A thousand miles from your everyday life, in the heart of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, discover the amazing and unusual locations of France les Outre-mer (Overseas France). These French-administered territories outside Europe date back to the French colonial empire. Distant territories from Metropolitan France, they are referred to by the term DROM-COM (Départements, Régions et Collectivités d’Outre-mer). The DROM departments and regions are ruled by the same laws as the metropolis, while the COM collectivities have their own laws adapted to their needs, unique for their territory. Home to more than 2.8M inhabitants, these territories are all amazing vacation destinations where you can practice your French with the locals.

You can discover more about these fascinating French territories with engaging videos and interactive games on your AFSF Culturethèque e-library. Informative videos explain the differences in culture, lifestyle and seasonal climates found in the overseas territories. Since French Polynesia can be found on the other side of the earth, when children go to bed in Paris, the Polynesian French get up and go to school. And since the weather is often nice, they can go snorkeling or surfing after school. On the island of Reunion, the seasons are reversed, so children have their summer vacations from mid-December through February. In the West Indies, for Christmas, families do not eat turkey, but a pork stew. Be sure to play the fun game Cap sur les Outre-Mer (Heading Overseas) to learn about and practice your geography of the overseas territories. Identify the major cities and ports, famous beaches and rivers and of course volcanic mountains and then challenge yourself with a quiz to check your score.

Visit the AFSF Library page for instructions on how to sign up for the Culturethèque e-library.  Bonne chance pour apprendre et jouer sur les Outre-Mer de France !