Constituent country

A constituent country is a country that makes up a part of a larger political or constitutional entity, usually a sovereign state. The term constituent country does not have any defined legal meaning, and is used simply to refer to a country which is a constituent part of something else.

Constituent countries by sovereign state[edit]

Kingdom of Denmark[edit]

The Kingdom of Denmark consists of three constituent parts, each part often referred to as a country:

However, this terminology is not consistent. The Faroes are also referred to as a "self-governing territory" or similar by (e.g.) the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands^[3] and the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[4] In the Danish/Faroese act of 2005 (Act on the Faroese authorities acquisition of affairs and fields / (in Danish) Lov om de færøske myndigheders overtagelse af sager og sagsområder) the Faroese government is referred to as an equal partner to the Danish government.^[5]^[6]

French Republic[edit]

In 2004, the French overseas collectivity of French Polynesia was legally designated as a pays d'outre-mer au sein de la République,^[7] translated as an "overseas country inside the Republic".^[8] The Constitutional Council ruled that this was merely a change of appellation and did not represent a constitutional change in legal status.^[9]

New Caledonia is a Sui generis collectivity with a transitory special status (statut particulier or statut original) that gives them a large autonomy. Due to this unique situation, the territory is often unofficially considered as an "oversea country", although there is no legal background to this appellation until the result of a referendum on its final status to be hold by 2018 and provided by the Nouméa Accord signed in 1998. New Caledonia has increasingly adopted its own symbols, choosing an anthem, a motto, and a new design for its banknotes.^[10] In July 2010, the territory adopted the Kanak flag, alongside the existing French tricolor, as dual official flags of the territory.^[11]

Kingdom of the Netherlands[edit]

Since 10 October 2010, the Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of four countries:^[12]

Each is expressly designated as a land in Dutch law by the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands.^[13] Unlike the German Länder and the Austrian Bundesländer, landen is consistently translated as "countries" by the Dutch government.^[14]^[15]^[16]

New Zealand[edit]

The Realm of New Zealand consists of the sovereign state of New Zealand and its four dependent territories. Two of its dependent territories are considered self-governing states in free association with New Zealand, and are usually referred as countries along with New Zealand proper:

However, the Constitutions of the Cook Islands^[20] and of Niue^[21] do not describe either as a country, nor do the New Zealand Acts which brought those constitutions into force.^[22]^[23]

United Kingdom[edit]

The United Kingdom is generally described as comprising four countries:^[24]

The United Kingdom itself is a unitary state and not four countries in personal union but came about by the union of four countries. Wales was incorporated into the kingdom of England in 1542, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united in 1707, and the kingdom of Ireland united with them in 1801. Northern Ireland was created when Ireland was partitioned in 1921. Northern Ireland remained in the United Kingdom, whereas the rest (now the Republic of Ireland) left.

Although the term country is usually applied uncontroversially to England, Scotland and Wales, Northern Ireland is often described using other terms, such as "region" or "province".^[25]^[26]^[27] For example, ISO 3166-2:GB defines the UK as being made up of three countries (England, Scotland, Wales) and one province (Northern Ireland).^[28]

Northern Ireland had a devolved parliament from 1921–72. Devolution was restored to Northern Ireland in 1999 following the Good Friday Agreement and referenda in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 1998. After referenda in 1997, new devolved governments were created in Scotland and Wales. England remains solely under the Parliament of the United Kingdom in London.

At sporting events such as rugby union, an alternative title, Home Nations, is used, which in these contexts sometimes includes Ireland as a whole.

Historical constituent countries by sovereign state[edit]

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic[edit]

According to its constitution Czechoslovakia was a union of two freely associated Socialist Republics: Czech Socialist Republic and Slovak Socialist Republic; in reality, for most of its lifespan ČSSR was a strongly centralized state.

Soviet Union[edit]

According to its constitution the Soviet Union was a union of freely associated Soviet Socialist Republics; in reality, for most of its lifespan the USSR was a strongly centralized state.

