overseas territory
Far-flung dominion
An overseas territory is a region that belongs to a country but lies outside its main geographic boundaries, typically separated by ocean.
These territories maintain political ties to the parent nation while often having distinct local governance: Puerto Rico is a U.S. overseas territory, The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory.
The term distinguishes such places from fully independent nations and from regions integrated as regular provinces or states.
Dependent territorial settlement
- dependencyState of needing support
- protectorateGuarded semi-autonomous territory
- dominionAuthority to rule
- commonwealthState for public good
autonomy · sovereignty · jurisdiction · administration · self-government · devolution · mandate · annexation
colony
Dependent territorial settlement
- dependencyState of needing support
- protectorateGuarded semi-autonomous territory
- dominionAuthority to rule
commonwealth · autonomy · sovereignty · jurisdiction · administration · self-government · devolution · mandate · annexation · decolonization
island
Water-bounded land mass
- archipelagoChain of scattered islands
- atollRing-shaped reef island
- enclaveSurrounded distinct territory
exclave · outpost · settlement · coastline · maritime · remote · tropical · Pacific · Caribbean · Antarctic
- territoriesprovince, state, region, country, colony
- colonialismcolony, colonization, colonial rule, colonial powers, colonizer
- dependenciescolony, protectorate, dependency, dominion, vassal state
- French ColoniesAlgeria, Vietnam, Cambodia, Morocco, Tunisia
- French governmentregions, prefecture, departments, communes, departement
- French TerritoriesFrench Guiana, Guadeloupe, French Polynesia, Martinique, Saint Martin
overseas territorysovereign nation
Self-ruled territorial polity
sovereign state · republic · independent republic · member state · nation-state
overseas territorymainland
Principal connected territory
metropole · heartland · home country · mother country · homeland
overseas, territory, territorial, territories, territorially, extraterritorial, territoriality