List of countries
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This list of countries, arranged alphabetically, gives an overview of countries of the world. It includes territories that are independent states (both those that are internationally recognized and generally unrecognized), inhabited dependent territories, and areas of special sovereignty.
Such inclusion criteria means the list does not treat the word "country" as synonymous with "sovereign state," as one may often find in colloquial usage. Note, that in certain circumstances and in certain languages the term country is understood in the most restrictive sense, thus including only the 193 entities mentioned under the first item below.
The list covers all areas under the jurisdiction of the listed countries, namely territory, territorial waters (including internal waters and contiguous zones), exclusive economic zone, continental shelf, and airspace.
The names of countries in the list are given in English and include both an English version of the short official or normative names (e.g. Afghanistan) and an English version of the (longer) official names (e.g. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan). The listing of any name in this article is not meant to imply an official position in any naming dispute.
Types of political entities included
On this list are 245 entities of the following types:
- 193 states with general international recognition:
- 9 states lacking general international recognition, none of which are UN members, that may be defined as states in the body of customary international law, drawing on the precedent of the Montevideo Convention:
- 3 states with limited international recognition and are able to fulfill clause d of the Montevideo Convention (capacity to enter into relations with the other states) due to their memberships in certain international organizations (i.e. World Bank, African Union)
- 6 states with no or almost no international recognition.
- 38 inhabited dependent territories:
- 3 external territories of Australia (Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Norfolk Island).
- 2 overseas countries in the United Kingdom of Denmark (Faroe Islands and Greenland).
- 7 overseas territories of France:[11]
- 2 overseas countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba and Netherlands Antilles).
- 3 dependent territories of New Zealand:
- 16 dependent territories of the United Kingdom:
- 13 British overseas territories (Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena (and its dependencies Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha), Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia).
- 3 Crown dependencies (Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man).
- 5 unincorporated territories of the United States:
- 5 special entities recognized by international treaty or agreement (Åland in Finland; Svalbard in Norway; the Palestinian territories; and the 2 special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Macau).
In the 'Entities not included', an outline is given on the entities not included in this list. This includes distinct political and legal entities which are known as countries, but are integral parts of a sovereign state also termed a country - notably the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
Key of country names
- Afghanistan (bold) - States with general international recognition
- Abkhazia (bold and italic) - States lacking general international recognition
- Akrotiri and Dhekelia (unbold) - Other non-state countries
List of countries
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
Haiti – Republic of Haiti
Honduras – Republic of Honduras
Hong Kong – Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Area of special sovereignty)[25]
Hungary – Republic of Hungary
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
Oman – Sultanate of Oman
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Yemen – Republic of Yemen
Z
Entities excluded
- Confederations, supranational unions (such as the European Union) and international / intergovernmental organizations which are associations of countries.
- Sovereign entities without territorial possessions, all permanent observers of the United Nations:
- Entities considered integral part of other countries:
- Component states of federations, such as states of Australia, provinces of Canada, Bundesländer of Germany, estados of México, estados of Brazil, and states of the United States.
- Substate units of federacies that enjoy considerably more independence than the majority of others, like Zanzibar (Tanzania).
- Constituent countries of the United Kingdom, i.e. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Mount Athos (Regime of Aghion Oros or Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain), a monastic republic in Greece politically self-governed by the Holy Community of the 20 Monasteries of the Holy Mountain Athos and its Holy Executive and spiritually under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch in accordance with the constitution of Greece.
- Condominiums like Pheasant Island (sovereignty of which jointly shared by France and Spain).
- Autonomous areas legally part of sovereign states, such as Catalonia (Spain), Tibet (People's Republic of China) and Chechnya (Russia); but excluding Åland, which is recognized by international treaties.
- Special Administrative Regions established within countries, like Aceh (Indonesia), excluding Hong Kong and Macau which are recognized by international treaties.
- Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in sovereign states with economic laws different from the rest of the states, such as Shenzhen SEZ of the People's Republic of China.
- Areas leased by countries like Russian part of Saimaa Canal and Malyj Vysotskij Island (leased by Finland from Russia).
- Enclaves / Exclaves that belong to one country but are not connected to it by land (islands are not included) and are surrounded by other countries, like Alaska (United States) and Kaliningrad (Russia).
- Overseas portions of countries legally integrated into the country, like:
- Other subnational entities of countries.
