The Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing confinements have had the consequence of bringing to more light a cleavage that has already existed for many decades: that between “Parisians” and “provincials”. Many Ile-de-France residents have in fact taken the countryside by storm with the purchase of second homes, in no way changing their much criticized city-dweller and Parisian attitude.

Disturbed by the crowing of the rooster in the morning, annoyed by more restrictive opening hours than those to which he is accustomed, the Parisian does not fail to recall the superiority of his city of origin compared to the provinces, even though it is It is the latter which welcomes him in a much more pleasant context than that of the capital. As our colleagues from RTL report, France has been built in its modern history in an extremely centralized way.

This dynamic, which it would be good to get rid of, has established over time a territorial hierarchy, according to which the city of Paris would be far above the so-called provincial cities, in terms of culture, work or architecture. Many are those who find themselves forced to “go up to the capital” in order to pursue their career dreams in particular. This hierarchy has therefore firmly established a dynamic that feeds back and does nothing to counter this ever more striking divide.

One of the most powerful drivers of this mechanism remains, according to some, the feeling of superiority displayed by Parisians coming to “recharge their batteries” in the provinces. This feeling is coupled with an impression of invasion felt by the provincials, who then not only have to confront Parisian snobbery, but who also feel dispossessed of their territory to a certain extent.

Everything would start with a better knowledge of the French territories as a whole, in particular of the cities of France. Test your knowledge of these major cities with the quiz below.