Status of the World's Nations

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Status of the World's Nations

OVERVIEW
NATIONS, DEPENDENCIES, AREAS OF SPECIAL SOVEREIGNTY

Listing of Nations, Dependencies, and Areas of Special Sovereignty

Editor's note: This section was adapted from Geographic Notes, issued by the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. State Department in April 1992 and updated by the editors of this volume in March 2008.

OVERVIEW

In this survey, the term “nation” refers to a people politically organized into a sovereign state with a definite, internationally recognized territory. The number of such nations has almost tripled since the end of World War II. On the eve of the war there were 70 nations; as of March 2008, there were 194.

In 1990 and 1991 several important changes took place in the status of the world's nations. Two nations, Yemen and Germany, were formed in 1990, each by unification of two formerly separate nations. In the case of Germany, the former German Democratic Republic was subsumed by the Federal Republic of Germany. The Republic of Yemen was formed by union of the former Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. Also in 1990, Namibia finally realized its Independence; the UN had terminated its status as a South African mandate in 1966.

The year 1990 also began a period of turmoil in the former Soviet Union. The independence of the three Baltic States—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—was recognized by the central Soviet government in August 1991. The United States established diplomatic relations with the democratically elected governments of the Baltic States in September 1991. In December 1991 the 12 former Soviet republics became separate sovereign nations.

With the breakup of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence along with its neighbor Serbia and Montenegro in 1992. In 1993 Czechoslovakia dissolved into Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Also in 1993, Eritrea declared its independence from Ethiopia. In 2002, East Timor declared itself a nation after separating from Indonesia. Montenegro separated from Serbia to become an independent nation on June 3, 2006. On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.

The magnitude of these changes, though noteworthy, is not unprecedented in recent history. The unsettled international situations following each of the World Wars fostered the creation of new nations without an equal dissolution of existing ones. As a result of World War I, three nations in Europe ceased to exist—Austria, Hungary, Montenegro, and Serbia—but they were replaced by four new nations: Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. Poland reappeared on the map of Europe after an interval of almost a century and a quarter during which it had been partitioned among Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia.

In the early part of World War II, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were forcibly incorporated into the USSR. Other nations disappeared temporarily from the world community during the period that led up to World War II. These include Ethiopia in 1936, Austria in 1938, and Czechoslovakia in 1939. In the aftermath of World War II, however, two new nations emerged through the partition of Germany and Israel was created within the United Kingdom’ Palestine League of Nations Mandate.

Proliferation of Nations

The dramatic increase in the number of nations since World War II has occurred primarily through the breakup of larger territorial entities, particularly in Africa, along the southern periphery of Asia, in the Caribbean, and in the Pacific Ocean. The dissolution of the Soviet Union follows this proliferation pattern.

Several periods since 1945 were marked particularly by the emergence of new nations from colonial powers. In 1960 alone, 14 new nations appeared from French-controlled parts of Africa. Of the 69 nations formed worldwide between 1961 and 1992, 42 had been wholly or partly under British sovereignty at some time in their history, including seven of the 11 new Pacific island nations. Between September 1974 and November 1975, all five of Portugal's overseas provinces in Africa became nations.

Several exceptional situations since World War II have caused irregularities in the sovereignty structure. Syria in 1958 joined Egypt to form the United Arab Republic, a union that endured three years. In 1962 the West Indies Federation, just a few months before its scheduled independence, was dissolved in favor of sovereignty for Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. In another instance in which nations unsuccessfully attempted to merge, Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, and Zanzibar considered the creation of an East African federation with a single national government. These plans failed to materialize, but in April 1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to become one nation, Tanzania.

Geographical Attributes

The largest nation by size of territory is Russia, followed, in order by Canada, China, the United States, Brazil, and Australia, all with more than 5 million square kilometers of total area. The largest nation by population is China, followed, in order by India, the United States, and Indonesia, all with more than 190 million people. The Holy See (Vatican City) is the world's smallest nation, in both land area and population.

Of the 194 nations, 39 are islands that border no other country, 44 are landlocked, and the remaining 111 face one or more oceans or their embayments. As nations delimit their 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zones (EEZs) under the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, including negotiating maritime boundaries with neighboring nations, some may face the possibility of being “zonelocked.”

Dependent Areas

Government control over land areas varies widely, from full sovereignty to none. The term “dependent areas” encompasses a broad category of political entities that fall in some way within the jurisdiction of a nation. In this survey, dependent areas are “overseas” territories associated with a nation; they do not include offshore islands that belong to or make up civil divisions of a nation. Australia, Denmark, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States maintain dependent areas. The level of political dependence ranges from self-governing in domestic affairs to administered directly from the national capital. The latter case often includes minor scattered islands with little or no permanent population.

