Overseas department and region

Location of the French overseas departments (blue designed)

The overseas departments and regions (French: départements et régions d'outremer, DROM) are five territorial collectivities integrated into the French Republic and having the same political status as the metropolitan regions of said country. The five overseas departments and regions are as follows:

• Guadalupe (in French): «La Guadeloupe»)
• Martinique (in French): «La Martinique»)
• French Guiana (in French): «La Guyane»)
• Meeting (in French): «La Réunion»)
• Mayotte (in French): «Mayotte»)

Each department (DROM) also constitutes a mono-departmental overseas region with the same level of importance as a metropolitan region of France.

As for the European Union, the DROMs are part of its outermost region.

Do not confuse the DROM with the Overseas Collectives (COM), territories that enjoy greater autonomy, do not share status with the metropolitan departments and do not belong to the European Union (except San Martín, which does belong to the Union being an outermost region). Both the DROMs and the COMs are part of the French overseas territories.

List

Map	Name	Continent
	GuadalupeGuadeloupe)	America
	French Guiana (Guyane)	America
	Martinique (Martinique)	America
	Mayotte	Africa
	MeetingLa Réunion)	Africa

History

The five overseas departments are former colonies that have been French almost without interruption since their colonization in the mid-17th century. Overseas department status was granted to them by law on March 19, 1946. Saint Pierre and Miquelon held it from 1976 to 1985, before becoming a local authority with special status and overseas community in 2007.