Why has The World Factbook dropped the four French departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, and French Guiana?
The four entities are no longer in The World Factbook because their status has changed. While they are overseas departments of France, they are also now recognized as French regions, having equal status to the 22 metropolitan regions that make up European France. In other words, they are now recognized as being part of France proper. Their status is somewhat analogous to Alaska and Hawaii vis-à-vis the contiguous United States. Although separated from the larger geographic entity, they are still considered to be an integral part of it.
Related Questions
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- Why has The World Factbook dropped the five French departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Reunion, and French Guiana?
- Why has The World Factbook dropped the four French departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, and French Guiana?
