View source for Overseas departments and regions of France

{{Short description|Overseas departments and regions of France that are located outside metropolitan France}}
{{Expand French|Département et région d'outre-mer|date=August 2018|topic=geo}}

{{Administrative divisions of France}}

The '''overseas departments and regions of France''' ({{langx|fr|départements et régions d'outre-mer}}, {{IPA|fr|depaʁtəmɑ̃ e ʁeʒjɔ̃ dutʁəmɛʁ|pron}}; '''DROM''') are the five [[departments of France|departments]] and [[regions of France|regions]] of the [[French Fifth Republic|French Republic]] which are located outside European France (also known as "[[metropolitan France]]"). These overseas entities have exactly the same status as European France's departments and regions. The [[Constitution of France|French Constitution]] provides that, in general, French laws and regulations (France's civil code, penal code, administrative law, social laws, and tax laws etc.) apply to French overseas departments and regions the same way as in [[metropolitan France]], but can be adapted as needed to suit the region's particular needs. Hence, the local administrations of French overseas departments and regions cannot themselves pass new laws. On occasion, referendums are undertaken to re-assess the sentiment in local status.

Since March 2011, the five overseas departments and regions of France are:

* [[French Guiana]] in [[South America]], a part of [[The Guianas]];
* [[Guadeloupe]] in the [[Caribbean Sea]], a part of the [[Leeward Islands]] of the [[Lesser Antilles]];
* [[Martinique]] in the [[Caribbean Sea]], a part of the [[Windward Islands]] of the [[Lesser Antilles]];
* [[Mayotte]] in the [[Mozambique Channel]], a part of the [[Comoro Islands]];
* [[Réunion]] in the [[Indian Ocean]], a part of the [[Mascarene Islands]].

== History ==
France's earliest, short-lived attempt at setting up overseas departments was after [[Napoleon]]'s [[Fall of the Republic of Venice|conquest]] of the [[Republic of Venice]] in 1797, when the hitherto Venetian [[Ionian Islands]] fell to the [[French Directory]] and were [[French rule in the Ionian Islands (1797–1799)|organised]] as the departments of [[Mer-Égée]], [[Ithaque]] and [[Corcyre]].{{cn|date=December 2024}} In 1798, the Russian Admiral [[Fyodor Ushakov]] evicted the French from these islands, and though France [[French rule in the Ionian Islands (1807–1814)|regained them]] via the [[Treaty of Tilsit]] in 1807, the three departments were not revived.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

Under the 1947 [[Constitution of France|Constitution]] of the [[French Fourth Republic|Fourth Republic]], the [[French colonial empire|French colonies]] of [[Guadeloupe]] and [[Martinique]] in the Caribbean; [[French Guiana]] in South America; and [[Réunion]] in the [[Indian Ocean]] were [[Law on Departmentalization|defined as overseas departments]], joining Algeria<ref>{{cite book |last=Golani |first=Moti |date=1998 |title=Israel in Search of a War: The Sinai Campaign, 1955-1956 |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |isbn=9781898723479 |page=39}}</ref> in North Africa, which had previously been divided into three departments and a territory in 1848.{{efn|With the {{ill|departmentalization of French Algeria|fr|Départementalisation de l'Algérie française}} during the [[Second French Republic]], the departments of [[Alger (department)|Algiers]], [[Oran (department)|Oran]], and [[Constantine Department|Constantine]] were established in the north of the country while the Saharan portion was administered as the {{ill|Southern Territories (French Algiera)|fr|Territoires du Sud|lt=Southern Territories}}.}}

[[File:EU OCT and OMR map en.png|thumb|upright=2|2013–2020 map of the European Union in the world with [[Special member state territories and the European Union|overseas countries and territories and outermost regions]]]]

Since 1982, following the [[government of France|French government]]'s policy of [[decentralization]], overseas departments have elected regional councils with powers similar to those of the [[Regions of France|regions]] of metropolitan France.{{cn|date=December 2024}} As a result of a constitutional revision that occurred in 2003, these regions are now to be called "overseas regions"; indeed, the new wording of the Constitution gives no precedence to the terms "overseas department" or "overseas region", though the latter is still virtually unused by the French media.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

