French overseas departments, territories and claims on Antarctica
The
French Overseas Departments and Territories (
French:
départements d'outre-mer and
territoires d'outre-mer or
DOM-TOM ) consist broadly of
French-administered territories outside of the
European continent. These territories have varying legal status and different levels of autonomy, although all have representation in the
Parliament of France (except those with no permanent inhabitants), and the right to vote in elections to the
European Parliament. The French Overseas Departments and Territories 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. 2,624,505 people lived in the French Overseas Departments and Territories in January 2009.
[ ]From a legal and administrative standpoint, departments are very different from territories: according to the French constitution, French laws and regulations generally apply (civil code, penal code, administrative law, social laws, tax laws et cetera), in departments as in the mainland. However, specific laws and regulations can be adapted to their specific situation. In territories, the principle is the opposite: territories are governed by autonomy statutes that allow them to make their own laws, except for some specific areas (like defense, international relations, international trade and currency, courts and administrative law), as provided in the autonomy statute, that are reserved to the central government and its local appointee.
Each inhabited French territory, metropolitan or overseas, is represented in both the
French National Assembly and the
French Senate (which make up the
French Parliament). The overseas departments and territories are governed by local elected assemblies and by the French Parliament and
French Government (where a
cabinet member, the
Minister of Overseas France, is in charge of issues related to the overseas departments and territories).
Varying constitutional statuses
Overseas Departments and Overseas Regions
Overseas Collectivities
This category was created with the constitutional reform on
28 March 2003. Each collectivity has its own statutory laws.
- French Polynesia (1946-2003: overseas territory), since 2003: Overseas collectivity. Its new status of 2004 gives it the particular designation of overseas country (French: pays d'outre-mer), but the Constitutional Council of France judged that it was just a designation, not a particular status.
- Wallis and Futuna (1961-2003: overseas territory, since 2003: Overseas collectivity). It is still commonly referred as a territoire (Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna).
Sui Generis Collectivity
- New Caledonia (1946-1999: overseas territory) - New Caledonia has a unique sui generis status and is not a territorial collectivity, 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 an overseas collectivity, or whether it will become an independent nation. The accords also specify a gradual devolution of powers to the local New Caledonian assembly.
Overseas Territory
Overseas Country
The status of overseas country (French:
Pays d'outre-mer), projected for French Pacific dependencies, was finally never created. The 2004 status of French Polynesia gives it this designation, but also recalls that it belongs to the category of overseas communities. The Constitutional Council of France confirmed that the designation of overseas country had no legal consequences. Since New Caledonia's status has no name and since its parliament can make local laws, it is sometimes incorrectly termed an overseas country.
Minor Territories
As state private property, France also owns
Clipperton Island, a remote island in the
Pacific Ocean.
Political representation in the French Parliament
With 2,624,505 inhabitants in 2009, the French overseas departments and territories account for 4.0% of the population of the French Republic.
They enjoy a corresponding representation in the two chambers of the
French Parliament.
Representation in the National Assembly
In the
13th Legislature (2007-2012), the French overseas departments and territories are represented by 22 deputies in the
French National Assembly, accounting for 3.8% of the 577 deputies in the National Assembly:
Representation in the Senate
Since September 2008, the French overseas departments and territories are represented by 19 senators in the
French Senate, accounting for 5.5% of the 343 senators in the Senate:
List of French Overseas Territories
Inhabited departments and collectivities
Uninhabited lands
(Lands generally uninhabited, except by researchers in scientific stations)
Antarctica
Largest cities in overseas France
Ranked by population in the
urban area:
