French Overseas Regions and Territories Explained

There's more to France than simple than the land between Spain and Germany. While this certainly the largest and most recognizable part of the country, there are also less well-known parts of the country, in all corners of the world, from the Caribbean, to South America, to the Indian Ocean and beyond.
VIDEO CLIPS (copyright information):
French flag ( • Video )
oldstuff4all, Creative Commons
Tahiti ( / jeunesseglobal )
Jeunesse, Creative Commons
Bora Bora ( • BORA BORA OVERWATER BU... )
Aspyn + Parker, Creative Commons
Plane Landing ( • Is this too low? 747 L... )
Jon5700, used with permission
MUSIC:
French National Anthem - "La Marseillaise"

[@M3TB]

Recent fact too : The longest domestic flight in the world : Paris - Tahiti.

[@louping8931]

Nop, It’s rather the other way around. Tahiti -> Paris because you can have some huge downwind in this way.

[@zewizarde2865]

did it four times for my parent's job, damn it's long

[@napoexocet1366]

Paris Nouméa too 😎

[@yannickdrmda5295]

But there is 1 stopover between Paris and Tahiti (or Nouméa). They did it with no stopover only during covid crisis with a restricted number of passengers. I think the longest domestic flight with no stopover under normal operating is Paris/Saint-Denis-de-La-Réunion (11 hours)

[@larchange1657]

♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷

[@occi31]

France longest border is actually shared with...Brazil. Because of Guyane

[@viengsamphet]

... fine nationally going to get civil war in laos

[@occi31]

Sam Sananikone I really don't see the connection ...

[@occi31]

Alexander Florian No you are wrong. 656km with Spain and 673km with Brazil. Next time you'll check your sources genius

[@Pandemoniumusic]

Alexander Florian La Guyane is almost 3 times as big as Belgium

[@leomartel2587]

if you want the exact brorder french got the biggest with australia because of antartic

[@WonderWhy]

New Caledonia voted on independence today. 56% voted no.

[@maximeschmitt6589]

Also, only the residents who were 8n New Caledonia before the 31st of December 1994 were allowed to vote. So all the Whites who have been living, working and paying taxes in NC for 20 years couldn't vote. If they had that right, the NO wouldn't be 56% but at least 66%.

[@RealLifeW0rld]

So, they will remain French??

[@ThomasHall1000]

Update?

[@GhstnThMchn]

The vote was rigged fuck colonialism

[@koootoshidayo]

New Caledonia lost it's chance to became New Java(because there's many javanese just like suriname)

[@trygvek]

So, France and the Netherlands actually share borders, however not in Europe but in the Caribbean? lol

[@trygvek]

+Just Saying Belgium also used to be part of France, so they also shared borders then xD

[@ryanmackay1145]

Trygve K what about Benelux

[@xldjvista]

Caribbean. Two Bs not two Rs.

[@greyjay9492]

Ryan Mackay what do you mean “what about Benelux” you didn’t state a question

[@ryanmackay1145]

I am commenting on Trygve K’s comment and Benelux means Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands or the Dutch

[@particuliervdm8603]

Other Fun Facts - France has: - the largest EEZ in the world - the second largest territorial waters (behind the US). - the most time zones (12)

[@dustman0048]

And this is just the beggining mouaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha 😈

[@ck7993]

the most battles won

[@rachelsombo9045]

The prettiest country on earth , the most prettiest people ( male and female) ...

[@Hadahuda]

poewk pyre xd good joke

[@ck7993]

@@Hadahuda ...it's not a joke.

[@John09837]

Russia: I am using 11 different time zones. France: hold my beer

[@Commantaireful]

France: Hold my baguette

[@LoMulticard]

Red wine...

[@mrnonsense1031]

🇫🇷: hold my 🍷

[@djtechzz]

hold my revolution

[@fablb9006]

Osman 0 9 we are not germans... we drink red wine, not beer

[@p.f.886]

-Where are you from? -France. *_-Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?_*

[@Bjokac]

I'm a simple french man, I see France, I press upvote. But here I have to comment. This is f**ing more accurate than anything that was explained to me in school, so have a big thanks and a warm encouragement to go on with your videos ! Merci !

[@tommarch.4493]

à l'école et de mon plein grès j'ai appris plus de choses que dans cette vidéo sur le même sujet

[@MlokLik]

"im a simple french man, I see Germany, i lift white flag."

[@greyjay9492]

It was very accurate,but I must point out his pronunciation of Guadalupe,it’s pronounced guad-a-lupe-ey,not guad-a-lupe

[@theterminal9354]

@@MlokLik Bruh they are buddy now and don't say german but "Nazi"

[@Syl75]

@@MlokLik Ahah, even on a video about French overseas territories, a cretin can't stop himself doing this stupid joke. Idiot one day, idiot forever. There is another variant: "i'm a simple English man, I see Germany, I flee to Dunkirk"

[@M3TB]

When you talk about France to foreigners : "Did you ever went to America ?" "Yes, twice" "Which state ?" "France" "What?" "Yes... The only american state I visited is France. Went there two times. Gwada and Madinina". "Do you need passport ?" "No. It's my country" (Real talk once...)

[@respectedgentleman4322]

Complete with terrible grammar?

[@tim_vergos]

hahaha pas mal celle la !

[@thibault973]

@@respectedgentleman4322 How is your French grammar sir ?

[@renevalgervais7807]

@@respectedgentleman4322 pardon his french haughty english speaker

[@sulil1938]

@@respectedgentleman4322 Cmon man, we all know what he means lol

[@piplupsingularity]

Don't forget, they launch rockets from French Guiana!

