List of states with limited recognition

This list of states with limited recognition gives an overview of contemporary geopolitical entities, that wish to be recognized as sovereign states but do not have complete worldwide diplomatic recognition.

Contents 1 Definition 1.1 Criteria for inclusion 2 Present geopolitical entities by level of recognition 2.1 Non-UN members not recognized by any state 2.2 Non-UN members recognized only by non-UN members 2.3 Non-UN members recognized by at least one UN member 2.4 Partially unrecognized UN member states 3 Unofficial relations 4 Excluded entities 5 See also 6 References

Definition

There are two traditional doctrines that provide interpretations of when a sovereign state should be recognized as a member of the international community. The "declarative" theory defines a state as a person in international law if it meets the following criteria: 1) a defined territory; 2) a permanent population; 3) a government and 4) a capacity to enter into relations with other states. According to declarative theory, an entity's statehood is independent of its recognition by other states. By contrast, the "constitutive" theory defines a state as a person of international law if it is recognized as such by another state that is already a member of the international community.^[1]

Several entities reference either or both doctrines in order to legitimate their claims to statehood. There are, for example, entities which meet the declarative criteria (with de facto complete or partial control over their claimed territory, a government and a permanent population), but their statehood is not recognized by one or more other states. Non-recognition is often a result of conflicts with other countries that claim those entities as integral parts of their territory. In other cases, two or more partially recognized entities may claim the same territorial area, with each of them de facto in control of a portion of it (as have been the cases of the Republic of China and People's Republic of China, and North and South Korea). Entities that are only recognized by a minority of the world's states usually reference the declarative doctrine to legitimate their claims. Some states do not establish relations with new nations quickly and thus do not recognize them despite having no dispute and sometimes favorable relations. These are excluded from the list.

There are also entities which do not have control over any territory or do not unequivocally meet the declarative criteria for statehood but have been recognized to exist de jure as sovereign entities by at least one other state. Historically this has happened in the case of the Holy See (1870–1929), Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (during Soviet annexation), among other cases. The recognition of the State of Palestine by several states is a contemporary example.

Some countries on this list, such as Cyprus and Armenia, fulfill the declarative criteria, are recognized by the large majority of other nations and are members of the United Nations, but appear here because one or more other states do not recognize their statehood, due to territorial claims or other conflicts.

See list of historical unrecognized countries for similar entities that have existed in the past. See list of governments in exile for unrecognized governments without control over the territory claimed.

Currently there are 192 United Nations (UN) member states. The Holy See is generally recognized as sovereign in international law, but is not a member of the United Nations (it has, however, observer state status within the organization).^[2]

Criteria for inclusion

The criteria for inclusion means a polity must either: have de facto control over a territory, a population, a government, a capacity to enter into relations with other states, claim statehood, and lack recognition from at least one state, or it must be recognized as a state by at least one state and lack recognition from at least one state. Some noteworthy entities that do meet some of these criteria are listed at the bottom of the page.

Present geopolitical entities by level of recognition

Non-UN members not recognized by any state

Name	Status	Other claimants	Further information	References
Somaliland	Somaliland was granted independence by the United Kingdom in 1960 after the decolonization of British Somaliland and merged with Italian Somaliland a few days later to form Somalia. Withdrew from Somalia in 1991. Currently no state recognizes it.	Somalia claims Somaliland as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations of Somaliland	[3]

Non-UN members recognized only by non-UN members

Name	Status	Other claimants	Further information	References
Nagorno-Karabakh	Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence in 1992. It is currently recognised by one UN non-member: Transnistria.	Azerbaijan claims Nagorno-Karabakh as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations of Nagorno-Karabakh	[4][5][6][7]
Transnistria (Pridnestrovie)	Transnistria declared its independence in 1990. It is currently recognized by three UN non-members: Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia.[7]	Moldova claims Transnistria as part of its sovereign territory.	Disputed status of Transnistria, International recognition of Transnistria	[8]

