Northern Catalonia is traditionally divided into five historical comarques (counties). These counties formed part of the Principality of Catalonia until the territory was incorporated into France following the Treaty of the Pyrenees, with Cerdanya county split between Spain and France. After the French Revolution, the current department of Pyrénées-Orientales was created, comprising the Northern Catalan counties along with part of the Occitan parçan of Fenouillèdes (Fenolhedés).
Although this subdivision finds widespread use in Catalan culture and linguistics, as well as in Catalan-language works and sources in general, it has no administrative status (unlike in Southern Catalonia, where counties are fully official and administrative), as the French state officially subdivides the department into three arrondissements and 31 cantons.Décret n° 2014-262 du 26 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département des Pyrénées-Orientales
List of comarques Location (in the department)CountyFrench nameCounty townCommunesAreaRossellóRoussillonPerpinyà951,498 km²Alta CerdanyaHaute-CerdagneNone26539 km²CapcirCapcirFormiguera26177 km²ConflentConflentPrada de Conflent51882 km²VallespirVallespirCeret18577 km²
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