| Belval | |
|---|---|
| Commune | |
  Belval Location within Grand Est region  Belval | |
| Coordinates: 48°24′36″N7°03′10″E / 48.41°N 7.0528°E Coordinates: 48°24′36″N7°03′10″E / 48.41°N 7.0528°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Department | Vosges |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Dié-des-Vosges |
| Canton | Raon-l'Étape |
| Intercommunality | CA Saint-Dié-des-Vosges |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Francis Altan |
| Area1 | 6.84 km2 (2.64 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)2 | 175 |
| • Density | 26/km2 (66/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 88053 /88210 |
| Elevation | 455–905 m (1,493–2,969 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting : residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Belval is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
The commune is a level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are analogous to civil townships and incorporated municipalities in the United States and Canada, Gemeinden in Germany or comuni in Italy. The United Kingdom has no exact equivalent, as communes resemble districts in urban areas, but are closer to parishes in rural areas where districts are much larger. Communes are based on historical geographic communities or villages and are vested with significant powers to manage the populations and land of the geographic area covered. The communes are the fourth-level administrative divisions of France.
Vosges is an eastern department of France named after the Vosges mountain range. It consists of 17 cantons and 507 communes, of which 234 are rural, including the commune of Domrémy-la-Pucelle, where Joan of Arc was born.
In the administrative divisions of France, the department is one of the three levels of government below the national level, between the administrative regions and the commune. Ninety-six departments are in metropolitan France, and five are overseas departments, which are also classified as regions. Departments are further subdivided into 334 arrondissements, themselves divided into cantons; the last two have no autonomy, and are used for the organisation of police, fire departments, and sometimes, elections.