[@charliemasson4287]

mikusingularity Poland would be proud

[@alfamapper6318]

French Wine yeah lol

[@chubbydubby1]

Asphalt 8?

[@wannabehistorian371]

I don’t get it.

[@Daniel-jm7ts]

@Jason Quinn I know

[@MajorZeroCELL]

So, how many lands did you explore ? France : *OUI*

[@Fitch75]

The sun never sets on the French Republic!

[@generous_coconut]

Fitch75 That's true!

[@kiannogueira4721]

Jethro P. Lol your picture is the UK

[@viengsamphet]

Fitch75 I really don't know if the sun never sets on the French Republic

[@orangeblurr]

Fitch75 shut up that saying can only be sued for Spain

[@jeanpuit2612]

+Orange Blurr That is no longer true for Spain It still is for France though

[@wikirexmax]

Fun fact. The French Republic shares its longuest land border with Brasil. Not Germany, Spain or Italy but Brasil !

[@BequatRequat]

+wikirexmax French-Spain border is the longest mainland border but Brasil-French border is an amazing fact. Also , one of the first european settlements in Rio was a french protestant settlement

[@skjdief3816]

Brazil* Longest*

[@MayconMLG]

@@skjdief3816 Brazil in PT-BR is Brasil

[@cappycap8144]

@@skjdief3816 in some languages. Like malay, calls it brasil

[@jetaddicted]

France’s longest land border is with Australia, thousands of miles as Terre Adélie is enclaved within the Australian territory. I know I know: not an internationally recognized border but since both countries recognize each other’s claim... good enough for me.

[@rubenrathgeber458]

This is why I love France. Not only in mainland France but all across the world this amazing country has such a diversity and beauty. Best wishes, un ami d'allemagne

[@thomascatty379]

Ruben Rathgeber danke brother

[@LoMulticard]

Please do not love Alsace and Lorraine too much

[@storochx2857]

Nous en France on aime pas l'Allemagne, il paye un tribut a la Turquie qui financent daesh.

[@LoMulticard]

@@storochx2857 pense aussi que ce type c'est un allemand parmi d'autres , peut être qu'il est tout à fait d'accord avec toi.

[@storochx2857]

@@LoMulticard c'est vrai que 32 millions tout les mois (ya deux jours pour le dernier tribut) pour financer leur reconquête de l'empire ottoman en Syrie et en Libye (contre la France et nos alliés) ça doit être dur a accepter pour le contribuable Allemand qui gagne déjà la misère a cause de leur politique économique.

[@sugar-lx1jz]

Me: I’m in south america Friend: What country? Me: France. Friend: Hold up… What?

[@kenroymusgrave983]

You have no idea how many times I get that reaction, I'm from Saint-Martin, and I would have to explain to the person the whole overseas territory thing lol.

[@zakaribenabdesselam6272]

@@kenroymusgrave983 Ahahaha , ça doit être tellement marrant de voir la réaction des gens quand tu leurs dit

[@kenroymusgrave983]

@@zakaribenabdesselam6272 Ah ouais c'est tellement marrant. La plupart du temps ils connaissent Sint-Maarten.

[@Titi-lq1tj]

Avec l'accent anglais ça déforme mdr

[@ilesdunord-noobyoutuber-sx9543]

@lex mota Yeah its kinda rare to find Saint-Martinois outside of our little island. The best way to recognise a Saint-Martinois is our accent. A mix of broken english and french, you can't not hear it when we speak.

[@carlitoxb110]

Summery: french is a country with a lot of nice islands to rest

[@mindylaure2382]

And you are welcome / Bienvenu .

[@darkduck-qg2so]

yeah seems like it, those guys helped us gain independence from the British too, I like the French

[@geopixels6886]

*Summary

[@nepaljam9283]

+darkduck2000 thanks :)

[@marcaurele8059]

vas-y doucement, c'est peut-être un musulman!! :)

[@hansner]

Just to make this clair,The french collectivity's are fully French, They ARE part of France. For exemple Saint-Martin Is in the european union.

[@TheLocalLt]

Hansner that’s just so that France can keep them. Portugal tried the same thing in the 1970s in Africa to disastrous results, but it’s basically worked for keeping the remaining empires of Britain, France, America, Netherlands, etc together; just declare them part of your country. Hell “anti-colonial” America has probably used that trick that the least, only 2 of the 7 American overseas possessions are states, far less that France but still more than Britain, the most staunch power when it comes to giving out integral status.

[@ahfei6847]

I'm not sure Mayotte is actually included in the Shenghen zone

[@HBC101TVStudios]

@@ahfei6847 No but yes. EU citizens can travel to Mayotte without passport, only ID card. It's like going to another EU country outside Schengen Area

[@Lunat1K_Fr]

Jahiz Harith In France, it May surprise you but there are no problems with black peoples

[@harry12]

@@ahfei6847 no, but is part of EU for sure (unlike greenland)

[@randomcommenterheredontmin4390]

Spain: i have the biggest border with france! Brazil: hold my cachaça

[@terioze9]

Hello Brazil, as a French citizen, I'm proud to share a border with you. People tend to forget that France is a transcontinental country with a part in Europe but with other parts around the world. So yes, France is a South American country as well.

[@randomcommenterheredontmin4390]

@@terioze9 cool

[@FOLIPE]

@@terioze9 As a Brazilian, I say we don't care and in fact nobody sees France as a South American country, but rather one that holds lands in this continent.

[@terioze9]

@@FOLIPE Well, at least France is way better than your country whrn it comes to the protection of the environment. The rainforest in Guyane is perfectly preserved. I can't say the same about Brazil, that third world country known for its pollution, its corruption, its violence, its racism and its poverty... Sorry if the truth hurts buddy....

