evidence: Today, there are still over a dozen overseas territories that belong to France, scattered in the Caribbean, and in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Most of them are island states in the southern hemisphere of the world. [...] Consisting of large and small islands, Guadeloupe uses the Euro and is part of the European Union, with four deputies in the National Assembly. It is not part of the Schengen zone, however, which consists of 26 European countries, through which European citizens can travel visa-free. [...] They are governed by the same government as their mother country, meaning that not only do the same laws apply, but island nations have representatives in the French parliament, and the people can vote when elections are held in mainland France. Interestingly enough, this is unique to France alone, as it is not the case with the United Kingdom's and the US' self-governed overseas territories.