Except for a sector of Antarctica, there are no significant land areas that are not either under the control of a nation or claimed by one. Antarctic claims have been made by seven of the 28 consultative nations to the 1959 Antarctic Treaty,* although the legal status of those claims remains in suspension under the provisions of the treaty. The unclaimed sector of Antarctica is between 90 and 150 degrees west longitude.

The United States has asserted no claim of sovereignty in Antarctica, although it reserves the right to make one; it recognizes none of the claims within the Antarctic Treaty area (south of 60 degrees south latitude) made by other nations.

* Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom are the seven signatories of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty which have claims in Antarctica. The remaining consultative nations are Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United States, and Uruguay.

NATIONS, DEPENDENCIES, AREAS OF SPECIAL SOVEREIGNTY

The following information is provided as reference material only. The data do not necessarily correspond to official statistics published by the various states. Status of the World's Nations should not be considered legally definitive.

Diplomatic Relations

The United States has established diplomatic relations with 189 of the listed nations. These are designated by an asterisk (*).

Name of Nation

The short-form name of the nation is commonly used; the long form is used for official documents and formal occasions. In a few instances no short form exists; the long form must serve for all usages. Conversely, a long form may not exist or may seldom be used.

Sovereignty

The sovereignty of dependencies and areas of special sovereignty is identified; where required, a note clarifies an entity's political status.

Capitals

For each state the conventionally accepted capital city name, recommended for use on maps, is listed. In the several instances where states have more than one capital, information on each is given. Some dependencies have no capital city and may be administered from another dependency of the same nation. In the case of small multi-island insular states or dependencies, the island on which the capital is located is given, unless it has the same name.

UN Membership

UN membership is indicated by a (+).

Independent Statesin the World as of March 20, 2008
Short-form nameLong-form nameFIPS2Capital
1. Afghanistan*+Islamic Republic of AfghanistanAFKabul
2. Albania*+Republic of AlbaniaALTirana
3. Algeria*+People's Democratic Republic of AlgeriaAGAlgiers
4. Andorra*+Principality of AndorraANAndorra la Vella
5. Angola*+Republic of AngolaAOLuanda
6. Antigua and Barbuda*+(no long-form name)ACSaint John's
7. Argentina*+Argentine RepublicARBuenos Aires
8. Armenia*+Republic of ArmeniaAMYerevan
9. Australia*+Commonwealth of AustraliaASCanberra
10. Austria*+Republic of AustriaAUVienna
11. Azerbaijan*+Republic of AzerbaijanAJBaku
12.Bahamas, The*+Commonwealth of The BahamasBFNassau
13. Bahrain*+Kingdom of BahrainBAManama
14. Bangladesh*+People's Republic of BangladeshBGDhaka
15. Barbados*+(no long-form name)BBBridgetown
16. Belarus*+Republic of BelarusBOMinsk
17. Belgium*+Kingdom of BelgiumBEBrussels
18. Belize*+(no long-form name)BHBelmopan
19. Benin*+Republic of BeninBNPorto-Novo
20.Bhutan+Kingdom of BhutanBTThimphu
21. Bolivia*+Republic of BoliviaBLLa Paz (administrative) Sucre (legislative/judiciary)
22. Bosnia and Herzegovina*+(no long-form name)BKSarajevo
23. Botswana*+Republic of BotswanaBCGaborone
24. Brazil*+Federative Republic of BrazilBRBrasília
25. Brunei*+Brunei DarussalamBXBandar Seri Begawan
26. Bulgaria*+Republic of BulgariaBUSofia
27. Burkina Faso*+Burkina FasoUVOuagadougou
28. Burma*+Union of BurmaBMRangoon Nay Pyi Taw (administrative)
29. Burundi*+Republic of BurundiBYBujumbura
30. Cambodia*+Kingdom of CambodiaCBPhnom Penh
31. Cameroon*+Republic of CameroonCMYaoundé
32. Canada*+(no long-form name)CAOttawa
33. Cape Verde*+Republic of Cape VerdeCVPraia
34. Central African Republic*+Central African RepublicCTBangui
35. Chad*+Republic of ChadCDN’Djamena
36. Chile*+Republic of ChileCISantiago
37. China*+(see note 3)People's Republic of ChinaCHBeijing
38. Colombia*+Republic of ColombiaCOBogotá
39. Comoros*+Union of ComorosCNMoroni
40. Congo (Brazzaville)*+(4)Republic of the CongoCFBrazzaville
41. Congo (Kinshasa)*+(4)Democratic Republic of the CongoCGKinshasa
42. Costa Rica*+Republic of Costa RicaCSSan José
43. Cote d'Ivoire*+Republic of Cote d'IvoireIVYamoussoukro
44. Croatia*+Republic of CroatiaHRZagreb
45. Cuba +Republic of CubaCUHavana
46. Cyprus*+Republic of CyprusCYNicosia
47. Czech Republic*+Czech RepublicEZPrague
48. Denmark*+Kingdom of DenmarkDACopenhagen
49. Djibouti*+Republic of DjiboutiDJDjibouti
50. Dominica*+Commonwealth of DominicaDORoseau
51. Dominican Republic*+Dominican RepublicDRSanto Domingo
52. Ecuador*+Republic of EcuadorECQuito
53. Egypt*+Arab Republic of EgyptEGCairo

