The 130 departments of the First French Empire

At its height, the French Empire had 130 departments (or 134 if one takes into account the Spanish departments created in 1812 but whose legal status was still incomplete, due to the difficulties of the time). Its list of prefectures included prestigious names such as Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Geneva, Brussels, Amsterdam, Hamburg... to name a few.

This count did not include the Illyrian Provinces, which were part of the Empire but were not organized as "departments".

The whole counted nearly 900,000 square kilometers (with Spanish departments) and 42,390,718 inhabitants (official total of 1812, for only 130 departments).

In February 1813, the situation was the following:

Post Office number	Name	Prefecture	Date of creation	Area (in km²)	Population	Comment (in French)
1	Ain	Bourg	4 March 1790	5,499.63	304,468
2	Aisne	Laon	4 March 1790	4,491.83	442,989
3	Allier	Moulins	4 March 1790	7,422.72	260,266
5	Basses-Alpes	Digne	4 March 1790	5,535.69	124,763
4	Hautes-Alpes	Gap	4 March 1790	7,450.07	146,994
6	Ardèche	Privas	4 March 1790	5,500.04	290,833
7	Ardennes	Mézières	4 March 1790	5,252.81	275,792
8	Ariège	Foix	4 March 1790	5,295.40	222,936
9	Aube	Troyes	4 March 1790	6,106.08	238,819
10	Aude	Carcassonne	4 March 1790	6,509.96	240,993
11	Aveyron	Rodez	4 March 1790	8,228.71	331,373
12	Bouches-du-Rhône	Marseille	4 March 1790	6,019.60	293,235
13	Calvados	Caen	4 March 1790	5,704.27	505,420
14	Cantal	Aurillac	4 March 1790	5,740.81	251,436
15	Charente	Angoulême	4 March 1790	5,888.03	326,885
16	Charente-Inférieure	Saintes	4 March 1790	7,168.14	393,011
17	Cher	Bourges	4 March 1790	7,401.25	228,158
18	Corrèze	Tulle	4 March 1790	5,947.17	254,271
19	Corse	Ajaccio	4 March 1790	9,805.10	174,702	Reunited since April 24, 1811 after being cut since 11 August 1793 between Golo (capital Bastia) and Liamone (capital Ajaccio)
20	Côte-d'Or	Dijon	4 March 1790	8,769.56	355,436
21	Côtes-du-Nord	Saint-Brieuc	4 March 1790	7,367.20	519,620
22	Creuse	Guéret	4 March 1790	5,794.55	226,224
23	Dordogne	Périgueux	4 March 1790	8,982.74	424,113
24	Doubs	Besançon	4 March 1790	5,309.93	226,093
25	Drôme	Valence	4 March 1790	6,759.15	253,372
26	Eure	évreux	4 March 1790	6,632.83	421,481
27	Eure-et-Loir	Chartres	4 March 1790	6,079.15	265,996
28	Finistère	Quimper	4 March 1790	6,933.84	452,895
29	Gard	Nîmes	4 March 1790	5,997.23	322,144
30	Haute-Garonne	Toulouse	4 March 1790	6,425.33	367,551
31	Gers	Auch	4 March 1790	6,519.08	286,497
32	Gironde	Bordeaux	4 March 1790	10,825.52	514,462
33	Hérault	Montpellier	4 March 1790	6,309.35	301,099
34	Ille-et-Vilaine	Rennes	4 March 1790	6,819.77	508,344
35	Indre	Châteauroux	4 March 1790	6,877.60	204,721
36	Indre-et-Loire	Tours	4 March 1790	6,230.76	275,292
37	Isère	Grenoble	4 March 1790	8,412.30	471,660
38	Jura	Lons-le-Saunier	4 March 1790	5,033.64	272,883
39	Landes	Mont-de-Marsan	4 March 1790	9,005.34	240,146
40	Loir-et-Cher	Blois	4 March 1790	6,031.16	213,482
41	Haute-Loire	Le Puy	4 March 1790	5,028.54	268,201
42	Loire-Inférieure	Nantes	4 March 1790	7,062.85	407,827
43	Loiret	Orléans	4 March 1790	6,751.91	285,395
44	Lot	Cahors	4 March 1790	5,311.36	268,149
45	Lot-et-Garonne	Agen	4 March 1790	5,326.41	326,127
46	Lozère	Mende	4 March 1790	5,095.43	143,247
47	Maine-et-Loire	Angers	4 March 1790	7,188.07	404,489
48	Manche	Saint-Lô	4 March 1790	6,657.13	581,429
49	Marne	Châlons-sur-Marne	4 March 1790	8,202.73	311,017
50	Haute-Marne	Chaumont	4 March 1790	6,331.73	237,785
51	Mayenne	Laval	4 March 1790	5,188.63	232,253
52	Meurthe	Nancy	4 March 1790	6,290.02	365,810
53	Meuse	Bar-sur-Ornain	4 March 1790	6,044.39	284,703
54	Morbihan	Vannes	4 March 1790	6,817.04	403,423
55	Moselle	Metz	4 March 1790	6,308.40	385,949
56	Nièvre	Nevers	4 March 1790	6,866.19	232,263
57	Nord	Lille	4 March 1790	5,784.35	839,833
58	Oise	Beauvais	4 March 1790	5,814.24	383,507
59	Orne	Alençon	4 March 1790	6,456.76	425,920
60	Pas-de-Calais	Arras	4 March 1790	6,796.88	570,338
61	Puy-de-Dôme	Clermont	4 March 1790	7,943.70	542,834
62	Basses-Pyrénées	Pau	4 March 1790	7,559.50	383,502
63	Hautes-Pyrénées	Tarbes	4 March 1790	4,699.15	198,763
64	Pyrénées-Orientales	Perpignan	4 March 1790	4,113.76	126,626
65	Bas-Rhin	Strasbourg	4 March 1790	4,955.75	500,926
66	Haut-Rhin	Colmar	4 March 1790	5,496.07	414,265
67	Rhône	Lyon	19 November 1793	2,704.23	340,980	Resulting from the partition of Rhône-et-Loire, decided on 12 August 1793 at the headquarters of the army of the Alps, who besieged the city revolted against the Convention, and confirmed by the latter on 19 November 1793
68	Saône-et-Loire	Mâcon	4 March 1790	8,576.78	471,457
69	Haute-Saône	Vesoul	4 March 1790	4,569.64	300,156
70	Sarthe	Le Mans	4 March 1790	6,392.76	410,380
71	Seine	Paris	4 March 1790	504.78	630,636
