The cantons within the meaning of INSEE in the Bouches-du-Rhône

The canton is a territorial subdivision of the borough. It is the electoral district within which a general councillor is elected.The cantons were created, like the departments, by the Act of 22 December 1789. In Bouches-du-Rhône, 29 new cantons replace the 57 old cantons. The boundaries of the new cantons were defined by Decree No 2014-271 of 27 February 2014 (To understand). For most cantons, this perimeter brings together a group of municipalities. However, the largest municipalities were divided into several cantons. Thus, the commune of Marseille is divided into 12 cantons, that of Aix-en-Provence in 2 and that of Salon-de-Provence also in 2, each part being grouped with other neighbouring entire municipalities. The most populous canton is now Marignane (80,470 inhabitants in 2012). On the other hand, Pélissanne’s population is the least populated (56,098). The canton with the largest number of municipalities is Trets (18 communes). Finally, the most extensive is that of Arles: it covers 1 207 km², a quarter of the Bouches-du-Rhône department.