How to Reorganize the French Administrative Map

After the move to paris in october 17 89, the national assembly took up the question of administrative rationalization. The initial plan called france to be divided up into 80 square shaped departments equal in size. This number was quickly bumped up to 81 to fit in with a nested administrative system based on the number nine. But as geometrically sound as the plan was, it was a wee bit rigid for a kingdom that had cultural, linguistic and geographic divisions that stretched back into the misty past.