Administrative divisions of France
As of 2003, France is divided into:
- 26 régions - 22 metropolitan and four overseas
- the régions are divided into 100 départements - including 4 overseas départements (départements d'outre-mer, or DOM)
- the départements are divided into 342 arrondissements
- the arrondissements are divided into 4,040 cantonss - including 156 overseas
- the cantons are divided into 36,679 communes
There are also three "overseas territories" (French: territoires d'outre-mer, or TOM) that are part of France but not of the EU. They are: French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories.
Furthermore there are three separate special status territories (French: collectivités territoriales), also part of France but not of the EU: Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Mayotte and New Caledonia. New Caledonia used to be a TOM.
Finally, France maintains control over a number of small islands in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.
