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List of countries and inhabited areas

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The following is a list providing an overview of countries and inhabited areas of the world by type or degree of self-governance. It incorporates all entities with any amount of de facto autonomy and a permanent population. It focuses on reflecting the actual situation of different populations on the ground.

The entities listed include sovereign states recognised as having de facto control over a territory, state-like entities (proto-states), regions with autonomy, and special territories. The sovereign states are separated into two categories by association with the UN System. Proto-states serve as an intermediary category for political entities that, while having some state qualities, are not fully established. Regions with significant autonomy or freedom are divided into two based on whether they are considered an integral part of the controlling state they belong. Lastly, special territories are complex and exceptional areas, typically devoid of external power, that do not fit into the above categories.

Therefore, the list of entities is arranged under six categories: (1) UN member or observer states, (2) other states, (3) proto-states, (4) dependent territories, (5) autonomous areas, and (6) special territories. The category definitions and the inclusion criteria are listed below.

Included entities[edit]

Sovereign states[edit]

A state or a country is a centralised political entity that governs over a population within a territory. Meanwhile, sovereignty is the supreme and unrestricted power of a state to govern itself. It can also be described as a state's ultimate authority in exercising power over other people to make and change laws and maintain the order.[1][2][3]

In the words of the often-quoted French philosopher Alain de Benoist: "Sovereignty is the full right and power of a governing body over itself, without any interference from outside sources or bodies."[3] De facto sovereignty is the factual ability of a state to exercise its power, while de jure sovereignty refers to the legal right to do so. The majority of countries are both de facto and de jure (i.e., they exist both in reality and in law). Some de facto sovereign states are not recognised by the international community and some de jure states are recognised as the legitimate government of a territory over which they have no actual control.

The Oxford Dictionary defines a sovereign state as "a state with a defined territory that administers its own government and is not subject to or dependent on another power".[4] The dominant customary international law standard of statehood is the declarative theory of statehood, which was codified by the Montevideo Convention of 1933.[5] It defines a sovereign state as a person in international law if it meets the following criteria:[6][7]

  1. a permanent population
  2. a defined territory,
  3. a government, and
  4. a capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states.

It is also normally understood that a sovereign state is independent.[8] According to the declarative theory of statehood, an entity's statehood is purely objective and its recognition by other states is irrelevant. By contrast, the constitutive theory defines a state as a person of international law only if it is recognised as such by other states that are already a member of the international community.[7][9]

Only the entities that consider themselves sovereign (through a declaration of independence or some other means) and are often regarded as satisfying the declarative theory of statehood are considered sovereign states. The constitutive theory of statehood is not applied for the purposes of this list.

On the basis of the above criteria, there are 205 countries having de facto sovereignty and satisfying the declarative theory. They are divided into two categories by association with the UN System:

  1.  UN Member or Observer States: All the United Nations member states and non-member observer states that also exercise actual (de facto) sovereign power over the territory they control. These are 194 sovereign countries that are considered as both de jure and de facto states. They include:
    • 193 member states of the UN.[10][11] All of them are both de facto and de jure sovereign states. Out of the 193 member states, 187 have undisputed sovereignty, while the sovereignty of 6 member states (Armenia, China, Cyprus, Israel, North Korea and South Korea) are not universally recognised. The list doesn't include a sovereignty dispute column as the article's focus is not legality, however, any legal dispute can be explained through the annotations. Furthermore, sometimes the legal sovereign administration of a country as acknowledged by the UN, may not be the current administration of the said country on the ground, e.g. Afghanistan. This is not a reason for their exclusion.
    • 1 UN non-member observer state having both de facto and de jure sovereignty: Vatican City (administered by the Holy See). While the State of Palestine is a recognised de jure sovereign state (it is also a UN non-member observer state), it is not listed in this category for lack of de facto sovereignty.
  2. Other States: All other de facto sovereign states that are neither member states nor observer states of the United Nations. This includes 11 states that are either:

Proto-states[edit]

  1. Proto-States: A proto-state or a quasi-state is a nascent political entity that has some of the characteristics of a state but is not considered fully established. As it is usually categorised between a non-state and a state entity, its precise definition mostly flactuates in political literature and is determined according to context.
    • For the purpose of this list, it serves as a middle category between "other states" and "dependent territories" and includes the following:
    • Any entity should at least be maintaining most of the attributes of a functioning state to be included in this category.
    • Micronations, uncontacted peoples and areas in the active phase of a current civil war (where no stable proto-state has emerged) are excluded.
    • Deep states, also called states within a state are sometimes confused with a proto-state and are also excluded.