54. El Salvador*+
Republic of El SalvadorESSan Salvador
55. Equatorial Guinea*+Republic of Equatorial GuineaEKMalabo
56. Eritrea*+State of EritreaERAsmara
57. Estonia*+Republic of EstoniaENTallinn
58. Ethiopia*+Federal Democratic Republic of EthiopiaETAddis Ababa
59. Fiji*+Republic of the Fiji IslandsFJSuva
60. Finland*+Republic of FinlandFIHelsinki
61. France*+French RepublicFRParis
62. Gabon*+Gabonese RepublicGBLibreville
63. Gambia, The*+Republic of The GambiaGABanjul
64. Georgia*+GeorgiaGGT′bilisi
65. Germany*+Federal Republic of GermanyGMBerlin
66. Ghana*+Republic of GhanaGHAccra
67. Greece*+Hellenic RepublicGRAthens
68. Grenada*+(no long-form name)GJSaint George's
69. Guatemala*+Repuic of GuatemaaGTGuatemala
70. Guinea*+Republic of GuineaGVConakry
71. Guinea-Bissau*+Republic of Guinea-BissauPUBissau
72. Guyana*+Co-operative Republic of GuyanaGYGeorgetown
73. Haiti*+Republic of HaitiHAPort-au-Prince
74. Holy See*Holy SeeVTVatican City
75. Honduras*+Republic of HondurasHOTegucigalpa
76. Hungary*+Republic of HungaryHUBudapest
77. Iceland*+Republic of IcelandICReykjavik
78. India*+Republic of IndiaINNew Delhi
79. Indonesia*+Republic of IndonesiaIDJakarta
80. Iran+Islamic Republic of IranIRTehran
81. Iraq*+Republic of IraqIZBaghdad
82. Ireland*+(no long-form name)EIDublin
83. Israel*+State of IsraelISJerusalem (see note 5)
84. Italy*+Italian RepublicITRome
85. Jamaica*+(no long-form name)JMKingston
86. Japan*+(no long-form name)JATokyo
87. Jordan*+Hashemite Kingdom of JordanJOAmman
88. Kazakhstan*+Republic of KazakhstanKZAstana
89. Kenya*+Republic of KenyaKENairobi
90. Kiribati*+Republic of KiribatiKRTarawa
91. Korea, North+Democratic People's Republic of KoreaKNP′yongyang
92. Korea, South*+Republic of KoreaKSSeoul
93. Kosovo*Republic of KosovoKVPristina
94. Kuwait*+State of KuwaitKUKuwait
95. Kyrgyzstan*+Kyrgyz RepublicKGBishkek
96. Laos*+Lao People's Democratic RepublicLAVientiane
97. Latvia*+Republic of LatviaLGRiga
98. Lebanon*+Lebanese RepublicLEBeirut
99. Lesotho*+Kingdom of LesothoLTMaseru
100. Liberia*+Republic of LiberiaLIMonrovia
101. Libya*+Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab JamahiriyaLYTripoli
102. Liechtenstein*+Principality of LiechtensteinLSVaduz
103. Lithuania*+Republic of LithuaniaLHVilnius
104. Luxembourg*+Grand Duchy of LuxembourgLULuxembourg
105. Macedonia*+Republic of MacedoniaMKSkopje
106. Madagascar*+Republic of MadagascarMAAntananarivo
107. Malawi*+Republic of MalawiMILilongwe
108. Malaysia*+(no long-form name)MYKuala Lumpur
109. Maldives*+Republic of MaldivesMVMale
110. Mali*+Republic of MaliMLBamako
111. Malta*+Republic of MaltaMTValletta
112. Marshall Islands*+Republic of the Marshall IslandsRMMajuro
113. Mauritania*+Islamic Republic of MauritaniaMRNouakchott
114. Mauritius*+Republic of MauritiusMPPort Louis
115. Mexico*+United Mexican StatesMXMexico
116. Micronesia, Federated StatesFederated States of MicronesiaFMPalikir
117. Moldova*+Republic of MoldovaMDChisinau
118. Monaco*+Principality of MonacoMNMonaco
119. Mongolia*+(no long-form name)MGUlaanbaatar
120. Montenegro+MontenegroMJPodgorica
121. Morocco*+Kingdom of MoroccoMORabat
122. Mozambique*+Republic of MozambiqueMZMaputo
123. Namibia*+Republic of NamibiaWAWindhoek
124. Nauru*+Republic of NauruNRYaren District (no capital city)
125. Nepal*+Kingdom of NepalNPKathmandu
126. Netherlands*+Kingdom of the NetherlandsNLAmsterdam The Hague (seat of gov’t)
127. New Zealand*+(no long-form name)NZWellington
128. Nicaragua*+Republic of NicaraguaNUManagua
