France is often called a patchwork of villages and towns and with more than 35,000 spread over the country one can safely speak of a fragmentation of the territory. Villages with fewer than 100 inhabitants still have their own mayor and municipality. We can no longer imagine it.
Since January 1, 2016, the number of regions on the French mainland has been reduced from 21 to 13. For the sake of convenience we do not speak of the overseas territories. Each region is then subdivided into departments, say provinces and each department has its cities and municipalities. In short, because there are also links between cities and municipalities, conurbations, cantons, etc. Administration is an asset in France and you notice that quickly if you want to get something arranged but that is another subject.

The Allier is not only nature and beautiful landscapes, but also offers a very rich cultural and historical heritage in the 314 cities, towns and villages. It is impossible to discuss them all, which is why we make a selection starting with the most important centers and from there expanding further in terms of importance and what there is to see and experience.