Autonomous regions[edit]

  1. Dependent Territories: A dependent territory or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty yet remains politically outside the controlling state's integral area. A dependency is commonly distinguished from country subdivisions by not being considered to be an integral territory of the governing state. Administrative subdivisions instead are understood as typically representing a division of the state proper. A dependent territory conversely often maintains a great degree of autonomy from the controlling central state.
    • Only currently inhabited entities are included in this category. Uninhabited dependencies or those populated by a very few number of scientists etc. are excluded.
    • This category includes the following:
      • All inhabited dependent territories such as Cocos (Keeling) Islands of Australia, Bailiwick of Guernsey of the UK, Puerto Rico of the US and Tokelau of New Zealand.
      • Some similar entities that inhabit a special position guaranteed by international treaty or other agreement; creating a certain level of autonomy (e.g., differences in immigration rules). These are sometimes considered or at least grouped with dependencies, but are officially considered by their controlling states to be integral parts of the state. Examples include Åland of Finland and Hong Kong of China.
      • Any other entity having a higher de jure recognition, however its de facto situation being similar to the above non-sovereign autonomous entities with a special position or dependent territories, such as Palestine.
      • Other entities often regarded as separate geographical territories even though they are integral parts of their mother countries, such as Guadeloupe and Réunion of the overseas departments of France.
  2. Autonomous Areas: An autonomous area is defined as an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy or has freedom from an external authority. Dependent territories also possess a great deal of autonomy however they are usually not an integral part of the country.
    • Examples include Nakhchivan of Azerbaijan, Aceh and West Papua of Indonesia, South Tyrol and Trentino of Italy and Rodrigues of Mauritius.
    • This category includes any inhabited autonomous area with the exception of:
      • Those who fall under the above dependent territories category or have their proper ISO 3166-1 codes.
      • Nominal "autonomous" areas: Those who are officially called "autonomous", though they do not have an exceptional freedom from external authority, such as the "autonomous city" of Buenos Aires.
      • Those who have risen from the status of autonomy into a proto-state or sovereign state, such as Iraqi Kurdistan and Abkhazia.

Special territories[edit]

  1. Special Territories: For the purpose of this list, a special territory is any inhabited area that is neither a de facto sovereign state, a dependent or autonomous polity nor an integral part of another external authority. Therefore, it is beyond the reach of any external power, and comprises those entities that do not fall under any of the categories (or definitions) above.
    • Units or areas formed by active war zones with a defined population, where no stable proto-state has emerged.
    • Inhabited areas under no one's control, such as Abyei.
    • Sovereign areas that don't fit the modern definition of a state, such as North Sentinel Island.

List of Entities[edit]

The entities in the first four categories are displayed with their respective national flags, while the rest is displayed without flags.
The names of the entities in the first three categories (sovereign states and proto-states) are written in bold, while the ones in the sixth category (special territories) are written in italic. The list below has a number or a series of letters and numbers associated with each entry, to facilitate sortability:

  • The first three categories are numbered in an alphabetical order (001, 002 etc.)
  • The fourth category, the dependent territories and the fifth category, the autonomous areas use ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 codes (three letters) to represent the country they belong to or associate to, followed by a number. The dependencies use capital letters, while the autonomous areas use small letters and a dash before the number.
  • The sixth category, the special territories, uses the letter "z", followed by a dash and number (z-01 etc.).
Order Country / Area Capital City Category Notes
001  Abkhazia[lower-alpha 1] Sukhumi 2. Other State Claimed by  Georgia.
z-01 Abyei Area Abyei Town 6. Special Territory A condominium between South Sudan and Sudan
geo-1 Adjara Batumi 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous republic in Georgia
002  Afghanistan[lower-alpha 2] Kabul 1. UN Member State
GBR1  Akrotiri and Dhekelia Episkopi 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in Cyprus
FIN1  Åland Islands Mariehamn 4. Dependent Territory Finnish autonomous region
003  Albania Tirana 1. UN Member State
004  Algeria Algiers 1. UN Member State
USA1  American Samoa Pago Pago 4. Dependent Territory United States unincorporated territory
005  Andorra Andorra la Vella 1. UN Member State
006  Angola Luanda 1. UN Member State
GBR2  Anguilla The Valley 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean
007  Antigua and Barbuda[lower-alpha 3] Saint John's 1. UN Member State
ita-1 Aosta Valley Aosta 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Italy
008  Argentina Buenos Aires 1. UN Member State
009  Armenia[lower-alpha 4] Yerevan 1. UN Member State
010  Artsakh[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6] Stepanakert 2. Other State Claimed by  Azerbaijan.
NLD1  Aruba Oranjestad 4. Dependent Territory Dutch Constituent Country in the Caribbean
011  Australia Canberra 1. UN Member State
012  Austria Vienna 1. UN Member State
pak-1 Azad Kashmir Muzaffarabad 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous state in Pakistan
013  Azerbaijan Baku 1. UN Member State
prt-1 Azores Ponta Delgada /

