Overseas departments and territories of France
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 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 Varying constitutional statuses Overseas Departments and Overseas Regions * This category was created with the constitutional reform on * * * * In 2003 the population of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy voted in favour of secession from Guadeloupe in order to form separate overseas collectivities of France. [cite news "Sui Generis" Collectivity * * 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 its status has no name and since its parliament can make local laws, New Caledonia is sometimes incorrectly termed an overseas country. Minor Territories As state private property, France also owns Political representation in the French Parliament With 2,597,318 inhabitants in 2008, 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 Representation in the Senate As of August 2008, the French overseas departments and territories are represented by 15 senators in the French Senate, accounting for 4.5% of the 331 senators in the Senate: List of French Overseas Territories Inhabited departments and collectivities Antarctica Largest cities in overseas France Ranked by population in the urban area: Further reading * Frédéric Monera, L'idée de République et la jurisprudence du Conseil constitutionnel - Paris : L.G.D.J., 2004 [http://www.fnac.com/Shelf/article.asp?PRID=1601897&Mn=2&Ra=-1&To=0&Nu=2&Fr=3] [http://www.lgdj.fr/rech_rapide.php?_Sess=c22f5de9dee93f9554d169596caad970&_Mots=monera&_TypeCode=] ; ee also * References Robert Aldrich and John Connell, France's Overseas Frontier, Cambride University Press, 1992 External links * [http://www.outre-mer.gouv.fr/outremer/front?id=outremer/decouvrir_outre_mer Official site]
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=Saint Martin and
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author = Staff reporter
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title = French Caribbean voters reject change
url = http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2003/12/09/voters.htm
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publisher = Caribbean Net News
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accessdate = 2007-02-09
quote = However voters on the two tiny French dependencies of Saint-Barthelemy and Saint-Martin, which have been administratively attached to Guadeloupe, approved the referendum and are set to acquire the new status of "overseas collectivity".] On
first = Bruno
last = Magras
author =
coauthors =
title = Letter of Information from the Mayor to the residents and non-residents, to the French and to the foreigners, of Saint Barthelemy
url = http://www.st-barths.com/jsb/pdf_files/weekly108.pdf
format = PDF
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publisher = St. Barth Weekly
pages =
page = 2
date =
accessdate = 2007-02-18
quote = On February 7 of this year, the French Parliament adopted the law granting Saint Barthelemy the Statute of an Overseas Collectivity.] The new status took effect on
first =
last =
author = Staff reporter
coauthors =
title = Saint-Barth To Become An Overseas Collectivity
url = http://www.st-barths.com/jsb/pdf_files/weekly107.pdf
format = PDF
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publisher = St. Barth Weekly
pages =
page = 2
date =
accessdate = 2007-02-09
quote = ] They remain part of the
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*Saint Martin: still represented by the deputy of
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*Saint Martin: no senator yet, will elect for the first time one senator in September 2008
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*Saint-Denis (
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*Saint-Paul (
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* [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 pays d'outre-mer (French language)]