[@FOLIPE]

@@terioze9 don't worry, it couldn't hurt me less. France does and has done a lot more damage to the environment than Brazil anyway, although mostly not in the Amazon (although the forest in French Guyana is far from perfectly preserved) but in África and the European mainland, considering how it's a country that pollutes and generates so much waste, besides of course the neocolonial policies it continues to keep in Africa, specially West Africa....when it comes to racism, I'm not even going to argue. Brazil has huge problems with it, but at least it's discussed here, unlike in France were even getting data on race is illegal. When it comes to history, of course, I wouldn't be as unkind as to raise the issues of France and race before the 60s... Anyway, I like France, but I'm still annoyed by the pride of the legacies of colonialism you showed in your original comment.

[@Amdidry]

Mayotte is now incorporated in the French republic since 2011 it became the 101st French department

[@Theturtleowl]

And now La Marseillaise is stuck in my head

[@johnwotek3816]

/(°_°) salute for our national anthem!

[@bourdinantoine2362]

I don't see the problem.

[@LoMulticard]

Painful...

[@guildguild8987]

And the French President is the Prince of Andorre.

[@zornox7179]

nope it's francois holland

[@kingmori1]

But françois hollande is also the prince of andorre during his mandate.

[@randomguy-tg7ok]

Andorre? Isn't it Andorra?

[@guildguild8987]

random guy Andorre in French

[@BruneSixtine]

+Ouinn Ouinn Andorra is not an independant country since it is ruled by the French President... The French President is also the only person to be a Monarch and the head of state of a Republic at the same time.

[@Kozyax]

As someone from the "Réunion Island" (the most populated overseas region) you explain it very well. Everytime I go to Mainland France I need to explain what are the "overseas region" to people that know nothing about it or worst : who think that every overseas region are in the Caribbean (this is common and it's really annoying when you come from an Indian Ocean Territory and people say "Oh Reunion, Guadeloupe Martinique it's all the same isn't it (there is just 12000 km that separates us, it's not a lot duh))

[@kreeperface397]

+Kozyax didn'y know we have people with a so poor knowledge in geography

[@mauritianmapping6249]

BLA BLA BLA

[@mauritianmapping6249]

🇲🇺😉☺

[@Zakimals]

I personally dpn't think thats that poor knowledge but if somebody is from france they should know the big oversea territories

[@Lapantouflemagic0]

well i'm french and i understand your disappointment, but i also remember the period during which i really didn't what was where. it's just something people don't think about in everyday life, for exemple someone from mayotte may fall in the same trap if i asked you them to place St-pierre & miquelon, they would probably go for the caribbeans just because most people forget that we have a couple islands up north too. so long story short, not knowing which island is where is a relatively honest mistake i think.

[@oscarlock5724]

Britain- The sun never sets on the Empire *france 100 years later* - laughs in baguette

[@kylew.4896]

See the commonwealth Nice rocks in the ocean tho did you notice what language were currently speaking? That's empire

[@jetaddicted]

Commonwealth? Lol. The UK has ZERO power over them. Nice try though.

[@oscarlock5724]

@@kylew.4896 I’m British stfu

[@god-of-war-fan]

@@jetaddicted uhm, no dumbass. the commonwealth is just a group of former british colonies who decided that they'd be friends. on the other hand, the sun LITERALLY NEVER sets on france since all these places are literally france proper

[@yahyahimmi2517]

😂

[@doneyhon4227]

The french oversea collectivities are all fully french. When you say "they are not really part of France", it's not true. They have a certain autonomy within the republic, but nothing more.

[@Domasiukas]

Some of them have presidents, though.

[@doneyhon4227]

+Domasiukas They have the same power as a governor of an american state or the prime minister of Scotland. That's it.

[@Domasiukas]

Doney Hon Okay. Thank you.

[@mindylaure2382]

+Domasiukas : There are Presidents of region , for ALL France parts , there are still older traditions like in Wallis and Futuna but our President is the same one a bit like Andorra . French overseas citizens vote for the Presidential elections but with hours gap .

[@doneyhon4227]

Mindy Laure Andorra? Andorra is outside the Republic. It's a principality where our President is co-prince.

[@texaskosmonawt9987]

Hey, wonderwhy. You know that a guy named Paul, vest known for Geography Now, has ranked you as the most inspiring youtuber for geography and politics. These videos you have made is inspiring to me as well. Keep up the good work!

[@WonderWhy]

+General Spaceman Yes I do remember him leaving a comment on one of my videos saying that I'm one of the 3 channels that inspired him to start making geography videos. I'm subscribed to GeographyNow and love his videos.

[@paulf.1731]

My two favourite youtubers!

[@eliheerter596]

+WonderWhy you guys should make a joint video

[@SWMP1523]

+WonderWhy your channel has really inspired me to learn more about geography and world politics, thanks for the amazing videos

[@Tomtiedom12]

These vids are great, i guess wonder why was inspired by CGPGrey. Another youtuber who makes vids like this. He has made exactly a video like this a few years ago about the Netherlands. He even ended like: all dutch....

[@douglasfreer]

France: a country that spans 6 continents

[@mistermclaur9205]

France also own differents places around Jérusalem like the Saint-Anne church or the Tombs of Kings. The land under most of those are literally France territory since the crusades!

[@synkaan2167]

I didn't know that, thx =) I checked and there is also the church of the Pater Noster and the monastery of Abou Gosh

[@mistermclaur9205]

@@synkaan2167 Well, you're welcome dear friend ^^

[@sodakk17]

Now what I call very obscure knowledge

[@concept5631]

​@@mistermclaur9205 There a wiki page for that?