- Places where extraterritoriality is applied such as embassies, consulates and military bases of foreign countries, and most notably:
- International waters and corresponding airspace, international seabed area and outerspace that are open to all countries.
- Territorial claims of sovereign states to Antarctica and its outlying islands south of 60°S which are held in abeyance under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty:
- Argentina: Argentine Antarctica (25°W to 74°W, overlapping British and Chilean claims).
- Australia: Australian Antarctic Territory (160°E to 142°02' E and 136°11' E to 44°38' E).
- Chile: Antártica Chilena Province (53°W to 90°W, overlapping Argentine and British Claims).
- France: Adélie Land (142°02' E to 136°'11 E)
- New Zealand: Ross Dependency (150°W to 160°E).
- Norway: Queen Maud Land (44°38' E to 20°W) and Peter I Island (at 68°50' S, 90°35'W).
- United Kingdom: British Antarctic Territory (20°W to 80°W, overlapping Argentine and Chilean claims).
- (No formal claims have been made in the sector between 90°W and 150°W, except for the Norwegian claim to Peter I Island.)
- Brazil's Zone of Interest: Brazilian Antarctica (28°W to 53°W, overlapping Argentine and British claims, informal claim).
- Territorial claims to the Arctic made by sovereign states which are all members of the Arctic Council.
- Various disputed or occupied territories, see the List of territorial disputes.
- Demilitarized or neutral zones between two warring countries (the two sides of the demarcation line in the zones are considered parts of the respective warring countries, with the exception of the neutral ground between Gibraltar and Spain which does not belong to either country.
- Places under the control of UN Peacekeeping Missions.
- Places under the control of secessionist movements, guerrilla forces, or terrorist organizations.
- Entities not claiming sovereignty with de facto control over their territory.
- Governments in exile.
- Surviving monarchs and pretenders of abolished monarchies.
- Subnational traditional monarchies, tribes and indigenous peoples, with their heads holding traditional (mostly ceremonial) roles and/or exercising limited jurisdiction.
- Nations without their own states, many of which are members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO).
- Self-proclaimed micronations that are not recognized internationally, see the List of micronations.
- Anarchist movements and communities.
- Extinct political entities.
- All forms of land claims, including claims to the so-called terra nullius.
- Organizations that attempt to establish a world government.
- Pirate utopias.
- Fictional, imaginary and proposed countries as well as space and ocean colonization projects and extraterrestrial real estate that do not exist in the real world.
- Cruise ships and other passenger vessels in international waters.
- Multinational corporations.
See also
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Main articles: Lists of countries and Lists by country
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References
- ↑ E.g. the constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Holy See is a unique sovereign entity under international law vis-à-vis Vatican City with the Pope as the head of both, maintaining diplomatic/official relations with over 170 states/entities and participating in various international organizations either in its own capacity or on behalf of Vatican City.
- ↑ Taipei Times - archives
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia regards it as an integral part of its territory, the formal name of which is "Kosovo and Metohija". It has been under United Nations administration since 1999 under the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 that ended the Kosovo conflict. That resolution reaffirmed the sovereignty of Serbia over Kosovo but required the UN administration to promote the establishment of 'substantial autonomy and self-government' for Kosovo pending a 'final settlement' for negotiation between the parties. See also Constitutional status of Kosovo.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Abkhazia is a de facto independent state operating within what the majority of states recognize as the de jure territory of Georgia. After fifteen years without diplomatic recognition from any UN member state, Russia became the first generally-recognized state recognize Abkhazia as independent on 26 August 2008. See Russia recognises Georgian rebels . BBC News. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 South Ossetia is a de facto independent state operating within what the majority of states recognize as the de jure territory of Georgia. After fifteen years without diplomatic recognition from any UN member state, Russia became the first generally-recognized state recognize South Ossetia as independent on 26 August 2008. See Russia recognises Georgian rebels . BBC News. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a de facto independent state operating within what the majority of states recognize as the de jure territory of the Republic of Cyprus, recognized by no UN member states except Turkey. Though without universal diplomatic recognition, it was accepted as an observer state of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in the name of Turkish Cypriot State since 1979. In addition, the legislature of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic regards TRNC as sovereign but Azerbaijan, who exercises sovereignty over Nakhichevan, has not followed suit. See The World Factbook - Cyprus (10 January 2006). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Nagorno-Karabakh is a de facto independent state inside the de jure territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states. See Regions and territories: Nagorno-Karabakh (17 January 2006). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Somaliland is a de facto independent state inside the de jure territory of the Somali Republic, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states. See Regions and territories: Somaliland (30 December 2005). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Transnistria is a de facto independent state inside the de jure territory of the Republic of Moldova, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states, commonly known and referred to internationally as Transnistria, but sometimes referred to as "Pridnestrovie" (along with the corresponding long-form name "Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic"). See Regions and territories: Trans-Dniester (13 December 2005). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- ↑ The overseas regions/overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion are integral part of France, and therefore not listed.