129. Niger*+Republic of NigerNGNiamey
130. Nigeria*+Federal Republic of NigeriaNIAbuja
131. Norway*+Kingdom of NorwayNOOslo
132. Oman*+Sultanate of OmanMUMuscat
133. Pakistan*+Islamic Republic of PakistanPKIslamabad
134. Palau*+Republic of PalauPSKoror
135. Panama*+Republic of PanamaPMPanama
136. Papua New Guinea*+Independent State of Papua New GuineaPPPort Moresby
137. Paraguay*+Republic of ParaguayPAAsunción
138. Peru*+Republic of PeruPELima
139. Philippines*+Republic of the PhilippinesRPManila
140. Poland*+Republic of PolandPLWarsaw
141. Portugal*+Portuguese RepublicPOLisbon
142. Qatar*+State of QatarQADoha
143. Romania*+(no long-form name)ROBucharest
144. Russia*+Russian FederationRSMoscow
145. Rwanda*+Republic of RwandaRWKigali
146. Saint Kitts and Nevis*+Federation of Saint Kitts and NevisSCBasseterre
147. Saint Lucia*+(no long-form name)STCastries
148. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines*+(no long-form name)VCKingstown
149. Samoa*+Independent State of SamoaWSApia
150. San Marino*+Republic of San MarinoSMSan Marino
151. São Tomé and Príncipe*+Democratic Republic of São Tomé and PrincipeTPSão Tomé
152. Saudi Arabia*+Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaSARiyadh
153. Senegal*+Republic of SenegalSGDakar
154. Serbia*+Republic of SerbiaRBBelgrade
155. Seychelles*+Republic of SeychellesSEVictoria
156. Sierra Leone*+Republic of Sierra LeoneSLFreetown
157. Singapore*+Republic of SingaporeSNSingapore
158. Slovakia*+Slovak RepublicLOBratislava
159. Slovenia*+Republic of SloveniaSILjubljana
160. Solomon Islands*+(no long-form name)BPHoniara
161. Somalia*+(no long-form name)SOMogadishu
162. South Africa*+Republic of South AfricaSFPretoria (administrative) Cape Town (legislative) Bloemfontein (judiciary)
163. Spain*+Kingdom of SpainSPMadrid
164. Sri Lanka*+Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaCEColombo Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative)
165. Sudan*+Republic of the SudanSUKhartoum
166. Suriname*+Republic of SurinameNSParamaribo
167. Swaziland*+Kingdom of SwazilandWZMbabane (administrative) Lobamba (legislative)
168. Sweden*+Kingdom of SwedenSWStockholm
169. Switzerland*Swiss ConfederationSZBern
170. Syria*+Syrian Arab RepublicSYDamascus
171. Tajikistan*+Republic of TajikistanTIDushanbe
172. Tanzania*+United Republic of TanzaniaTZDar es Salaam Dodoma (legislative)
173. Thailand*+Kingdom of ThailandTHBangkok
174. Timor-Leste*+Democratic Republic of Timor-LesteTTDili
175. Togo*+Togolese RepublicTOLomé
176. Tonga*+Kingdom of TongaTNNuku'alofa
177. Trinidad and Tobago*+Republic of Trinidad and TobagoTDPort-of-Spain
178. Tunisia*+Tunisian RepublicTSTunis
179. Turkey*+Republic of TurkeyTUAnkara
180. Turkmenistan*+(no long-form name)TXAshgabat
181. Tuvalu*+(no long-form name)TVFunafuti
182. Uganda*+Republic of UgandaUGKampala
183. Ukraine*+(no long-form name)UPKiev
184. United Arab Emirates*+United Arab EmiratesAEAbu Dhabi
185. United Kingdom*+United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandUKLondon
186. United States+United States of AmericaUSWashington, DC
187. Uruguay*+Oriental Republic of UruguayUYMontevideo
188. Uzbekistan*+Republic of UzbekistanUZTashkent
189. Vanuatu*+Republic of VanuatuNHPort-Vila
190. Venezuela*+Bolivarian Republic of VenezuelaVECaracas
191. Vietnam*+Socialist Republic of VietnamVMHanoi
192. Yemen*+Republic of YemenYMSanaa
193. Zambia*+Republic of ZambiaZALusaka
194. Zimbabwe*+Republic of ZimbabweZIHarare