The [[overseas collectivity]] of [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] was an overseas department from 1976 to 1985. All five of France's overseas departments have between 200,000 and 1,000,000 people each, whereas Saint Pierre and Miquelon has only about 6,000, and the smaller collectivity unit therefore seemed more appropriate{{according to|date=August 2023}} for the islands.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

The overseas collectivity of [[Mayotte]] held a [[2009 Mahoran status referendum|referendum]] on 29 March 2009. Of the votes, 95% were for becoming an overseas department. Mayotte became an overseas department on 31 March 2011.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mayotte: 95.2% de "oui" au final |date= 29 March 2009 |language=fr |trans-title=Mayotte: 95.2% "yes" in the end| url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2009/03/29/01011-20090329FILWWW00171-mayotte-952-de-oui-au-final.php |newspaper=[[Le Figaro]] |access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref>

== Geography and characteristics ==
{{Unreferencedsect|date=December 2024}}
Each overseas department is the sole department in its own '''overseas region''' ({{langx|fr|région d'outre-mer}}) with powers identical to the [[regions of France|regions]] of metropolitan France. Because of the one-to-one correspondence, informal usage does not distinguish the two, and the French media use the term {{langx|fr|label=none|département d'outre-mer}} (''DOM'') almost exclusively.

As integral parts of France and the [[European Union]], overseas departments are represented in the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]], [[Senate (France)|Senate]], and [[French Economic, Social and Environmental Council|Economic and Social Council]]. The areas also vote to elect members of the [[European Parliament]] (MEP), and also use the [[euro]] as their currency. The overseas departments and regions are not the same as the [[overseas collectivity|overseas collectivities]], which have a semi-autonomous status.

Guadeloupe and Réunion each have separate departmental and regional councils, while in Mayotte, Guiana and Martinique, the two layers of government are [[single territorial collectivity|consolidated]] so one body wields both sets of powers. The overseas departments acquired these additional powers in 1982, when France's [[decentralization|decentralisation]] policy dictated that they be given elected [[Regional council (France)|regional councils]] and other regional powers; however, the term "overseas region" was only introduced with the [[constitutional amendments under the French Fifth Republic|French constitutional amendment]] of 28 March 2003.

Due to distance from the EU and local proximity, some areas participate in economic fora and organizations of mutual interest geographically close-by, such as Martinique and Guadeloupe, which each take part in both the [[Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States]] (OECS) and [[Association of Caribbean States]] (ACS); or [[French Polynesia]], which takes part in the [[Pacific Islands Forum]] (PIF).

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of French Guiana|Demographics of Guadeloupe|Demographics of Martinique|Demographics of Mayotte|Demographics of Réunion}}

{{Historical populations
|title=Historical populations of current overseas departments and regions
|align=left
|1950|720000 |1960|949000 |1970|1194000 |1980|1286000 |1990|1566000 |2000|1865000 |2010|2148000 |2020|2165749<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/1893198/estim-pop-dep-sexe-gca-1975-2020.xls|title=Estimation de population au 1er janvier, par département, sexe et grande classe d'âge |trans-title= Estimated population on 1 January, by department, sex and broad age group |publisher=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]]|access-date=5 May 2020|language=fr}}</ref>
|footnote = Sources:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1893198|title=Estimation de la population au 1<sup>er</sup> janvier 2020|trans-title=Estimated population as of 1 January 2020 |publisher=[[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]]|access-date=5 May 2020|language=fr}}</ref>
}}

{{Clear}}

== See also ==
* [[List of islands of France]]
* [[Administrative divisions of France]]
* [[Overseas country of France|Outre-mer]]
* [[Overseas France]]
* [[Overseas Territories of France (European Parliament constituency)]]
* [[Overseas territory (France)|Overseas territory]]
* [[Single territorial collectivity]]
* [[Special member state territories and the European Union]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.outre-mer.gouv.fr/ Ministry of the overseas departments and territories]
* {{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20060929093246/http://www.vie-publique.fr/decouverte_instit/instit/instit_3_7_0_q0.htm past and current developments of France's overseas administrative divisions like DOMs and TOMs] (archived 29 September 2006)

{{French overseas departments and territories}}
{{Terms for types of country subdivisions}}

[[Category:Overseas departments of France| ]]
[[Category:Integral overseas territories]]