province

la province (FR N-F) originally, all territory conquered outside of (present-day) Italy by ancient Rome and subject to its laws; country, state; province, division of a country; section of a country having its own distinct customs, excluding the capital of the country; the countryside. In France, everywhere except Paris is »province,« representing, to the sophisticated Parisian, all that is backward, old-fashioned and / or boring. (Apollinaire)