Soviet socialist republic	Member from	Population (1989)	Area (km²; 1991)	Capital	Modern state
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic	1922	147,386,000	17,075,400	Moscow	Russia
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic	1922	51,706,746	603,700	Kiev (Kharkov before 1934)	Ukraine
Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic	1924	19,906,000	447,400	Tashkent (Samarkand before 1930)	Uzbekistan
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic	1936	16,711,900	2,727,300	Astana	Kazakhstan
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic	1922	10,151,806	207,600	Minsk	Belarus
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic	1936	7,037,900	86,600	Baku	Azerbaijan
Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic	1936	5,400,841	69,700	Tbilisi	Georgia
Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic	1929	5,112,000	143,100	Dushanbe	Tajikistan
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic	1940	4,337,600	33,843	Kishinev	Moldova
Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic	1936	4,257,800	198,500	Bishkek	Kyrgyzstan
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic	1940	3,689,779	65,200	Vilnius	Lithuania
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic	1924	3,522,700	488,100	Ashkhabad	Turkmenistan
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic	1936	3,287,700	29,800	Yerevan	Armenia
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic	1940	2,666,567	64,589	Riga	Latvia
Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic	1940	1,565,662	45,226	Tallinn	Estonia

The annexation of the Baltic republics in 1940 was considered as an illegal occupation and never recognized by the majority of the international community.^[29]^[30]^[31] The Soviet Union officially recognized their secession on September 6, 1991, prior to its final dissolution.

Yugoslavia[edit]

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was divided into six Constituent Socialist Republics, along with two self autonomous Provinces within Serbia.

SR Slovenia

SR Croatia

SR Bosnia and
Herzegovina

References[edit]

↑ The West Nordic Council. website. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
↑ Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Factsheet Denmark: Greenland.
↑ Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands. "About the Faroe Islands". Retrieved 8 March 2011
↑ Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Factsheet Denmark – the Faroes.
↑ retsinformation.dk Lov om de færøske myndigheders overtagelse af sager og sagsområder
↑ Denne lov bygger på en overenskomst mellem Færøernes landsstyre og den danske regering som ligeværdige parter. Template:Fo icon]
↑ "Loi organique n°2004-192 du 27 février 2004" (in français). Legifrance.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
↑ "French Polynesia profile". BBC News. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
↑ "Décision n° 2004-490 DC du 12 février 2004". Conseil-constitutionnel.fr. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
↑ "Nouvelle-Calédonie: où en est le processus d'indépendance?" (in French). LeMonde.fr. Retrieved 2013-01-30.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
↑ Malkin, Bonnie (20 July 2010). "New Caledonia adopts second flag in compromise over French rule". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 28 July 2010. New Caledonian Congress overwhelmingly voted to adopt the emblem of the indigenous movement, which features red, blue and green stripes with a yellow sun and black totem, as the nation's second official flag
↑ "Netherlands Antilles no more – Stabroek News – Guyana". Stabroek News. 2010-10-09. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
↑ "Article 1 of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands". Lexius.nl. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
↑ "Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations -Aruba". English.minbzk.nl. 2003-01-24. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
↑ SMN NEWS TEAM. "St Martin News Network". Retrieved 17 September 2014.
↑ "Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations – New Status". English.minbzk.nl. 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
↑ Cook Islands Government. "The Cook Islands Government Online". Retrieved 8 March 2011.
↑ Australian Government. "AusAid". Retrieved 8 March 2008.
↑ Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "Niue". Retrieved 8 March 2011.
↑ "Constitution of the Cook Islands".
↑ "Constitution of Niue".
↑ "New Zealand legislation – Cook Islands".
↑ "New Zealand legislation – Niue".
↑ "A beginners guide to UK geography: Glossary". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
↑ S. Dunn; H. Dawson (2000), An Alphabetical Listing of Word, Name and Place in Northern Ireland and the Living Language of Conflict, Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press, One specific problem – in both general and particular senses – is to know what to call Northern Ireland itself: in the general sense, it is not a country, or a province, or a state – although some refer to it contemptuously as a statelet: the least controversial word appears to be jurisdiction, but this might change.
↑ J. Whyte; G. FitzGerald (1991), Interpreting Northern Ireland, Oxford: Oxford University Press, One problem must be adverted to in writing about Northern Ireland. This is the question of what name to give to the various geographical entities. These names can be controversial, with the choice often revealing one's political preferences. ... some refer to Northern Ireland as a 'province'. That usage can arouse irritation particularly among nationalists, who claim the title 'province' should be properly reserved to the four historic provinces of Ireland-Ulster, Leinster, Munster, and Connacht. If I want to a label to apply to Northern Ireland I shall call it a 'region'. Unionists should find that title as acceptable as 'province': Northern Ireland appears as a region in the regional statistics of the United Kingdom published by the British government.
↑ D. Murphy (1979), A Place Apart, London: Penguin Books, Next – what noun is appropriate to Northern Ireland? 'Province' won't do since one-third of the province is on the wrong side of the border. 'State' implies more self-determination than Northern Ireland has ever had and 'country' or 'nation' are blatantly absurd. 'Colony' has overtones that would be resented by both communities and 'statelet' sounds too patronizing, though outsiders might consider it more precise than anything else; so one is left with the unsatisfactory word 'region'.
↑ "Changes in the list of subdivision names and code elements" (PDF). ISO 3166-2. International Organization for Standardization. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
↑ European parliament: Resolution on the situation in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (No C 42/78) (1983). Official Journal of the European Communities. European Parliament. Search this book on
↑ Aust, Anthony (2005). Handbook of International Law. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-53034-7. Search this book on
↑ Ziemele, Ineta (2005). State Continuity and Nationality: The Baltic States and Russia. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 90-04-14295-9. Search this book on