* Diplomatic relations with the United States;

+ Member of United Nations

Other
Taiwan6(no long-form name)TWT’ai-pei

Notes

Note 1: In this listing, the term “independent state” refers to a people politically organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory recognized as independent by the US.

Note 2: Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 10-4 codes.

Note 3: With the establishment of diplomatic relations with China on January 1, 1979, the US Government recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China and acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China.

Note 4: “Congo” is the official short-form name for both the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To distinguish one from the other, the U.S. Department of State adds the capital in parentheses. This practice is unofficial and provisional.

Note 5: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950. The U.S., like nearly all other countries maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv.

Note 6: Claimed by both the Government of the People's Republic of China and the authorities on Taiwan. Administered by the authorities on Taiwan (see note 3)

Source: Office of The Geographer and Global Issues, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.

Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty as of December 18, 2007
Short-form nameLong-form nameSovereigntyCode 1Capital
Akrotiri15AkrotiriUnited KingdomAXEpiskopi16
American SamoaTerritory of American SamoaUnited StatesAQPago Pago
AnguillaAnguillaUnited KingdomAVThe Valley
Antarctica(no long-form name)None (see note 2)AYNone
Aruba(no long-form name)NetherlandsAAOranjestad
Ashmore and Cartier IslandsTerritory of Ashmore and Cartier IslandsAustraliaATAdministered from Canberra
Baker Island(no long-form name)United StatesFQAdministered from Washington, D.C.
BermudaBermudaUnited KingdomBDHamilton
Bouvet Island(no long-form name)NorwayBVAdmin. from Oslo
British Indian Ocean Territory3British Indian Ocean TerritoryUnited KingdomIONone
Cayman IslandsCayman IslandsUnited KingdomCJGeorge Town
Christmas IslandTerritory of Christmas IslandAustraliaKTThe Settlement (Flying Fish Cove)
Clipperton Island(no long-form name)FranceIPAdministered from French Polynesia
Cocos (Keeling) IslandsTerritory of Cocos (Keeling) IslandsAustraliaCKWest Island
Cook Islands(no long-form name)New ZealandCWAvarua
Coral Sea IslandsCoral Sea Islands TerritoryAustraliaCRAdministered from Canberra
Dhekelia15DhekeliaUnited KingdomDXEpiskopi16
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)United Kingdom4FKStanley
Faroe Islands(no long-form name)DenmarkFOTórshavn
French Guiana5
French Polynesia(no long-form name)FranceFPPapeete
French Southern & Antarctic Lands6(no long-form name)FranceFSAdministered from Paris
GibraltarGibraltarUnited KingdomGIGibraltar
Greenland(no long-form name)DenmarkGLNuuk (Godthåb)
Guadeloupe5
GuamTerritory of GuamUnited StatesGQHagatna
Guernsey7Bailiwick of GuernseyBritish Crown DependencyGKSaint Peter Port
Heard Island & McDonald IslandsTerritory of Heard Island and McDonald IslandsAustraliaHMAdministered from Canberra
Hong KongHong Kong Special Administrative RegionChina8HKNone
Howland Island(no long-form name)United StatesHQAdministered from Washington, D.C.
Isle of Man(no long-form name)British Crown DependencyIMDouglas
Jan Mayen(no long-form name)NorwayJNAdministered from Oslo9
Jarvis Island(no long-form name)United StatesDQAdministered from Washington, D.C.
JerseyBailiwick of JerseyBritish Crown DependencyJESaint Helier
Johnston Atoll(no long-form name)United StatesJQAdministered from Washington, D.C.
Kingman Reef(no long-form name)United StatesKQAdministered from Washington, D.C.
MacauMacau Special Administrative RegionChina10MCMacau
Martinique5
MayotteTerritorial Collectivity of MayotteFranceMFMamoudzou
Midway Islands(no long-form name)United StatesMQAdministered from Washington, D.C.
MontserratMontserratUnited KingdomMHPlymouth
Navassa Island(no long-form name)United StatesBQAdministered from Washington, D.C.
Netherlands Antilles11(no long-form name)NetherlandsNTWillemstad
New Caledonia(no long-form name)FranceNCNouméa
Niue(no long-form name)New ZealandNEAlofi
Norfolk IslandTerritory of Norfolk IslandAustraliaNFKingston
Northern Mariana IslandsCommonwealth of the Northern Mariana IslandsUnited StatesCQSaipan
Palmyra Atoll(no long-form name)United StatesLQAdministered from Washington, D.C.
Paracel Islands(no long-form name)undetermined12PFNone
Pitcairn IslandsPitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno IslandsUnited KingdomPCAdamstown
Puerto RicoCommonwealth of Puerto RicoUnited StatesRQSan Juan
Reunion5
Saint BarthelemySaint BarthelemyFranceTBGustavia
Saint Helena13Saint HelenaUnited KingdomSHJamestown
Saint Martin17Saint MartinFranceRNMarigot
Saint Pierre & MiquelonTerritorial Collectivity of SaintPierre and MiquelonFranceSBSaint-Pierre
South Georgia & the SouthSandwich IslandsSouth Georgia and the SouthSandwich IslandsUnited Kingdom4SXNone
Spratly Islands(no long-form name)undetermined14PGNone
Svalbard(no long-form name)NorwaySVLongyearbyen
Tokelau(no long-form name)New ZealandTLNone
Turks & Caicos IslandsTurks & Caicos IslandsUnited KingdomTKGrand Turk
Virgin Islands, U.S.United States Virgin IslandsUnited StatesVQCharlotte Amalie
Virgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, BritishUnited KingdomVIRoad Town
Wake Island(no long-form name)United StatesWQAdministered from Washington, D.C.
Wallis and FutunaTerritory of the Wallis and Futuna IslandsFranceWFMatâ'utu
Western Sahara(no long-form name)undeterminedWINone

