Overseas departments and regions of France

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The overseas departments and regions of France (French: départements et régions d'outre-mer, pronounced [depaʁtəmɑ̃ e ʁeʒjɔ̃ d‿utʁəmɛʁ]; DROM) are the five departments and regions of the French Republic which are located outside European France (also known as "metropolitan France"). These overseas entities have exactly the same status as European France's departments and regions. The French Constitution provides that, in general, French laws and regulations (France's civil code, penal code, administrative law, social laws, and tax laws etc.) apply to French overseas departments and regions the same way as in metropolitan France, but can be adapted as needed to suit the region's particular needs. Hence, the local administrations of French overseas departments and regions cannot themselves pass new laws. On occasion, referendums are undertaken to re-assess the sentiment in local status.

Since March 2011, the five overseas departments and regions of France are:

• French Guiana in South America, a part of The Guianas;
• Guadeloupe in the Caribbean Sea, a part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles;
• Martinique in the Caribbean Sea, a part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles;
• Mayotte in the Mozambique Channel, a part of the Comoro Islands;
• Réunion in the Indian Ocean, a part of the Mascarene Islands.