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The French territory includes the metropolis, the 4 French oversees
departments ( Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and the Reunion), the
4 oversees territories (French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis
and Futuna, the French South and North poles) as well as collective
territories with a special status: Mayotte and St Pierre et Miquelon.
In terms of local power, 3 levels of collective territory overlap
each other with distinct jurisdictions.
The Communes (towns)
36,763 communes, smaller administrative subdivisions, carry out
local jurisdictions such as the construction of schools, town planning,
social services, collection of household rubbish and sanitation.
The Departments
The departments, (96 plus 4 oversees) created by the revolution
in 1789, have considerable jurisdiction in terms of social services,
construction and maintenance of schools, roads etc
The Regions
The regions (26 of which 4 are oversees), more recent authorities
whose area of jurisdiction is continually growing, run policies
centred on economic development, vocational training and town and
country planning.
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