[@Matthew-nv2wy]

Russia: I have the most time zones France: Hold my baguette

[@jellybertdelattiba7603]

Hold my wine works too !

[@ArturoSubutex]

What would have been interesting to add is that all those overseas territories make France have the biggest (or second biggest, depending on how you count I guess) EEZ in the world. Thats means sovereignty over parts of oceans and seas. That's the only reason why France keeps the Clipperton island for instance: it's tiny and there are no inhabitants, but since it's far away from all other lands it "controls" a huge part of the ocean proportionally to its size and thus a lot of interesting resources in the seabed.

[@Lapantouflemagic0]

that is the reason nowadays, but historically it's moslty because we like to have a lot of stuff =) when we claimed it, no one gave a damn, then everyone realized that there's a lot of bird poop there, and you can use that crap for chemistry stuff, so now everyone wanted the island, particularily mexico who's next door, and then there's the fish isssue. but we don't actually fish there, we actually rent the maritime space to brazil so that they can fish, with the extra condition that they stop prentending the island should be theirs.

[@bernardlemoine7200]

all islands are regarded as way points for the navy and airforce combined, the french combo is perfect today for the EU....just about full coverage!

[@Syl75]

The French EEZ is the second biggest behind the USA's one.

[@tetauruhatitio840]

@@Syl75 MAITENANT elle est la premiere les USA sont deuxieme

[@baptistebrigand5882]

@@bernardlemoine7200 ..

[@JasonMcDon1]

As a frenchman I have to admit that you really well explained it.

[@concept5631]

Ngl thought you said freshman

[@labaguette3740]

*Vive la France !* De la part du Québec 🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵

[@Enuogyan]

Merci mon cher

[@laiol2363]

Merci:>

[@mzzmsmz]

On vous aime les québécois ❤

[@gakuto7527]

merci mon ptit tabarnouche

[@isd93]

Thom's vive le Québec libre, salutations de France!!

[@mahoroaudibert3852]

Martinique is truly beautiful, I've been there 3 times and I wish I lived there permanently

[@ryuunoasmv927]

hello, I think t's a good video but I want to correct a point. I'm from New-Caledonia, so yes I'm french, but we don't have a President. this "president" is only a representative of the french state, we call him the "High Commissioner". and in this video this is our ancient bills, we change it last year :)

[@kreeperface397]

is the high commissioner elected or named by the french president or something ?

[@ryuunoasmv927]

he's nomminated by the french President (François Hollande)

[@kreeperface397]

Ryuuno ASMV thank you

[@mickaelbochaca9923]

Hollande :)

[@wertyuiopasd6281]

:D

[@aqsdfg25]

"The sun never goes down on the french Empire"

[@Raisonnance.]

Republique*

[@NoSfe2]

Bruh there is no sun on the french republic xD

[@xxsupersayen34xxnoe33]

@@NoSfe2 can confirm, I'm french and it's been years since the last day

[@alabamaal225]

A big difference between the former British empire and the former French empire. After World War II, and especially after the 1960s, the British couldn't wait to dispense with most of it's overseas territories. The UK granted independence to its former colonies, whether they wanted independence or not. It was fairly much "Good Bye and Good Luck," with some former colonies fairing better than others. The French, in contrast, were more intent to hold on to its lands; in some cases fighting major wars to maintain control and often not successfully (French Indo-China and Algeria most notably.) France's African and Asian territories were insistent on independence; the overseas territories in other parts of the world, however, were less so. Visiting the former British and French colonial territories in the Caribbean, the contrasts I've seen are striking. Those islands who remained with France (and also the islands of the Dutch West Indies who still maintain a relationship with The Netherlands) appear to have a substantially higher standard of living than the former British colonies. This is in large part because the French islands receive substantial financial assistance from the French government, whereas the former British islands have to more-or-less go it alone.

[@gringologie9302]

Algeria never was a major conflict. The numbers of fighters involve were very low. Indochina was a fucking mess, with chineese army in the conflict due to history (french presence there wasnt establish agaisnt vietnamese but agaisnt chineese). If you want to compare french and English colony you also have to compare what was the vision during colonisation. UK states made huge benefits from colonies while France not, investing to developp the territories. Not the same history at all. That's why you can heard from some historians that English did a brilliant colonisation while France get lost in it.

[@briantravelman]

I disagree. From my research, observations and visits, the British islands are the best managed and have the highest standard of living. Dutch are probably second. The French ones are half in half. Some areas are very well managed and have a high standard of living, while others, not so much. And the American islands are byfar the worst managed..

[@elsasvenski1566]

@@briantravelmanAs a Caribbean person who live in several islands. I think the French one have a better way of living.

[@chyneuze]

Salut a toi depuis Saint Barthélemy, Collectivité d'outre mer! Belle vidéo explicative! Hello to you from Saint Barthélemy, Overseas Collectivitie! Beautiful explanatory video!

[@axel-adrienrobert1145]

@Jordan BLANCHARD Comment ça se passe chez vous ? L’esprit français rayonne-t’il ? On sait que vous avez eu de gros dégâts dû aux événements climatiques l’an dernier, j’espère que ça se répare. Courage à vous.

[@bal-duredt2190]

J'ai un amis à Strasbourg venant de Saint Barthélémy,vous êtes pas beaucoup donc je mentionne xD

[@kenroymusgrave983]

Salut, un Saint-Martinois ici, j'avais toujours envie de visiter Saint-Barthélémy mais j'ai pas le temps, même si c'est a côté de moi lol.

