It's a designation used internally by French Polynesia IOTL: pays d'outre-mer au sein de la République. The territory's organic law uses this term, but it isn't recognized under the French constitution: the constitutional court has essentially said that French Polynesia can call itself anything it wants, but its legal status is an overseas collectivity.
The status of Gabon ITTL is basically the same.
Thank you. I suspected there was an OTL example of some sort. 'Pays' is a very interesting word to use, as it has lots of plausible deniability. Oh, we just mean 'land, territory' to someone from the Metropole, but rather more than that to a fellow inhabitant.