This article "Constituent country" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

[1] The West Nordic Council. website. Retrieved 8 March 2011.

[2] Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Factsheet Denmark: Greenland.

[3] Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands. "About the Faroe Islands". Retrieved 8 March 2011

[4] Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Factsheet Denmark – the Faroes.

[5] retsinformation.dk Lov om de færøske myndigheders overtagelse af sager og sagsområder

[6] Denne lov bygger på en overenskomst mellem Færøernes landsstyre og den danske regering som ligeværdige parter. Template:Fo icon]

[7] "Loi organique n°2004-192 du 27 février 2004" (in français). Legifrance.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2011-12-18.

[8] "French Polynesia profile". BBC News. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.

[9] "Décision n° 2004-490 DC du 12 février 2004". Conseil-constitutionnel.fr. Retrieved 2011-12-18.

[monde1-10] "Nouvelle-Calédonie: où en est le processus d'indépendance?" (in French). LeMonde.fr. Retrieved 2013-01-30.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)

[telegraph-11] Malkin, Bonnie (20 July 2010). "New Caledonia adopts second flag in compromise over French rule". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 28 July 2010. New Caledonian Congress overwhelmingly voted to adopt the emblem of the indigenous movement, which features red, blue and green stripes with a yellow sun and black totem, as the nation's second official flag

[12] "Netherlands Antilles no more – Stabroek News – Guyana". Stabroek News. 2010-10-09. Retrieved 2011-12-18.

[13] "Article 1 of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands". Lexius.nl. Retrieved 2011-12-18.

[14] "Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations -Aruba". English.minbzk.nl. 2003-01-24. Retrieved 2011-12-18.

[SMN-15] SMN NEWS TEAM. "St Martin News Network". Retrieved 17 September 2014.

[Newstatus-16] "Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations – New Status". English.minbzk.nl. 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2011-12-18.

[17] Cook Islands Government. "The Cook Islands Government Online". Retrieved 8 March 2011.