[@lojfiojo4725]

Salut un guadeloupéen ici , j’aurais bien aimer visiter saint barth aussi, le truc qui est cool c’est qu’on peut visiter la dominique, qui est juste à côté, d’autres îles aussi ( barbade, antigua...) et Miami qui est juste au nord. Ça fait un peut bizarre de voir des étrangers parler de mon île, mais j’aime bien, je crois que c l’habitude de se sentir un peu isolé du reste du monde.

[@hikazayanikushi9086]

I’m not even french.. (I’m learning French) but, France having a lot of land makes me happy... wtf =_=

[@florian1578]

les japonais aiment aussi l'invasion

[@Biobele]

Other people's lands

[@kiryuchan137]

Me too. I'm not even French. I'm just a southeast Asian learning French and I'm unkowingly happy that French has a lot of stuff

[@Raisonnance.]

Moi aussi je suis content. Et pas du tout parce que je suis français. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@mutsusei7479]

Idk why my country make u happy mais pas de soucis ^^

[@NitroIndigo]

The sun never sets on the French empire.

[@jrodcash]

Seriously

[@fduranthesee]

@Somali Kid empire**

[@fduranthesee]

true that

[@blainevolesky9653]

Who says the French Empire ended

[@eewag1]

Also in the UK and USA because all 3 are obsessed with tiny little islands.

[@imna7419]

I'm from Pondichéry and we were former French Overseas Territory. We were with France for 300 years

[@cinnamonstar808]

correction: France was in you

[@gringologie9302]

@@cinnamonstar808 France has not the same history than USA. Especially about natives.

[@cinnamonstar808]

@@gringologie9302 🤙🏽 true

[@Raisonnance.]

Pondychéry is maybe not anymore french but they some still have french nationality, speak french, have french name. I glad to see that. Thats why I love India.

[@imna7419]

@@Raisonnance. There's a chance to become French or independent from India because we are always neglected by the Indian government. The international treaty says if the people of the land of Pondichéry are opposed to the government, they can move to the International court of justice to appeal as a State.

[@fiolas6877]

I actually live in la réunion. Its so beautiful thanks for this vidéo VIVE LA FRANCE 🇫🇷🔥🇫🇷🔥🇫🇷🔥

[@de_sennectere]

Vive la France 🇫🇷🇷🇪🇧🇱🇬🇫🇲🇶🇳🇨🇵🇫🇵🇲🇹🇫🇼🇫🇾🇹

[@raccoonmoustache]

I see that you used the new regions! Great job on that!

[@ilena9258]

I hate these new régions !

[@Lyendith]

Yeah, they make no goddamn sense, outside of Normandy. Fusionner Rhône-Alpes avec l'Auvergne ? Sérieusement ? But, err, still kudos for being well informed? >.>

[@raccoonmoustache]

+Lyendith Well it helps for the economy

[@maximeschmitt2094]

Si la région "Grand est" n'est pas supprimée, l'Alsace finira par demander l'indépendance.

[@raccoonmoustache]

+Maxime Schmitt Grand est ne sera jamais supprimé, et l'Alsace ne sera jamais indépendant, tout comme la Bretagne

[@dice3000]

reunion island, what an amazing place!

[@coulochonou6376]

i was born there and im french

[@dice3000]

+Kshiller Do you see dinosaurs often?

[@evosoldchannel639]

+gskema uhhh....

[@nakiinami]

Reunion Island made me think of MH370 as the piece was found there.

[@mauritianmapping6249]

Llewell and Chelsia Tan wasn't that in Mauritius? (Rodrigues part)

[@xavierlourenco437]

It's funny to see the Guadeloupe archipelago in a KZbin video (My beautiful butterfly island) ^^' we don't hear that much about the french overseas departments...

[@amlmn7375]

France possesses the largest EEZ(exclusive economiczone) in the world, covering 11,691,000 km2.

[@cioran136]

No France is second, the USA possesses the largest EEZ.

[@blakon9311]

Cioran MILLOT BASTOUL no it changed last year because france proved That the limit of caledonia under the ocean was bigger than expected and the eez became larger

[@cioran136]

@@blakon9311 Oh! I didn't know that thank you!

[@MrRatafla]

@@blakon9311 intéressant

[@JohnMartin-jx1wz]

It colonises it

[@Phrenotopia]

Did you know that when you look at the French departments, number 96 is missing, and did you know why that is? The numbering stops at 95, Val d'Oise, and then jumps to the overseas territories which are numbered 971-976, alluding to number 97 originally used for all of the overseas. The reason for this is, purportedly, that number 96 was reserved for Belgium since there was a strong expectation in the 19th century, that Belgium would eventually join France. Although this no longer seems an option for all of Belgium, there is a distinct possibility that when that country would split up, Wallonia could join as the 96th department, probably as part of one of the northern regions!

[@Sondariut]

+Phrenomythic I'm from Belgium and had never heard of this. That is pretty fascinating. Though I genuinly doubt we will split it's intresting that France has reserved a spot for Wallonia.

[@Coz57]

+Phrenomythic 96 was used for Tunisia.

[@evKaym]

+Phrenomythic You are wrong, it was used for Tunisia!