72	Seine-Inférieure	Rouen	4 March 1790	5,938.10	642,948
73	Seine-et-Marne	Melun	4 March 1790	5,959.80	304,068
74	Seine-et-Oise	Versailles	4 March 1790	5,750.42	430,972
75	Deux-Sèvres	Niort	4 March 1790	5,852.73	254,105
76	Somme	Amiens	4 March 1790	6,044.56	495,058
77	Tarn	Albi	4 March 1790	5,768.21	295,885
78	Var	Draguignan	4 March 1790	7,255.80	283,296
79	Vendée	Napoléonville	4 March 1790	6,754.58	268,746	Nowadays, Napoleonville became La-Roche-sur-Yon
80	Vienne	Poitiers	4 March 1790	6,890.83	253,048
81	Haute-Vienne	Limoges	4 March 1790	5,700.35	243,195
82	Vosges	épinal	4 March 1790	5,879.55	334,169
83	Yonne	Auxerre	4 March 1790	7,292.23	325,994
84	Mont-Blanc	Chambéry	27 November 1792	6,404.27	300,239	Suppressed after the second Treaty of Paris (1815)
85	Alpes-Maritimes	Nice	14 February 1793	3,226.74	131,266
86	Jemappes	Mons	12 March 1793	3,766.58	472,366
87	Gênes	Gênes	4 or 6 June 1805	2,376.00	400,056	Suppressed after the first Treaty of Paris (1814)
88	Loire	Montbrison	19 November 1793	4,820.41	315,858	Resulting from the partition of Rhône-et-Loire, decided on 12 August 1793 at the headquarters of the army of the Alps, who besieged the city revolted against the Convention, and confirmed by the latter on 19 November 1793
89	Vaucluse	Avignon	25 June 1793	2,345.60	205,832
91	Lys	Bruges	1st October 1795	3,669.11	491,143	Suppressed after the first Treaty of Paris (1814)
92	Escaut	Gand	1st October 1795	2,888.70	636,438
93	Deux-Nèthes	Anvers	1st October 1795	2,853.81	284,584
94	Dyle	Bruxelles	1st October 1795	3,428.48	431,969
95	Meuse-Inférieure	Maëstricht	1st October 1795	3,786.33	267,149
96	Ourthe	Liège	1st October 1795	4,357.54	352,264	Sometimes spelled Ourte at the time
97	Sambre-et-Meuse	Namur	1st October 1795	4,579.22	180,655	Suppressed after the first Treaty of Paris (1814)
98	Forêts	Luxembourg	1st October 1795	6,910.35	246,333
99	Léman	Genève	25 August 1798	2,800.00	210,478
100	Mont-Tonnerre	Mayence	4 November 1797	3,599.48	428,988	Created on November 4th, 1797 by the French Directory, organized on January 23rd, 1798 (Decree of 4 Pluviôse year VI), formally incorporated into the french territory on March 9th, 1801. Suppressed after the first Treaty of Paris (1814)
101	Sarre	Trèves	4 November 1797	4,935.13	273,569
102	Rhin-et-Moselle	Coblence	4 November 1797	5,884.19	249,010
103	Roër	Aix-la-Chapelle	4 November 1797	5,219.85	621,410
104	Pô	Turin	11 September 1802	4,145.26	399,237	Called the Eridanus department until September 20, 1802. Suppressed after the first Treaty of Paris (1814)
105	Stura	Coni	11 September 1802	11,270.15	431,438	Suppressed after the first Treaty of Paris (1814)
106	Marengo	Alexandrie	11 September 1802	3,482.61	518,447
107	Sésia	Verceil	11 September 1802	5,172.00	202,822
108	Montenotte	Savone	6 June 1805	3,972.19	289,823
109	Doire	Ivrée	11 September 1802	2,508.53	234,822
110	Apennins	Chiavari	6 June 1805	5,320.00	238,684
111	Taro	Parme	24 May 1808	3,636.28	352,214
112	Arno	Florence	24 May 1808	8,523.76	538,450
113	Méditerranée	Livourne	24 May 1808	4,910.00	268,368
114	Ombrone	Sienne	24 May 1808	7,856.00	151,250
115	Tarn-et-Garonne	Montauban	21 November 1808	3,716.30	230,514	Created from territories taken in the Haute-Garonne, the Lot and Lot-et-Garonne
116	Rome	Rome	15 July 1809	3,676.60	548,909	Called Tiber department until 17 February 1810. Suppressed after the first Treaty of Paris (1814)
117	Trasimène	Spolète	15 July 1809	8,197.53	300,709	Suppressed after the first Treaty of Paris (1814)
118	Zuyderzée	Amsterdam	1st January 1811	9,501.00	505,387
119	Bouches-de-la-Meuse	La Haye	1st January 1811	3,782.83	393,081
120	Bouches-de-l'Yssel	Zwolle	1st January 1811	3,400.00	144,434
121	Yssel-Supérieur	Arnhem	1st January 1811	5,610.81	192,670
122	Frise	Leeuwarden	1st January 1811	2,778.35	400,056
123	Ems-Occidental	Groningue	1st January 1811	5,135.80	191,994
124	Ems-Oriental	Aurich	1st January 1811	3,180.25	127,959
125	Bouches-de-l'Escaut	Middelbourg	15 May 1810	630.00	76,315
126	Bouches-du-Rhin	Bois-le-Duc	24 April 1810	4,108.64	257,573
127	Simplon	Sion	13 December 1810	5,000.00	63,533
128	Bouches-de-l'Elbe	Hambourg	1st January 1811	7,387.65	375,977
129	Bouches-du-Weser	Brême	1st January 1811	1,0172.84	331,030
130	Ems-Supérieur	Osnabruck	1st January 1811	9,837.03	420,291
131	Lippe	Münster	27 April 1811	5,669.13	237,750
90	Montserrat^*	Barcelone	26 January 1812			Retrieved the Liamone number. Disappeared on March 7, 1813 by merging with the Bouches de l'Ebre.
132	Ter^*	Gérone	26 January 1812			Disappeared on March 7, 1813 by merging with the Sègre.
133	Sègre^*	Puigcerda	26 January 1812			Disappeared on March 7, 1813 by merging with the Ter.
134	Bouches-de-l'èbre^*	Lérida	26 January 1812			Disappeared on March 7, 1813 by merging with the Montserrat.