[18] Australian Government. "AusAid". Retrieved 8 March 2008.

[19] Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "Niue". Retrieved 8 March 2011.

[20] "Constitution of the Cook Islands".

[21] "Constitution of Niue".

[22] "New Zealand legislation – Cook Islands".

[23] "New Zealand legislation – Niue".

[24] "A beginners guide to UK geography: Glossary". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 November 2014.

[alphabeticalNI-25] S. Dunn; H. Dawson (2000), An Alphabetical Listing of Word, Name and Place in Northern Ireland and the Living Language of Conflict, Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press, One specific problem – in both general and particular senses – is to know what to call Northern Ireland itself: in the general sense, it is not a country, or a province, or a state – although some refer to it contemptuously as a statelet: the least controversial word appears to be jurisdiction, but this might change.

[interpretingNI-26] J. Whyte; G. FitzGerald (1991), Interpreting Northern Ireland, Oxford: Oxford University Press, One problem must be adverted to in writing about Northern Ireland. This is the question of what name to give to the various geographical entities. These names can be controversial, with the choice often revealing one's political preferences. ... some refer to Northern Ireland as a 'province'. That usage can arouse irritation particularly among nationalists, who claim the title 'province' should be properly reserved to the four historic provinces of Ireland-Ulster, Leinster, Munster, and Connacht. If I want to a label to apply to Northern Ireland I shall call it a 'region'. Unionists should find that title as acceptable as 'province': Northern Ireland appears as a region in the regional statistics of the United Kingdom published by the British government.

[placeApart-27] D. Murphy (1979), A Place Apart, London: Penguin Books, Next – what noun is appropriate to Northern Ireland? 'Province' won't do since one-third of the province is on the wrong side of the border. 'State' implies more self-determination than Northern Ireland has ever had and 'country' or 'nation' are blatantly absurd. 'Colony' has overtones that would be resented by both communities and 'statelet' sounds too patronizing, though outsiders might consider it more precise than anything else; so one is left with the unsatisfactory word 'region'.

[28] "Changes in the list of subdivision names and code elements" (PDF). ISO 3166-2. International Organization for Standardization. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2012.

[29] European parliament: Resolution on the situation in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (No C 42/78) (1983). Official Journal of the European Communities. European Parliament. Search this book on

[30] Aust, Anthony (2005). Handbook of International Law. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-53034-7. Search this book on

[31] Ziemele, Ineta (2005). State Continuity and Nationality: The Baltic States and Russia. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 90-04-14295-9. Search this book on

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Country	Capital	Prime minister	Sovereign state	Constitutional entity
Denmark	Copenhagen	Lars Løkke Rasmussen	Kingdom of Denmark	Danish Realm
Faroe Islands^[1]	Tórshavn	Aksel V. Johannesen
Greenland^[2]	Nuuk	Kim Kielsen

Country	Capital	Status	President of the government	Sovereign state
New Caledonia	Nouméa	Special collectivity	Philippe Germain	French Republic
French Polynesia	Papeete	Overseas country	Édouard Fritch	French Republic

Country	Capital	Prime minister	Sovereign state
Netherlands (including the Caribbean Netherlands)	Amsterdam	Mark Rutte	Kingdom of the Netherlands
Aruba	Oranjestad	Mike Eman
Curaçao	Willemstad	Ben Whiteman
Sint Maarten	Philipsburg	William Marlin

Country	Capital	Prime minister/Premier	Constitutional entity
New Zealand	Wellington	John Key	Realm of New Zealand
Cook Islands^[17]^[18]	Avarua	Henry Puna
Niue^[19]	Alofi	Toke Talagi

Country	Capital	First Minister	Sovereign state
England	London	N/A	United Kingdom
Scotland	Edinburgh	Nicola Sturgeon
Wales	Cardiff	Carwyn Jones
Northern Ireland	Belfast	Arlene Foster/Martin McGuiness