French overseas departments and territories

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The French Overseas Departments and Territories (often abbreviated DOM-TOM for départements d'outre-mer, territoires d'outre-mer) consist broadly of French-administered territories outside of Europe. These territories have varying legal status and different levels of autonomy, although all have representation in the Parliament of France, and the right to vote in elections to the European Parliament. Some of them have no permanent inhabitants. They include island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, a territory on the South American coast, and several periantarctic islands as well as an extensive claim in Antarctica.

Each inhabited French territory, metropolitan or overseas, is represented in both the French National Assembly and the French Senate.

1 Départements d'outre-mer or Régions d'outre-mer
2 Territoires d'outre-mer
3 Collectivités d'outre-mer
4 Nouvelle-Calédonie
5 Pays d'outre-mer
6 Minor territories
- 6.1 Indian Ocean
  - 6.1.1 Îles Éparses
- 6.2 Pacific Ocean
7 Further reading
8 See also
9 External links

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Départements d'outre-mer or Régions d'outre-mer

(Overseas departments (Overseas départements) and since 2003 also additionally Overseas regions (Overseas régions))

Guadeloupe (since 1946)
Martinique (since 1946)
French Guiana (since 1946)
Réunion (since 1946)

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Territoires d'outre-mer

(Overseas territories)

French Southern and Antarctic Territories (overseas territory of France since 1956)

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Collectivités d'outre-mer

(Overseas collectivities) This category was created with the constitutional reform on 28 march 2003. Each collectivity has its own statutory law.

French Polynesia (1946-2003: Territoire d'outre-mer), since 2003: Collectivité d'outre-mer. Its new status of 2004 gives it the particular designation of Pays d'outre-mer (Overseas country), but the conseil constitutionnel has judged that it was just a designation, not a particular status.
Mayotte (1976-2003: Collectivité territoriale sui generis, 2001-2003: with the designation Collectivité départementale), since 2003: Collectivité d'outre-mer. Mayotte has kept its particular designation of collectivité départementale, which is not a particular status. In 2010 its population will have the possibility to become a département d'outre-mer.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (1976-1985: Département d'outre-mer, 1985-2003: collectivité territoriale sui generis), since 2003: Collectivité d'outre-mer. Saint Pierre and Miquelon is still called collectivité teritoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.
Wallis and Futuna (1961-2003: Territoire d'outre-mer), since 2003: Collectivité d'outre-mer. Its status still calls it a territoire (Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna), but it may be obsolete (as it referred to the category of territoires d'outre-mer).

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Nouvelle-Calédonie

(Collectivity of its own type/unique status)

New Caledonia (1946-1999: Territoire d'outre-mer):
New Caledonia has a unique status and is even not a collectivité terrioriale, unlike all other French subdivisions. As a result of the 1998 Nouméa Accord, New Caledonians will vote on an independence referendum scheduled between 2014 and 2019. This referendum will determine whether the territory remains a part of the French Republic as a collectivité d'outre-mer, or whether it will become an independent nation. The accords also specify a gradual devolution of powers to the local New Caledonian assembly.

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Pays d'outre-mer

(Overseas country)

The status of pays d'outre-mer, projected for French Pacific dependencies, was finally never created. Since its status has no name and since its congress can make lois de pays, New Caledonia is sometimes called a pays d'outre-mer. The 2004 status of French Polynesia gives it this designation, but also recalls that it belongs to the category of collectivités d'outre-mer. The conseil constitutionnel has confirmed the designation of pays d'outre-mer had no legal consequences.

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Minor territories

France also claims or controls a number of small, uninhabited islands in the Indian Ocean (Îles Éparses) and one remote island in the Pacific Ocean (Clipperton Island):

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