[@BlunderCity]

+Phrenomythic _" probably as part of one of the northern regions!"_ If Wallonia ever became attached to France, it would never be merged into other regions. It would almost certainly be its own region. In fact, given the difference in political culture between France and Wallonia, it would be wise to create a special autonomous entity. Of course this scenario only applies to the hypothetical case of Belgium breaking up into 3 parts. Annexations no longer occur in this day and age or at least I hope so. The question of whether Wallonia ever becomes part of France boils down to finance and politics. Wallonia is only economically and financially viable because it part of Belgium and because of its economic integration with Brussels. Any of these two conditions breaking down and Wallonia would become the Greece of Northern Europe. Belgian economists worked out that pensions and salaries would abruptly be reduced by 20% in the event of Wallonia finding itself on its own. The cash strapped government would find it difficult to finance the welfare state and basic public services as they would likely be cut off from the bond market (a la Greece). The amount of fiscal austerity would be incomprehensible to the ordinary Walloon and the question of joining France would become very appealing. And on the French side of things, a significant amount of money would have to be transferred from the French government to the newly created region. It wouldn't be as bad as the integration of East Germany but it would certainly amount to hundreds of billions over several years/decades. So taxes would have to be raised in France to support what would become the poorest region of France (Wallonia's GDP per capita is lower than any of the 13 regions of Metropolitan France). If you were to ask people in France and in Wallonia whether they would want the country to be part of France if Belgium disintegrated, you would likely find a 70% majority in France and a 30% minority in Wallonia. But once the details of a possible marriage become public, ie the level of fiscal transfers from France to Wallonia, these numbers could easily flip, with a majority in Wallonia approving the plan but failing to gain support in France.

[@discussionprojectk6969]

+evKaym What was the one in use for Algeria then?

[@alexisgald8901]

Bonjour à tous les francophones, je suis🇲🇬🇲🇬🇲🇬 !! (et, Vive le Québec francophone bien sûr 💖💖💖💖)

[@Diegomax22]

Vive la Francophonie ! Malgré le passé c'est un lien directe entre nous Français et tous les autres pays Francophones !

[@LazierSophie]

Vive le Québec ! Meilleures salutations de Paris !

[@AkselLMR]

Salutations à vous !

[@iNTERS22]

When the French and the Dutch were deciding on Saint Martin border, they let two of their runners run around the island. Where they would meet on the other side, that would be the border from where they started to where they met.

[@DefCon1Shooter]

Kind of ironic, the Britsh empire was bigger than the french one at peak but now the French have (at least populationwise) the much bigger overseas territories. Nevertheless,, as a German I am out of this rivalry. We lost all our colonies back in 1919, I can't imagine why... :D

[@maximeschmitt2094]

The French know how to be loved. The British know how to be hated.

[@KommandoCraftLP]

you don't need to rule over colonies when you can rule over countries with colonies.

[@tig3662]

Are you all idiots? The British have the COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS.

[@josefalc29]

Ouinn Ouinn you're racist, you never moved from France, in Europe, but I did. Wallis is wonderful, Mayotte is Amazing and needs help, Guyane is wonderful !

[@tonyhawk94]

@@maximeschmitt2094 Well also because British colonies mostly relied on genociding the locals, thing that France never did at all.

[@EagleDarkX]

I am so happy there's another channel delivering this CGP Grey style of videos. Keep up the good work, enjoyed it a lot!

[@yolson2376]

Vive la France from Bosnia :) I truly adore your country and culture, and above all your language !!

[@josefalc29]

Ирфан Манџука thank you 💕

[@Cjnw]

#BosnieHerzégovine

[@stormbringer2840]

Et bien merci amis Bosnian.

[@mrronron7328]

Merci !!!

[@1000eau]

Merci beaucoup ! Thank you very much !

[@kagouhuppe745]

New Caledonia, mon île

[@Raisonnance.]

J'aimerais tellement y vivre. 🥺 Ça semble magnifique.

[@spud3383]

So they have the city of love, the language of love and the romantic island or whatever they call it

[@yoram283]

Language of love ? 😂 It's just a beautiful prejudge

[@golvan963]

It is a beautiful language

[@spud3383]

Well idunno When I Was A Kid I Just Remembered Hearing That French Was Referred To As "The Language Of Love"

[@Ju-lj5ff]

The Beauty Island (l'île de Beauté) which is Corsica but all of the French islands are beauties ;)

[@raphaelw4161]

To balance that, it's crowded with French :-)

[@Pandemoniumusic]

Fun fact: a French navy ship goes once a year on Clipperton island to restore the flagpole which's regularly destroyed by storms The only interest of this island is the territorial waters that are very rich for fishing industry. By the way, France has the 2nd largets exclusive economic zone (EEZ) behind the US

[@BlunderCity]

+Pandemoniumusic It has an interesting, if not disturbing history as well.

[@Pandemoniumusic]

+BlunderCity What are you talking about, France or Clipperton Island? ^^

[@BlunderCity]

Pandemoniumusic Clipperton. It was a guano mining operation in the early 20th century with about a hundred people living there. When the Mexican revolution broke out, the mining colony was forgotten and the supplies from the mainland stopped coming. All but one men inhabitants died and he proclaimed himself king. He then went on a campaign of systematic rape and violence against the 15 or so women and children still alive before being murdered by one of his victims. In the end the survivors were rescued by a US navy ship and the place has been uninhabited ever since.

[@guillboune111]

no it changed recently because france proved That the limit of caledonia under the ocean was bigger than expected and the eez became larger. It's the largest infront of the US

[@lanygrass5671]

I'm from New Caledonia.

[@kreeperface397]

+Gasser Ilan Interresting. What people think of France here ? Does the majority really want independance ?

[@lanygrass5671]

+kreeper face I'm born in New Caledonia but my parents were born in France, I like France and don't want that NC become independant. Actually the majority of caledonians don't want the independance. Look the Vanuatu, this country become independant and (I don't know how to say that in English ^^) but they have some problems now. New Caledonia is a beatiful country (If you like this sunny weather) but he needed France. Where are you living ?^^(sorry for the the mistakes in this text:)

[@kreeperface397]

France :) Just wondering what caledonians think about France. Do you think there is a chance that NC become a department, or something closer to France than a half independant country ?