Notes

Note 1: Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 10-4 codes.

Note 2: Antarctica consists of the territory south of 60 degrees south latitude. This area includes claims by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the legal status of which remains in suspense under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty of 1959. The United States recognizes no claims to Antarctica.

Note 3: Chagos Archipelago (including Diego Garcia).

Note 4: U.K.Overseas Territory (also claimed by Argentina).

Note 5: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Reunion are departments (first-order administrative units) of France, and are therefore not dependencies or areas of special sovereignty. They are included in this list only for the convenience of the user. The Department of Guadeloupe includes the nearby islands of Marie-Galante, La Desirade, and Iles des Saintes, as well as Saint Bar-thelemy and the northern three-fifths of Saint Martin (the rest of which belongs to Netherlands Antilles). The islands of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island are administered from Reunion; all these islands are claimed by Madagas-car, and Tromelin Island is claimed by Mauritius.

Note 6: “French Southern and Antarctic Lands” includes Ile Amsterdam, lle Saint-Paul, Iies Crozet, and Iles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, along with the French-claimed sector of Antarctica, “Terre Adelie.” The United States does not recognize the French claim to “Terre Adelie” (see note 2).

Note 7: The Bailiwick of Guernsey includes the islands of Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and nearby smaller islands.

Note 8: Under a Sino-British declaration of September 1984, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese control on July 1, 1997. It is now a semi-autonomous entity that exists pursuant to international agreement and maintains its own government apart from the People's Republic of China.

Note 9: Administered from Oslo, Norway, through a governor resident in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.

Note 10: Under the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau signed in 1987, Macau reverted to Chinese control on December 20, 1999. It is now a semiautonomous entity that exists pursuant to international agreement and maintains its own government apart from the People's Republic of China.

Note 11: Netherlands Antilles comprises two groupings of islands: Curacao and Bonaire are located off the coast of Venezuela; Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (the Dutch two-fifths of the island of Saint Martin) lie 800 km to the north.

Note 12: South China Sea islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam.

Note 13: The territory of Saint Helena includes the Island group of Tristan da Cunha; Saint Helena also administers Ascension Island.

Note 14: South China Sea islands claimed in entirety by China and Vietnam and in part by the Philippines and Malaysia; each of these states occupies some part of the islands.

Note 15: U.K. military bases on the island of Cyprus.

