These lists of historic unrecognized or partially recognized states or governments give an overview of extinct geopolitical entities, that wished to be recognized as sovereign states, but did not enjoy worldwide diplomatic recognition. The entries listed here had de facto control over their claimed territory and were self-governing with a desire for full independence, or if they lacked such control over their territory, were recognized by at least one other recognized nation.
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The criteria for inclusion in this list is similar to that of the List of states with limited recognition. To be included here, a polity must have claimed statehood, lacked recognition from at least one state, and either:
Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.
| Name | Period | Today | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alsace-Lorraine | 1918 | Part of France | Short-lived Independent Republic of Alsace-Lorraine. |
| Sovereign Council of Asturias and León | 1937 | Part of Spain | Its independence was declared from the Second Spanish Republic (24 August) and it was occupied by the Francoist Forces during the Spanish Civil War (21 October). Its government (called traditionally "El Gobiernín") asked the League of Nations for international recognition but it was occupied before receiving an answer. |
| Workers and Peasants' Republic of Asturias | 1934 | Part of Spain | The Revolutionary Forces during the October Revolution (1934) rejecting the Conservative Government of the Second Spanish Republic asked the republican government for independence. It was not recognized. The Spanish Army, led by Francisco Franco occupied the region. |
| Banat Republic | 1918 | Part of Romania, Serbia, and Hungary | |
| Serbian-Hungarian Baranya-Baja Republic | 1921 | Part of Hungary and Croatia | |
| Bavarian Soviet Republic | 1919 | Part of Germany | |
| Belarusian People's Republic | 1918 | Independent Belarus | |
| Carpatho-Ukraine | 1939 | Part of Ukraine | |
| Italian Regency of Carnaro | 1919–1920 | Part of Croatia | Proclaimed by Gabriele D'Annunzio. |
| Catalan Republic | 1931, 1934 | Part of Spain | The independent Catalan Republic was proclaimed twice. First, in April 1931 by Francesc Macià, following which it submitted to the soveregnity of the Second Spanish Republic. The second time it was proclaimed by Macià's successor as the President of the Generalitat, Lluís Companys, on October 6, 1934. His rebellion was quickly crushed by the Spanish central government. |
| Chechen Republic of Ichkeria | 1991–2000 | Part of Russia | Reintegrated into the Russian Federation as the Chechen Republic |
| Republic of Connaught | 1798 | Part of the Republic of Ireland | French client republic |
| Kingdom of Corsica | 1736 | Part of France | Seceded from Republic of Genoa |
| Corsican Republic | 1755–1769 | Part of France | Seceded from Republic of Genoa; annexed by France. Recognized only by Bey of Tunis[1] |
| Anglo-Corsican Kingdom | 1794–1796 | Part of France | Independent kingdom under British King George III, formed on the Irish model[2][3] |
| Republic of Crimea | 1992, 1994–1995 | Part of Ukraine | Declared in 1992 and again in 1994, spanning the Crimean peninsula. Was ended through negotiations with Ukraine[4][5]. |
| Independent State of Croatia | 1941–1945 | Now two independent states, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina | Puppet state of Nazi Germany. |
| Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia | 1992–1994 | Part of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Gagauzia | 1990–1994 | Part of Moldova | |
| German Democratic Republic | 1949–1990 | Part of Federal Republic of Germany | Was not recognized for a time by West Germany and several other countries. |
| Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic | 1918 | Part of Finland | Lasted only three months during Finnish Civil War, but was recognized by Soviet Russia. |
| Republic of Goust | Part of France[6] | ||
| Idel-Ural State | 1917–1918 | Part of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan (Russia) | Suppressed by Red Army. |
| Irish Republic | 1919–1922 | Divided into Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland | |
| Kuban People's Republic | 1918–1920 | Part of Russia | |
| Lajtabánság | 1921 | Part of Austria and Hungary | |
| Republic of Mirdita | 1921 | Part of Albania | |
| Munster Republic | 1922 | Part of Republic of Ireland | |
| Principality of Pindus and Voivodship of Macedonia | 1941–1944 | Part of Greece and Macedonia | |
| Republic of Prekmurje | 1919 | Part of Slovenia[7] | Existed for 6 days. |
| Republika Srpska | 1992–1995 | One of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina | Transformed into an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, covering 50% of the land with 90%+ ethnic Serbs. |
| Republic of Serbian Krajina | 1991–1995 | Part of Croatia | Suppressed by Croatia. After the Operation Storm of the Croatian army almost all ethnic Serbs fled Croatia.[8] A number of Croatian army officers were indicted by the ICTY for the atrocities committed against the civilian Serb population.[9] |
| Slovak Soviet Republic | 1919 | Part of Slovakia | |
| First Slovak Republic | 1939–1945 | Part of Slovakia | Between 1939-1945, First Slovak Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany. |