[@lanygrass5671]

+kreeper face No, I don't, In 2018, they will have a referundum (i dont know if it's the same word in English), and the caledonians will vote yes or no for the independance. But in the referendum two years ago, the majority of the caledonians vote no.

[@kingmori1]

+Gasser Ilan Ah tiens tiens un gars du caillou :p

[@ezraakhaled4513]

I have been wondering that topic whole my life. That is a relief Merci

[@alexvig2369]

France actually has a lot of soft power that goes way beyond these overseas assets. The French Republic never really left its colonies in Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance. It still maintains control over their economies. With the growth of Africa's population and economy, this has the potential to make France a great geo-political player again.

[@wertyuiopasd6281]

Yes if we don't die in the process because of demography that is. We're about to be solved and drown in our own universalism.

[@alexvig2369]

@@wertyuiopasd6281 The demography thing is very exaggerated. It's not as bad as the media makes it out to be. Their job is to create sensationalism, not really report news. No nation has ever died of not having enough children. Human birthing trends is something cyclical. In Japan for example, they had a low birth rate from the 17th century until the 19th century, and it's not like they "died" as a nation because of it.

[@dylan5953]

Hehe ^^

[@MrJimheeren]

Except for the fact that all those sub Sahara former colonies want nothing to do with France anymore. The French are kicked out of Mali, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone. They rather have some Russians running around then have French sticky fingers still controlling their economy. And who can blame them

[@MrBatisme]

It was a very clear video ;) As a French, I think it will be easier for English-speakers to understand what France is really composed of. However, the flag of French Guyana isn't official anymore since the beginning of this year. To be more accurate, The French Southern and Antarctic Lands are divided in two parts : the first one, the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, surronds Madagascar, while the second part is located in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

[@ilesdunord-noobyoutuber-sx9543]

Salutation de la Guadeloupe :)

[@williamusrex6417]

Superb yet again. I am loving all these videos...just my exact cup of tea!

[@monicamccarthy3932]

Very well explained. Thank you!

[@YeasyYuriAndropov]

Error in the video: St.Martin also has an airport in Grand Case (the French side). Although a lot smaller than Juliana it still has regular flights to nearby islands.

[@bloodofemo]

La Réunion represent!!!! ;D

[@mindylaure2382]

Haha . Ça doit y être joli. Profitez.

[@mindylaure2382]

Haha . Ça doit y être joli. Profitez.

[@nicolastecher9086]

+K Gates Yeaaah ! xD j'étais en mode "trop mortel un youtuber parle de la Réunion xD" #974 :D

[@___ticok9744]

sa a nou sa :-)

[@binouz3462]

+Nicolas Techer en plus de ça américain

[@lindaajam7272]

You're videos are very interesting and understandable. I like them a lot! I just wish there could be videos more often

[@D_Marrenalv]

I love the narrator's accent, voice, and manner of presentation. Good job!

[@JDB70x7]

the CGPgrey is strong with this one, 10/10 video

[@misscrazygirl6963]

JDB70x7 the prequelmemes is strong with THIS ☝️ one!

[@Zaine2]

You need to make more videos - they are the best!

[@valairlines]

Great video, it is uncommon, even in France, to find someone who knows that France is not only metropolitan France. And actually, there is a second airport in Saint-Martin, on the french part, at Grand Case. It's a little airport with flights to Guadeloupe and St Barthelemy. I've landed there once.

[@Post-ModernCzechoslovakianWar]

This video was educational and buttered my croissant! *Thanks!*

[@TheConfuzzledCat]

Yay a new video! I've been waiting. ;)

[@DavidEriksson372]

A video by WonderWhy! That is pretty nice, I have been waiting. :)

[@maltazar9831]

You should really upload more vids dude, they are always interesting and learns me new things, in an entertaining and interesting way.

[@zabag]

Very well done! Congratulations!

[@clementschanno6167]

Hi. Congrats for this video. I use to see a looooot of videos about France with so much stupidities or clichés, while yours is really good. You worked really well on the subject, and as a French guy, i even learnt some things ^^.

[@sjappiyah4071]

YASSSSS I'VE BEEN REPLAYING YOUR OLD VIDEOS FOR THE LAST 2 MONTHS LOL

[@aoilpe]

Very good video! Merci beaucoup...🇫🇷

[@shawnwilson8093]

love your new video, great good man

[@crunk4124]

Fun fact, we also have 'in Canada' an island called *St-Pierre et Miquelon* which belongs to France, but is located in Canada. There's a bit more than 6000 people there and they also use EUROS

[@chips1583]

Its not in canada its in north america canada is state.

[@crunk4124]

@@chips1583 Yeah that why I used those '' '' obviously St-Pierre et Miquelon is not part of a Canadian territory. ...And Canada is clearly *NOT* a state.

[@manchotpetcrew7540]

Nice video ! *Bonne vidéo !*

[@rubenbronco5803]

So France and The Netherlands neighboring countries?

[@kreeperface397]

Yep, thanks to their overseas territories

[@connorshanley3394]

So when I went to St. Martin, I technically visited France AND The Netherlands in one day

[@deliciousravioli3007]

Ruben Bronco yea boi

[@xldjvista]

Yep one of the first European unions was French Saint Martin and Dutch Sint Maarten and of course Hispaniola shared with the Spanish. The French sometimes find it more convenient to share than to wage war.

[@xldjvista]

@@connorshanley3394 Yes sir. I take an international trip just to get to work everyday.

[@user-ld4qt6ci7b]

are swedes so poor that they sold a colony for 1100 euros?((

[@StudioGames51]

ahah

[@nex6939]

Томас Андерсон Inflation bro

[@user-gz3df1xy1g]

Томас Андерсон yes :( XD

[@fethimafr]

St Barth has been French before being Swedish. Under Sweden's rule, French fishermen and their families were already there and no one taught them how to speak Swedish. Sweden sold that Island because it's too dry and there's no water.

