 | This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (December 2008)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Villars-Colmars | |
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 The landscape around Villars-Colmars | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Villars-Colmars  Villars-Colmars | |
| Coordinates: 44°10′03″N6°36′18″E / 44.1675°N 6.605°E Coordinates: 44°10′03″N6°36′18″E / 44.1675°N 6.605°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Arrondissement | Castellane |
| Canton | Castellane |
| Intercommunality | Haut Verdon-Val d'Allos |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | André Guirand |
| Area 1 | 40.59 km2 (15.67 sq mi) |
| Population (2008)2 | 238 |
| • Density | 5.9/km2 (15/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 04240 /04370 |
| Elevation | 1,164–2,642 m (3,819–8,668 ft) (avg. 1,223 m or 4,012 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. | |
Villars-Colmars is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern 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, comuni in Italy or ayuntamiento in Spain. 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.
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is a department in Southeastern France, located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Formerly part of the province of Provence, it had a population of 161,916 in 2013. Its main cities are Digne-les-Bains (prefecture), Manosque, Sisteron, Barcelonnette, Castellane and Forcalquier. Inhabitants of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence are called the Bas-Alpins or Bas-Alpines referring to the department of Basses-Alpes which was the former name of the department until 1970.
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.