Note 16: The joint force headquarters under the Commander of the British forces, Cyprus administers both sovereign base areas from Episkopi.

Note 17: The island of Saint Martin is divided: the northern three-fifths form the French collectivity of Saint-Martin, while the southern two-fifths (Sint Maarten) are part of the Netherlands Antilles.

Source: Office of the Geographer and Global Issues, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.

Alphabetical Checklist of 127 New Nations Since 1943
AlgeriaJuly 5, 1962
AngolaNov. 11, 1976
Antigua and BarbudaNov. 1, 1981
ArmeniaSept. 23, 1991
AzerbaijanAug. 30, 1991
Bahamas, TheJuly 10, 1973
BahrainAug. 14, 1971
BangladeshApr. 4, 1972
BarbadosNov. 30, 1966
BelarusAug. 25, 1991
BelizeSept. 21, 981
BeninAug. 1, 1960
Bosnia and HerzegovinaApril 1, 1992
BotswanaSept. 30,1966
BruneiJan. 1, 1984
BurkinaAug. 5,1960
BurmaJan. 4,1948
BurundiJuly 1, 1962
CambodiaNov. 8,1949
CameroonJan. 1, 1960
Cape VerdeJuly 5, 1975
Central African RepublicAug. 13, 1960
ChadAug. 11, 1960
ComorosDec. 31, 1976
Congo, Dem. Rep. of (Zaire)June 30,1960
Congo, Rep. ofAug. 15, 1960
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)Aug. 7, 1960
CroatiaJune 25,1991
CyprusAug. 16, 1960
Czech RepublicJan. 1, 1993
DjiboutiJune 27, 1977
DominicaNov. 3, 1978
East TimorMay 20, 2002
Equatorial GuineaOct. 12, 1968
EritreaApril 27, 1993
EstoniaSept. 6, 1991
FijiOct. 10, 1970
GabonAug. 17, 1960
Gambia, TheFeb. 18, 1965
GeorgiaApril 9,1991
GhanaMar. 6,1957
GrenadaFeb. 7,1974
GuineaOct. 2,1958
Guinea-BissauSept. 10,1974
GuyanaMay 26, 1966
IcelandJune 17, 1944
IndiaAug. 15, 1947
IndonesiaDec. 28, 1949
IsraelMay 15, 1948
JamaicaAug. 6, 1962
JordanMar. 22, 1946
KazakhstanDec. 6, 1991
KenyaDec. 12, 1963
KiribatiJuly 12, 1979
Korea, NorthSept. 9, 1948
Korea, SouthAug. 15, 1948
KosovoFeb. 17, 2008
KuwaitJune 19, 1961
KyrgyzstanAug. 31, 1991
LaosJuly 19, 1949
LatviaSept. 6, 1991
LebanonNov. 22, 1943
LesothoOct. 4, 1966
LibyaDec. 24, 1951
LithuaniaSept. 6, 1991
MacedoniaNov. 20, 1991
MadagascarJune 27, 1960
MalawiJuly 6, 1964
MalaysiaAug. 31, 1957
MaldivesJuly 26, 1966
MaliSept. 22, 1960
MaltaSept. 21, 1964
Marshall IslandsOct. 21, 1986
MauritaniaNov. 28, 1960
MauritiusMar. 12, 1968
Micronesia, Federated States ofNov. 3, 1986
MoldovaAug. 27, 1991
MontenegroJune 3, 2006
MoroccoMar. 2,1956
MozambiqueJune 25,1975
NamibiaMarch 21,1990
NauruJan. 31,1968
NigerAug. 3, 1960
NigeriaOct. 1, 1960
PakistanAug. 14,1947
PalauJan. 1, 1981
Papua New GuineaSept. 16, 1976
PhilippinesJuly 4, 1946
QatarSept. 3, 1971
RussiaAug. 24, 1991
RwandaJuly 1, 1962
Saint Kitts and NevisSept. 19, 1983
Saint LuciaFeb. 22, 1979
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesOct. 27, 1979
São Tomé and PrincipeJuly 12, 1975
SenegalAug. 20, 1960
SerbiaApril 11, 1992
SeychellesJune 28, 1976
Sierra LeoneApr. 27, 1961
SingaporeAug. 9, 1965
SlovakiaJan. 1, 1993
SloveniaJune 25, 1991
Solomon IslandsJuly 7, 1978