*: The four Spanish departments of Montserrat, Ter, Segre and Bouches-de-l'Ebre remained in an uncertain legal status, because having been annexed to the Empire by a decree of 26 January 1812, which was never published in the Bulletin of Laws of the French Empire, nor formalized by a decree of the Senate.

For completeness, it should also include the following departments at the ephemeral existence:

87	Mont-Terrible	Porrentruy	25 March 1793	Merged with the Haut-Rhin department on 17 February 1800
108	Tanaro	Asti	24 April 1801	Suppressed on June 6, 1805. Its territory is divided between the departments of Marengo, Montenotte and Stura.
	Bouches-de-l'èbre-Montserrat	Barcelone	7 March 1813	Created by merging the departments of Bouches de l'Ebre and Montserrat. Suppressed after the treaty of Valençay
	Sègre-Ter	Gérone	7 March 1813	Created by merging the departments of Sègre and Ter. Suppressed after the treaty of Valençay

The Illyrian provinces, for their part, were cut into seven Commissariats, after an attempt to departmentalization (in eleven departments) which had not been brought to completion in the months following the annexation.

	Carinthia	Willach
	Carniola	Laybach [Ljubljana]
	Civil Croatia	Karlstadt [Karlovac]
	Military Croatia	Segna [Senj]
	Dalmatia	Zara [Zadar]
	Istria	Trieste
	Raguse	Raguse [Dubrovnik]

Data on area and population are taken from the tables annexed to the Outline of the situation of the Empire, presented by Count Bachasson de Montalivet to the Legislative Assembly, in its meeting of 25 February 1813. Some of them look surprising (surfaces of Stura and Rome departments, for example), due to a poorly done transcript, or to errors crept into the presentation.