| State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs | 1918 | Part of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Serbia (Vojvodina) and Montenegro (Boka Kotorska) | Temporary state of the Austro-Hungarian South Slavs, declared on October 29, 1918 and merged with the Kingdom of Serbia on December 1, 1918 into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) |
| Kingdom of Tavolara | 1836–1962? | Part of Italy[10] | Recognized by the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Italy; acknowledged by Queen Victoria. |
| Ukrainian People's Republic | 1917–1920 | Part of Ukraine | |
| Ukrainian State | 1919 | Part of Ukraine | |
| West Ukrainian People's Republic | 1918–1919 | Part of Ukraine | |
| Free Territory | 1918–1921 | Part of Ukraine | |
| Republic of Užice | 1941 | Part of Serbia | |
| Republic of West Bosnia | 1993–1995 | Part of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Name | Period | Today | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sultanate of Aceh | 1874–1904 | Now part of Indonesia | |
| Alash Autonomy | 1917–1920 | Now part of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan | De facto self-governing |
| Republic of Ararat | 1927–1930 | Now part of Turkey | |
| Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind | 1943–1945 | Part of India | The Provisional Government of Free India was recognized by 9 nations. Its sovereignty was limited to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of northeast India. |
| Azerbaijan People's Government | 1945–1946 | Now part of Iran | |
| Republic of Biak-na-Bato | 1897 | Now part of the Philippines | |
| Democratic Republic of East Timor | 1975 | Recognized as independent in 2002 | Declaration of independence in 1975 recognized by six states (Albania, Cape Verde, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe) |
| First East Turkestan Republic | 1933–1934 | Now part of China | |
| Second East Turkestan Republic | 1944–1949 | Now part of China | |
| Republic of Formosa | 1895 | Now base of the Republic of China (Taiwan) | Declared independence upon cession of Taiwan to Japan following First Sino-Japanese War |
| Kingdom of Kurdistan | 1921–1924 | Now part of Iraq | |
| Republic of Mahabad | 1946–1947 | Now part of Iran | |
| Manchukuo | 1932–1945 | Part of China | Puppet government dissolved at the end of World War II |
| Mongolia | 1932–1945 | Now independent | Was not recognized by several countries from 1940-1960 due to being claimed as integral part of the Republic of China.[11] |
| Cantonal Republic of Negros | 1898–1901 | Now part of the Philippines. | Declared independence and aligned itself with the First Philippine Republic. Later, it was recognized by the United States, however the government was dissolved by the Americans in 1901. |
| Persian Socialist Soviet Republic | 1920–1921 | Now Gilan province in Iran | Created by local guerilleros (Jangali) when Red Army troops entered Iran, but failed to spread the revolutionary movement over the whole Iran |
| Philippine Republic | 1899–1901 | Now part of the Philippines | Existed as an unrecognized independent state from its declaration on June 12, 1898 up to the Treaty of Paris on December 10, by which Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States. It was formally established with the proclamation of the Malolos Constitution on January 23, 1899 in Malolos, Bulacan, and pursued an unsuccessful war of independence against the United States in the Philippine-American War |
| 1950 | Now part of Indonesia | ||
| Suvadive Islands | 1959–1963 | Now part of the Maldives | |
| Sovereign Tagalog Nation | 1896–1897 | Now part of the Philippines. | Succeeded by First Philippine Republic. |
| Tagalog Republic | 1902–1906 | Now part of the Philippines. | |
| Tamil Eelam | 1983–2009 | Now part of Sri Lanka and India | See Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Tannu Tuva | 1921–1944 | Now part of Russia | |
| Tibet | 1913–1951 | Now part of China,Nepal, and India | In 1913, Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet declared independence from China,[12] which was only recognized by Mongolia[13][14] (however, there have been doubts over the authority of the Tibetan representative to sign the treaty, and thus its validity).[15] One year later the Dalai Lama signed a UK-drafted treaty accepting Chinese suzerainty and adjusting the border in favor of British India.[16] The 14th Dalai Lama acknowledged Chinese sovereignty in the Seventeen Point Agreement of 1951,[17] but China continues to reject the 1914 UK-drafted treaty and claims South Tibet (now part of India's Arunachal Pradesh). |
| Wang Jingwei Government | 1940–1945 | Part of China | Puppet government dissolved at the end of World War II. Recognized by Imperial Japan and its allies. |
| Republic of Zamboanga | 1899–1903 | Now part of the Philippines. | República de Zamboanga was short-lived revolutionary republic, founded after the collapse of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines, In the year 1899. |
| Name | Period | Today | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biafra | 1967–1970 | Part of Nigeria | Controlled territory in eastern Nigeria, recognized by five states (Gabon, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Zambia) |
| Anjouan | 1997–2002, 2008 |
Now part of Comoros | |
| Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda |
1977–1994, 1981–1994, 1976–1994, 1979–1994 |