SomaliaJuly 1, 1960
Sri LankaFeb. 4, 1948
SudanJan. 1, 1956
SurinameNov. 25,1975
SwazilandSept. 6,1968
SyriaJan. 1, 1944
TajikistanSept. 9, 1991
TanzaniaDec. 9,1961
TogoApr. 27,1960
TongaJune 4,1970
Trinidad and TobagoAug. 31,962
TunisiaMar. 20,1956
TurkmenistanOct. 27,1991
TuvaluOct. 1, 1978
UgandaOct. 9, 1962
UkraineDec. 1, 1991
UzbekistanAug. 31, 1991
United Arab EmiratesDec. 2, 1971
VanuatuJuly 30, 1980
VietnamMar. 8, 1949
Western SamoaJan. 1, 1962
YemenMay 22, 1990
ZambiaOct. 24, 1964
ZimbabweApr. 18, 1980
Chronological Checklist of 127 New Nations Since 1943
1943Nov. 22Lebanon
June 17Iceland
1944Jan. 1Syria
1946Mar. 22Jordan
July 4Philippines
1947Aug. 14Pakistan
Aug. 15India
1948Jan. 4Burma
Feb. 4Sri Lanka
May 15Israel
Aug. 15Korea, South
Sept. 9Korea, North
1949Mar. 8Vietnam
July 19Laos
Nov. 8Cambodia
Dec. 28Indonesia
1951Dec. 24Libya
1956Jan. 1Sudan
Mar. 2Morocco
Mar. 20Tunisia
1957Mar. 6Ghana
Aug. 31Malaysia
1958Oct. 2Guinea
1960Jan. 1Cameroon
Apr. 27Togo
June 27Madagascar
June 30Congo, Dem. Rep. of (Zaire)
July 1Somalia
Aug. 1Benin
Aug. 3Niger
Aug. 5Burkina
Aug. 7Côte d’Ivoire
Aug. 11Chad
Aug. 13Central African Republic
Aug. 15Congo, Rep of
Aug. 16Cyprus
Aug. 17Gabon
Aug. 20Senegal
Sept. 22Mali
Oct. 1Nigeria
Nov. 28Mauritania
1961Apr. 27Sierra Leone
June 19Kuwait
Dec. 9Tanzania
1962Jan. 1Western Samoa
July 1Burundi
July 1Rwanda
July 5Algeria
Aug. 6Jamaica
Aug. 31Trinidad and Tobago
Oct. 9Uganda
1963Dec. 12Kenya
1964July 6Malawi
Sept. 21Malta
Oct. 24Zambia
1965Feb. 18Gambia, The
July 26Maldives
Aug. 9Singapore
1966May 26Guyana
Sept. 30Botswana
Oct. 4Lesotho
Nov. 30Barbados
1968Jan. 31Nauru
1968Mar. 12Mauritius
Sept. 6Swaziland
Oct. 12Equatorial Guinea
1970June 4Tonga
Oct. 10Fiji
1971Aug. 14Bahrain
Sept. 3Qatar
Dec. 2United Arab Emirates
1972Apr. 4Bangladesh
1973July 10Bahamas, The
1974Feb. 7Grenada
Sept. 10Guinea-Bissau
1975June 25Mozambique
July 6Cape Verde
July 12São Tome and Principe
Sept. 16Papua New Guinea
Nov. 11Angola
Nov. 25Suriname
Dec. 31Comoros
1976June 28Seychelles
1977June 27Djibouti
1978July 7Solomon Islands
Oct. 1Tuvalu
Nov. 3Dominica
1979Feb. 22Saint Lucia
July 12Kiribati
Oct. 27Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
1980Apr. 18Zimbabwe
July 30Vanuatu
1981Jan. 1Palau
Sept. 21Belize
Nov. 1Antigua and Barbuda
1983Sept. 19Saint Kitts and Nevis
1984Jan. 1Brunei
1986Oct. 21Marshall Islands
Nov. 3Micronesia Federated States of
1990Mar. 21Namibia
May 22Yemen
1991April 9Georgia
June 25Croatia
June 25Slovenia
Aug. 24Russia
Aug. 25Belarus
Aug. 27Moldova
Aug. 30Azerbaijan
Aug. 31Uzbekistan
Aug. 31Kyrgyzstan
Sept. 6Latvia
Sept. 6Lithuania
Sept. 6Estonia
Sept. 9Tajikistan
Sept. 23Armenia
Oct. 27Turkmenistan
Nov. 20Macedonia
Dec. 1Ukraine
Dec. 6Kazakhstan
1992April 1Bosnia and Herzegovina
April 11Serbia
1993Jan. 1Czech Republic
Jan. 1Slovakia
April 27Eritrea
2002May 20East Timor
2006June 3Montenegro
2008Feb. 17Kosovo

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