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This article is part of the series on
Administrative divisions of France |
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(incl. overseas regions) |
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(incl. overseas departments) |
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Urban communities |
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Others in Overseas France
Overseas collectivities |
Overseas department (French: départements d’outre-mer or DOM) is a designation under the 1946 Constitution of the Fourth Republic that was given to the French colonies of Guadeloupe, Martinique in the Caribbean, French Guiana in South America and Réunion in the Indian Ocean. These overseas departments have the same political status as metropolitan departments and are integral parts of France, and the European Union. They are represented in the National Assembly, Senate and Economic and Social Council, elect a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), and also use the euro as their currency.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon became an overseas department in 1976, but its status changed to that of an Overseas collectivity in 1985. The status of overseas departments is identical to metropolitan departments, but differs from that of overseas collectivities and overseas territories.
Since 1982, following the French government’s policy of decentralisation, they have elected regional councils with powers similar to those of the regions of metropolitan France. As a result of a constitutional revision which occurred in 2003, these regions are now to be called overseas regions; indeed the new wording of the Constitution gave no precedence to the phrase overseas department or overseas region, though the latter is still virtually unused by the French media.
External links
- (French) Ministry of the overseas departments and territories
- (French) past and current developments of France’s overseas administrative divisions like DOMs and TOMs
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