- ↑ Argentina is also named Argentine Nation for purposes of legislation.
- ↑ See also Nagorno-Karabakh.
- ↑ See also entities Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, as well as District Brčko.
- ↑ Canada is also infrequently referred to as Dominion of Canada.
- ↑ The Central African Republic is also infrequently rendered as Central Africa.
- ↑ The People's Republic of China is commonly referred to as China. It is sometimes called mainland China to distinguish it from the Republic of China. The term mainland China is also used at times to refer to all of the People's Republic of China except for its special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.
- ↑ The Democratic Republic of the Congo is referred to as Congo-Kinshasa to distinguish it from the Republic of the Congo. It is also often referred to as Zaire, its official name from 1971 to 1997.
- ↑ The Republic of the Congo is referred to as Congo-Brazzaville to distinguish it from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- ↑ See also Northern Cyprus.
- ↑ The Czech Republic is also infrequently rendered as Czechia. See Names of the Czech Republic.
- ↑ Falkland Islands is also claimed by Argentina as Islas Malvinas.
- ↑ See also Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
- ↑ The Bailiwick of Guernsey includes its self-governing dependencies Alderney, Herm and Sark.
- ↑ Hong Kong is a Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. It is often diplomatically known as Hong Kong, China.
- ↑ Ireland is often referred to as the Republic of Ireland (its official description but not its name). Sometimes this is done to distinguish Ireland from island of Ireland as a whole. However, sometimes it is done for political reasons and is contentious.
- ↑ The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is popularly known as North Korea.
- ↑ The Republic of Korea is popularly known as South Korea.
- ↑ Kyrgyzstan is also sometimes rendered as Kirghizia.
- ↑ Macao is a Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. It is diplomatically known as Macao, China.
- ↑ Republic of Macedonia is referred to by UN and a number of countries and international organizations as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
- ↑ See also Transnistria.
- ↑ See also Western Sahara.
- ↑ Legally the Netherlands refers to the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with the latter consisting of the Netherlands and two overseas countries, namely Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.
- ↑ The Palestinian territories are those portions of the former British Mandate of Palestine captured and administered by Jordan and Egypt in the late 1940s, and later by Israel following the 1967 Six-Day War. They include Gaza Strip and West Bank, both of which are now divded into 3 areas (Area A, Area B, and Area C) and 16 governorates under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority in accordance with the Oslo Accords. The permanent legal and political status of these places are subject to further negotiation between the government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
- ↑ See also Kosovo - under UN administration.
- ↑ Somalia is presently fragmented with its Transitional National Government
- ↑ Svalbard is an overseas territory of Norway recognized by international treaty.
- ↑ The Republic of China (ROC) is a state commonly referred to as Taiwan. It is also diplomatically occasionally known as Chinese Taipei or other names. The ROC is no longer a United Nations member since late 1971 and regarded by UN as Taiwan, Province of China (see also One-China policy and Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China). It is currently recognized by 23 UN member states, including observer state the Holy See, and with de facto international relations with most others. The political status of the ROC and the legal status of Taiwan (alongside the territories currently under the ROC jurisdiction) are in dispute. The ROC should not be confused with the Republic of Taiwan proposed by supporters of Taiwan independence.
- ↑ Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony which was in 1960s put on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories subject to decolonization. It is claimed by the Kingdom of Morocco which currently rules large portion of it, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) which exercises effective control over the area east of Moroccan Wall. SADR is a member of the African Union and the Asian-African Strategic Partnership formed at the 2005 Asian-African Conference. It is currently recognized by 46 UN member states but has never been admitted to UN itself. UN has attempted to hold a referendum through the mission United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), and is holding direct talks between Morocco and the Polisario Front (the ruling party of SADR). Despite these attempts, however, the legal and political status of Western Sahara remain unresolved. See also Legal status of Western Sahara.
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