The city is surround ...

* pays de

Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who liv ...

* pays de Ploërmel-Coeur de Bretagne * pays de

Brocéliande Brocéliande, earlier known as Brécheliant and Brécilien, is a legendary enchanted forest that had a reputation in the medieval European imagination as a place of magic and mystery. Brocéliande is featured in several medieval texts, mostly ...

* pays de

Dinan Dinan (; ) is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France. On 1 January 2018, the former commune of Léhon was merged into Dinan. Geography Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead o ...

* pays de

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the A ...

* pays de

Fougères Fougères (; br, Felger; Gallo: ''Foujerr'') is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine department in the region of Brittany in northwestern France. As of 2017, Fougères had 20,418 inhabitants. The Fougères area comprises a ...

* pays de

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departm ...

* Pays de Vitré-Porte de Bretagne * pays es Vallons de Vilaine * pays de

Redon et Vilaine Redon (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geogra ...

, note this ''pays'' straddles 3 departments, including one located outside Brittany, the

Loire Atlantique Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population o ...

''Pays'' of Franche-Comté

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...

, consisting of 4 departments, is also subdivided into 16 pays : * pays de l'Aire Urbaine (Belfort-Montbéliard-Héricourt-Delle ) * pays du Doubs Central * pays du Haut-Doubs * pays Horloger * pays de

Loue Lison The Loue () is a river of eastern France, a left tributary of the Doubs, which it joins downstream of Dole. It is long. Its source is a karst spring in the Jura mountains near Ouhans, which at least partly receives its water from the Doubs. Thi ...

* pays de Pierrefontaine Les Varans * pays des Vosges Saônoises * pays Dolois * pays du Haut Revermont * pays de la Haute Vallée de l'Ain * pays des Lacs et de Petite Montagne * pays Lédonien * pays du Haut Jura * pays Graylois * pays des Sept Rivières * pays de Vesoul et du Val de Saône

References

{{Reflist Politics of France Government of France Former subdivisions of France Geographical, historical and cultural regions of France

Sense of the word

''Pays'' of Brittany

''Pays'' of Franche-Comté

See also

References