Now all part of South Africa | Former apartheid Bantustan homelands, formed and recognized only by each other and South Africa. Israel extended marginal recognition to Bophuthatswana and Ciskei by allowing both polities to build trade missions in Tel Aviv |
| Guinea-Bissau | 1972–1973 | Independent state | Declared its independence in 1972 and received recognition from 65 states. Accepted into the UN after substantial opposition from several states. Portugal renounced its sovereignty over the territory in 1973. [18] |
| Jubaland | 1998–2001 | Now part of Southwestern Somalia | |
| Katanga | 1960–1964 | Part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Controlled the state of the same name within the former Belgian Congo after decolonisation |
| Mohéli | 1997–1998 | Now part of Comoros | |
| Rhodesia | 1965–1979 | Now Zimbabwe | British Colony that unilaterally declared independence |
| Republic of the Rif | 1921–1926 | Part of Morocco | Founded in September 1921, when the people of the Rif (the Riffians) revolted and declared their independence from Spanish Morocco. It was dissolved by Spanish and French forces on 27 May 1926. |
| Kingdom of Rwenzururu | 1963–1982 | Now part of Uganda | Was based in the Rwenzori Mountains between Uganda and Congo |
| Zimbabwe Rhodesia | 1979–1980 | Now Zimbabwe | Short-lived state that ended white minority government and introduced biracial government |
| Name | Period | Today | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Acre | 1899–1903 | Now part of Brazil | |
| Republic of Anguilla | 1967-1969 | Now a British overseas territory | |
| Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia | 1860-1862 | Now part of Argentina and Chile | |
| California Republic | 1846 | Now part of the United States | Was also known as Bear Flag Republic |
| Confederate States of America | 1861–1865 | Now part of the United States | Originally formed by seven states (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Louisiana). After the American Civil War began, the states of Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina joined. Recognized by some nations as a "belligerent power". Reintegrated into the United States. |
| Republic of Independent Guyana | 1886–1891 | Part of Amapa, Brazil | Established by French settlers in defiance of both France and Brazil |
| Republic of Indian Stream | 1832–1835 | Now part of the United States | Annexed by the United States. Within the state of New Hampshire |
| Juliana Republic | 1839 | Part of Brazil | Today's Santa Catarina |
| Republic of Madawaska | 1827–1842 | Now divided between Canada and the United States | Within the provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec and the state of Maine |
| State of Muskogee | 1799–1832 | Part of the United States | A short-lived Native American state in Florida; consisted of several tribes of Creeks and Seminoles. Annexed by US. |
| Piratini Republic | 1836–1845 | Part of Brazil | Today's Rio Grande do Sul |
| Republic of the Río Grande | 1840 | Now part of the United States and Mexico | |
| Vermont Republic | 1777–1791 | Now part of the United States | Became the State of Vermont |
| Watauga Association | 1772–1778 | Now part of the United States | Annexed into the State of North Carolina |
| Free and Independent Republic of West Florida | 1810 | Now part of the United States | Short-lived republic consisting of parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama. Annexed during James Madison presidency. |
| Republic of Yucatán | 1841–1843 & 1846–1848 | Part of Mexico | |
| Republic of Texas | 1836-1845 | Now part of the United States |
| Name | Period | Today | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bougainville Interim Government | 1990-1998 | Part of Papua New Guinea | Signed a peace deal with Papua New Guinea giving the island autonomy pending an independence referendum within a decade |
| Independent Commune of Franceville | 1889 | Part of Vanuatu | Its independence guaranteed by France, this community of Melanesian natives and European settlers experimented with universal suffrage until France and Britain intervened in the New Hebrides[19] |
| United Tribes of New Zealand | 1835–1840 | Now New Zealand | Independence declared in 1835 and was recognised by the United Kingdom. Became a British colony in 1840 |
| Republic of North Solomons | 1975–1976 | Part of Papua New Guinea | |
| Tafea Nation | 1980 | Part of Vanuatu | |
| Tanna Nation | 1974 | Part of Vanuatu | |
| Republic of Vemerana | 1980 | Part of Vanuatu | Central power of Vanuatu restored with assistance of army from Papua New Guinea |
These regimes had control over the territory of a country for which most other states recognized a different government as being the legitimate government:
| Name | Period | Today | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| People's Republic of Kampuchea | 1979–1989 | Now Cambodia | Pro-Vietnamese government led by Heng Samrin after the fall of the Khmer Rouge-ruled Democratic Kampuchea. Democratic Kampuchea continued to be recognized by more states than the PRK and continued to control Cambodia's seat at the United Nations. |
| Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | 1996–2001 | Now Afghanistan | Taliban government of Afghanistan. Only recognized by three states (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) during its existence. See: History of Afghanistan and Islamic State of Afghanistan. |