[@davidleroi110]

it is obviously a symbolic payement

[@roucky25]

New Caledonian here: your video is very accurate except for a few points: - No referendum took place in 1997, we actually had to vote YES or NO for the Accords de Nouméa. It stated new competencies for NC government and a date for an independence referendum (between 2014 and 2018). - The bank notes shown are the old ones. We have a new design since about 2 years, but I think the old ones looked better lol Thank you for your channel, it's very cool and I always learn a lot. You make a very good job. Don't hesitate to contact me for further information :)

[@000marioshi000]

Great video! As a French guy, even I learned things about the French Overseas that I was ignoring, notably the fact Saint Martin was part of Guadeloupe's dependencies for a long while. Listing the TAAF would have been a nice bonus though, as they also have their little history, for example Kerguelen being the biggest island in the Antarctic Ocean in front of the Falklands/Malvinas, or Tromelin being the setup for one of the most tragic shipwrecks in history. Good luck for the future :)

[@cinnamonstar808]

excellent video !❤️ no one should leave this video bewildered. 📓great for classrooms

[@larchange1657]

What a beautifull video !

[@ericprice8369]

You should do one on the uninhabited land of the world. I've always been interested in it and a video about it from you would be nice.

[@lefevrecorinne7608]

People of Mayotte see comorians arrive on their island ''Dame and they wanted independance''

[@LazierSophie]

Damn, mais pas "dame".

[@zadigthejasp]

très belle est très instructive vidéo :)

[@mariaflorin4479]

COOL THANKS FOR THE UPDATE AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU

[@Sommcrane973]

Hello from french guyana, the space port of europe launching Ariane 5, VEGA and Soyuz

[@bad_dragon]

Ooooooh yeaaaah

[@HeyBOssguy]

I forgot this channel existed and that I am subscribed to them. Glad to see it still post

[@jacobfeldman8724]

Great video bro!

[@hadriangille-collier1828]

Great vid thx

[@Tea_and_Cake]

do one for the uk

[@sarahwatts7175]

Yes!

[@ABhaim]

+Dan Watts Lego look for CGPgrey

[@Tea_and_Cake]

CGP Grey dose not enplane territory and stuff tho

[@AnyOtherNamePlease]

+ThaBigCheese99 Yeah he did :)

[@totalferdox7229]

+ThaBigCheese99 that english tho

[@TemplarX2]

I'm a Francophile. I've always loved France and its amazing history, culture and achievements. Possibly the greatest country in human history. "Every genius is born French," Napoleon.

[@yoram283]

Great ! You from ?

[@sunlight2759]

Einstein, Fermi, Tesla, Edison, Washington, Alexander the Great, etc etc, are definitely not french. And for countries and other kingdoms greater than France... Hm. Probably the UK and Germany, the United States, the Romans, Ancient Greeks & Egyptians. Mind you, France is a perfectly good country, and it's up there, but this is the kind of person that I am. Not sorry!

[@TemplarX2]

Washington and Edison? Edison was an idiot. He could only do basic maths. His only genius was he had a group of geniuses working for him. They did the work and got the credits. How about the Sun king, Descartes, Pasteur, Pascal, LaPlace, Joan of Arc, Napoleon, Pierre and Marie Curie and children, Poincarre, Ampere etc. Nah, France is the greatest country in human history in term of overall contribution to mankind, then I'd rate the Romans, the Chinese, the Indians and finally the USA.

[@sunlight2759]

Yeah, I was kinda stretching. Washington was met and Edison did nothing impressive. The others still stand. Anyways, Curie is mainly Polish and I haven't even heard of half the people you mentioned... And, I'll just one-up France with its traditional rival, Britain. Hmm. How about... Winston Churchill, Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, Alan Turing, the culturally impressive Beatles, David Bowie, Charles Dickens, and David Livingston. Also, while it obviously doesn't seem like it, I'm not trying to trigger anyone or anything. Both countries are pretty amazing places that have made significant and spectacular contributions all across many aspects of human life. I'm just naturally very argumentative and I can't do too much about it.

[@yoram283]

+Quetzalcoatl it's a shame for me i don't know all people that you cited

[@desktable9525]

Love this channel!!!!!!!!!!

[@KoRbA2310]

Thank you for giving me ideas for new hollidays trips :) Reunion is next, they even use euro :D

[@LaFolleD972]

Vive la Martinique et l'Outre-mer !

[@yoram283]

#972 🇲🇶

[@LOLandCIE]

Gwada en force !

[@zecle]

représente !!

[@madikeraisland3927]

Yaaay 🙌

[@hansner]

Vive saint martin!

[@Aquapod9]

The "all French" at the end sounds like CGP Grey's ending to his video on the Netherlands where he says "all Dutch"! Do I sense inspiration?

[@WonderWhy]

+Lanivan King Absolutely. It was a very deliberate yet subtle reference to one of my favourite videos.

[@ajinkyarajguru431]

+WonderWhy team Réunion swamp hen

[@BurnRoddy]

+WonderWhy You should've mentioned that Saint Pierre and Miquelon has the worst soccer team in the Americas. For a place that small is nice to stand out as something even if it's not a good thing at least it shows they're there.

[@lochlannkingz5279]

as long as he is not stealing it

[@aidankocur]

I was about to say this! We need more people in the world like CGP Grey, and this guy has started to become one!

[@paazbra]

Great video

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

"While this is the most recognisable part of the country, this is only 48 of the 50 states. There's also Alaska and Hawaii." And the outlying minor territories like Puerto Rico and Guam