Under the 1946 Constitution of the Fourth Republic, the French colonies of Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana in the Caribbean and Réunion in the Indian Ocean became départements d'outre-mer (Overseas departments) or DOMs. Metropolitan (i. ... France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common... Région doutre-mer, or Overseas regions, is a recent designation given to the départements doutre-mer which have similar powers to those of the régions of metropolitan France. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties and are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas régions. ... The 100 French départements are divided into 342 arrondissements. ... The canton is an administrative division of France. ... A communauté urbaine (Urban Communauty in English) is the higher degree of intercommunal cooperation in France. ... A communauté dagglomération is an administrative division in France, larger than a commune, but smaller than a département. ... The commune is an administrative division of France. ... The municipal arrondissement (French: arrondissement municipal), more simply referred to as arrondissement, is a level of administrative division in France lower than the commune. ... A Territoire doutre-mer (TOM, French for Overseas territory) is an administrative divisions of France. ... The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean (in French Îles éparses de locéan indien) are five islands of the Indian Ocean with no permanent population, Bassas da India, Europa, Juan de Nova, Glorioso, and Tromelin. ... Clipperton Island (locally known as Île Clipperton and sometimes Île de la Passion) is an uninhabited seven-square-kilometer coral atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,300 km southwest of Mexico, at 10°18′ N 109°13′ W. It is a possession of France administered from French Polynesia by... The current Constitution of France was adopted on October 4, 1958, and has been amended 17 times, most recently on March 28, 2003. ... The Fourth Republic existed in France between 1946 and 1958. ... -1... Guadeloupe,Island of beautiful water,is in the Caribbean Sea, is an archipelago with a total area of 1,704 km² located in the Eastern Caribbean. ... Martinique is an overseas département (département doutre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Caribbean Sea. ... French Guiana (French: Guyane) is an overseas département (département doutre-mer, or DOM) of France, located on the Caribbean coast of South America. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Réunion is an island, as well as an overseas département (département doutre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. ... The Indian Ocean is the third-largest body of water in the world, covering about 20% of the Earths water surface. ...

The status of DOMs differs from that of Territoire d'outre-mers (TOMs), but because of some common peculiarities, DOMs, TOMs and other overseas possessions with other statuses are often referred to as DOM/TOM. A Territoire doutre-mer (TOM, French for Overseas territory) is an administrative divisions of France. ...

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon became a DOM in 1976, but its status changed to that of a collectivité territoriale in 1985. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon ( French Saint-Pierre et Miquelon) is a French overseas collectivity consisting of several small islands off the eastern coast of Canada near Newfoundland. ...

As integral parts of the French Republic, 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. The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... This article concerns the modern National Assembly. ... The Senate (in French : le Sénat) is the upper house of the Parliament of France. ... The Economic and Social Council of France is a consultative assembly. ... The European Parliament is the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU), directly elected by EU citizens once every five years. ... Euro (disambiguation). ...

Since 1982, following the French government's policy of decentralization, they have elected regional councils with powers similar to those of the régions of metropolitan France. As a result of a constitutional revision which occurred in 2003, these régions are now to be called régions d'outre-mer; indeed the new wording of the Constitution aims to give no precedence to either appelation département or région d'outre-mer, though the second one is still virtually unused by French media. This article is about the political and administrative structures of the French government. ... Decentralisation (or decentralization) is any of various means of more widely distributing decision-making to bring it closer to the point of service or action. ... France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ...

See also

• département
• Administrative divisions of France
• Territoire d'outre-mer

The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties and are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas régions. ... Metropolitan (i. ... A Territoire doutre-mer (TOM, French for Overseas territory) is an administrative divisions of France. ...

External link

• Ministère de l'Outre-Mer (http://www.outre-mer.gouv.fr)