Non-UN members recognized by at least one UN member

Name	Status	Other claimants	Further information	References
Abkhazia	Abkhazia declared its independence in 1992. It is currently recognized by four UN member-states (Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru), and two UN non-member states (South Ossetia and Transnistria).[9]	Georgia claims Abkhazia as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations of Abkhazia, International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia	[10][11][12][13]
Republic of China (Taiwan)	The Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as Taiwan), constitutionally formed in 1912, is currently recognized as a state by 22 UN members and the Holy See. All other UN member states do not officially recognize the ROC as a state; some of them regard its controlled territory as de jure part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) while some others have used careful diplomatic language to avoid taking a position as to whether the current territory of the ROC is part of the PRC.a	People's Republic of China claims that the Republic of China no longer exists and claims all of the territory under ROC jurisdiction as part of its sovereign territory.	Political status of Taiwan, Foreign relations of the Republic of China	[14]
Kosovo	Kosovo declared its independence in 2008. It is currently recognized by 72 UN members and one UN non-member state, the Republic of China (Taiwan). The United Nations, as stipulated in Security Council Resolution 1244, has administered the territory since 1999 through the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, with cooperation from the European Union since 2008.	Serbia claims Kosovo as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations of Kosovo, International recognition of Kosovo	[15][16]
Northern Cyprus	Northern Cyprus declared its independence in 1983. It is currently recognized by one UN member, Turkey. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference has granted Northern Cyprus observer status under the name "Turkish Cypriot State". United Nations Security Council Resolution 541 defines the declaration of independence of Northern Cyprus as legally invalid.[17]	Cyprus claims Northern Cyprus as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus	[18]
State of Palestine	The Palestinian Liberation Organization declared the State of Palestine in Algiers in 1988. The PLO had no control over any part of the proclaimed territory at the time. Today it has limited control over some of this territory through the Palestinian Authority established in 1994 according to the Oslo Accords with Israel. The exact number of countries recognizing the 1988 proclaimed state is unknown, due to the equivocal nature of many official statements of acknowledgment.[19] The PA Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, estimates the number at several dozens.[20] Among the countries that issued clear statements of recognition are the Holy See, member states of the Arab League, and most member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. As a result of the Oslo Accords and the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement, the Israeli government has transferred certain powers and responsibilities of self-government to the Palestinian National Authority, which are in effect in parts of the West Bank, and used to be effective in the Gaza Strip before Hamas's takeover. Palestine participates in the United Nations as a non-member entity with observer status.	Israel considers the West Bank disputed territory and has unilaterally disengaged from Gaza.	Foreign relations of the Palestinian National Authority	[21][22][23][24][25][26][27]
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic	Both the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Morocco claim sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara. The SADR, which declared its independence in 1976, has been recognised by 83 UN members and the African Union. Several states, however, have since retracted or suspended recognition, pending the outcome of a referendum on self-determination, with 58 retaining diplomatic ties.[28][29] Western Sahara is currently regarded as de jure part of Morocco by 25 UN members and the Arab League. It is currently listed on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.	Morocco claims Western Sahara as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic	[30]
South Ossetia	South Ossetia declared its independence in 1991. It is currently recognized by four UN member-states (Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru), and two non-UN member states (Abkhazia and Transnistria).[9][31]	Georgia claims South Ossetia as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations of South Ossetia, International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia	[11][12][32]

^a Both the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China claim sovereignty over the whole of China, stating China is de jure a single sovereign entity encompassing both the area currently controlled by the PRC and the area currently controlled by the ROC.

Partially unrecognized UN member states

Name	Status	Other claimants	Further information	References
Armenia	Armenia, independent since 1991, is currently not recognized by one UN member, Pakistan, as this country has a position of supporting Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.		Foreign relations of Armenia	[33][34]
People's Republic of China (PRC)	The People's Republic of China (PRC), proclaimed in 1949, is currently not recognized by one UN non-member, the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as Taiwan). The PRC does not accept diplomatic relations with states that recognize the ROC (currently 22 UN member states and the Holy See). None of these states officially recognize the PRC as a state, though certain governments have made statements expressing an interest in official relations with both the PRC and the ROC.[35] According to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, the PRC is the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations.a	Republic of China considers itself the sole legal government over all of China; this claim is not actively pursued at present.	PRC's diplomatic relations, Foreign relations of the PRC	[36]
Cyprus	Cyprus, independent since 1960, is currently not recognized by one UN member (Turkey) and one non-member (Northern Cyprus), due to the ongoing civil dispute over the island.	Northern Cyprus does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus government	Foreign relations of Cyprus	[37][38][39][40]
Israel	Israel, independent since 1948, is currently not recognized by 20 UN members and one UN non-member, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (see Arab-Israeli conflict).[41] It is recognized by the Palestine Liberation Organization, which claims the right to set up a state in territory currently controlled by Israel.	Some Palestinian factions, such as the Hamas government of the Gaza Strip, do not recognize Israel.	Foreign relations of Israel	[42][43]
North Korea	North Korea, independent since 1948, is currently not recognized by two UN members: Japan and South Korea.[44]	South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of Korea.	Foreign relations of North Korea.	[44][45][46]
South Korea	South Korea, independent since 1948, is currently not recognized by one UN member, North Korea.	North Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of Korea.	Foreign relations of South Korea	[47][48]

^a Both the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China claim sovereignty over the whole of China, stating China is de jure a single sovereign entity encompassing both the area currently controlled by the PRC and the area currently controlled by the ROC.

Unofficial relations

Some states maintain informal (officially non-diplomatic) relations with states that do not officially recognize them. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is one such state, as it maintains unofficial relations with many other states through its Economic and Cultural Offices, which allow regular consular services. This allows the ROC to have economic relations even with states that do not formally recognise it. A total of 56 states, including Germany,^[49] Italy,^[50] the United States,^[51] and the United Kingdom,^[52] maintain some form of unofficial mission in the ROC.

Excluded entities

• The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a sovereign subject of international law that is currently recognized as such by 110 UN member states and the Holy See, through the establishment of diplomatic or "official" relations. The order participates in the United Nations as an international organization with permanent observer status. However, it is a non-territorial entity and as such does not define itself as a state.^{[53][54][55][56][57][58][59]}
• By definition, the list does not include uncontacted peoples who exercise varying degrees of de facto sovereignty over the areas under their control, but either live in societies that cannot be defined as states or whose status as such are currently too data deficient to be definitively known.
• Entities considered to be micronations are not included. Even though micronations generally claim to be sovereign and independent, it is often up to debate whether a micronation truly controls its claimed territory. Micronations are usually not considered of geopolitical relevance. For a complete list, see list of micronations.

See also

• List of civil wars (the establishment of many states with limited recognition is caused by a civil war)
• Government in exile
• Micronation
• Exclusive mandate
• Hallstein Doctrine
• Montevideo Convention
• Flags of unrecognized and partially recognized states
• List of historical unrecognized countries
• List of active autonomist and secessionist movements
• List of historical autonomist and secessionist movements
• List of territorial disputes
• Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
• List of sovereign states
• List of micronations

References