Overseas collectivity

This article is part of the series on Administrative divisions of France

Main article

Regions (incl. overseas regions)

Departments (incl. overseas departments)

Arrondissements

Cantons

Intercommunality Urban communities Agglomeration communities Commune communities Syndicates of New Agglomeration

Communes Associated communes Municipal arrondissements

Others in Overseas France Overseas collectivities Sui generis collectivity Overseas country Overseas territory Clipperton Island

The French overseas collectivities (French: collectivités d'outre-mer or COM), like the French regions are first-order administrative divisions of France. The COMs include some former French overseas territories and other French overseas entities with a particular status, all of which became COMs by constitutional reform on 28 March 2003.

As of 31 March 2011, there were five COMs:

• French Polynesia became a COM in 2003. Its statutory law of 27 February 2004 gives it the designation of Overseas country inside the Republic (French: pays d'outre-mer au sein de la République, or POM), but without legal modification of its status. French Polynesia has a great degree of autonomy, two symbolic manifestations of which are the title of the President of French Polynesia (Le président de la Polynésie française) and its additional designation as a pays d'outre-mer. Legislature: Assembly of French Polynesia.
• Saint Barthélemy, an island in the Lesser Antilles.
• Saint Martin, the northern part of the island of Saint Martin in the Lesser Antilles.
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It has a territorial council.
• Wallis and Futuna, three small islands in the Pacific Ocean and the only inhabited part of France that is not divided into communes.

Mayotte was a COM from 1976 until 2011, when it became a DOM.^[1]

See also

• Administrative divisions of France
• Mahoran status referendum, 2009
• Outremer
• Overseas departments and territories of France

References

1. ^ Benoît Hopquin (2011-03-31). "Mayotte accède à son statut de département dans la confusion". Le Monde. http://www.lemonde.fr/imprimer/article/2011/03/31/1501415.html. Retrieved 2011-03-31. 

External links

• (French) Official site
• (French) past and current developments of France's overseas administrative divisions like collectivités d'outre-mer