Angra do Heroísmo /Horta

5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Portugal
014  Bahamas, The Nassau 1. UN Member State
015  Bahrain Manama 1. UN Member State
016  Bangladesh Dhaka 1. UN Member State
phl-1 Bangsamoro Cotabato City 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in the Philippines
017  Barbados Bridgetown 1. UN Member State
018  Belarus Minsk 1. UN Member State
019  Belgium Brussels 1. UN Member State
020  Belize Belmopan 1. UN Member State
021  Benin Porto-Novo 1. UN Member State
GBR3  Bermuda Hamilton 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean
022  Bhutan Thimphu 1. UN Member State
023  Bolivia Sucre / La Paz 1. UN Member State
NLD2  Bonaire Kralendijk 4. Dependent Territory Dutch Special Municipality in the Caribbean
png-1 Bougainville Buka 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Papua New Guinea
024  Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 1. UN Member State
025  Botswana Gaborone 1. UN Member State
026  Brazil Brasília 1. UN Member State
z-02 Brčko District[lower-alpha 7] Brčko 6. Special Territory A condominium between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republica Srpska
GBR4  British Indian Ocean Territory Camp Justice 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the Indian Ocean
GBR5  British Virgin Islands Road Town 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean
027  Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan 1. UN Member State
028  Bulgaria Sofia 1. UN Member State
029  Burkina Faso Ouagadougou 1. UN Member State
030  Burundi Gitega 1. UN Member State
ger-1 Büsingen Büsingen 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous municipality in Germany
031  Cambodia Phnom Penh 1. UN Member State
032  Cameroon Yaoundé 1. UN Member State
ita-2 Campione d'Italia Campione d'Italia 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous municipality in Italy
033  Canada Ottawa 1. UN Member State
034  Cape Verde Praia 1. UN Member State
GBR6  Cayman Islands George Town 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean
035  Central African Republic Bangui 1. UN Member State
036  Chad N'Djamena 1. UN Member State
037  Chile Santiago 1. UN Member State
038  China[lower-alpha 8] Beijing 1. UN Member State
AUS1  Christmas Island Flying Fish Cove 4. Dependent Territory Australian External Territory
AUS2  Cocos (Keeling) Islands West Island 4. Dependent Territory Australian External Territory
039  Colombia Bogotá 1. UN Member State
040  Comoros Moroni 1. UN Member State
041  Congo, Democratic Republic of the Kinshasa 1. UN Member State
042  Congo, Republic of the Brazzaville 1. UN Member State
043  Cook Islands[lower-alpha 9] Avarua 2. Other State In free association with  New Zealand.
044  Costa Rica San José 1. UN Member State
045  Croatia Zagreb 1. UN Member State
046  Cuba Havana 1. UN Member State
NLD3  Curaçao Willemstad 4. Dependent Territory Dutch Constituent Country in the Caribbean
047  Cyprus[lower-alpha 10] Nicosia 1. UN Member State
048  Czech Republic Prague 1. UN Member State
049  Denmark Copenhagen 1. UN Member State
050  Djibouti Djibouti 1. UN Member State
051  Dominica Roseau 1. UN Member State
052  Dominican Republic Santo Domingo 1. UN Member State
053  East Timor Dili 1. UN Member State
CHL1  Easter Island Hanga Roa 4. Dependent Territory Special territory of Chile
054  Ecuador Quito 1. UN Member State
055  Egypt Cairo 1. UN Member State
056  El Salvador San Salvador 1. UN Member State
057  Equatorial Guinea Malabo 1. UN Member State
058  Eritrea Asmara 1. UN Member State
059  Estonia Tallinn 1. UN Member State
060  Eswatini[lower-alpha 11] Mbabane 1. UN Member State
061  Ethiopia Addis Ababa 1. UN Member State
GBR7  Falkland Islands Stanley 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean
DNK1  Faroe Islands Tórshavn 4. Dependent Territory Autonomous territory in Denmark
bih-1 Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous federation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
062  Fiji Suva 1. UN Member State
063  Finland Helsinki 1. UN Member State
064  France Paris 1. UN Member State
FRA1  French Guiana Cayenne 4. Dependent Territory French overseas region
FRA2  French Polynesia Papeete 4. Dependent Territory French overseas collectivity
ita-3 Friuli Venezia Giulia Trieste 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Italy
065  Gabon Libreville 1. UN Member State
mda-1 Gagauzia Comrat 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous territorial unit in Moldova
som-1 Galmudug Dusmareb 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous state in Somalia
066  Gambia, The Banjul 1. UN Member State
067  Gaza Strip Gaza City 3. Proto-State A de facto proto-state in Palestine.
068  Georgia Tbilisi 1. UN Member State
069  Germany Berlin 1. UN Member State
070  Ghana Accra 1. UN Member State
GBR8  Gibraltar Gibraltar 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the Iberian Peninsula
pak-2 Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous state in Pakistan
tjk-1 Gorno-Badakhshan Khorugh 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Tajikistan
071  Greece Athens 1. UN Member State
z-03 Green Line None 6. Special Territory
DNK2  Greenland Nuuk 4. Dependent Territory Autonomous territory in Denmark
072  Grenada St. George's 1. UN Member State
FRA3  Guadeloupe Basse-Terre 4. Dependent Territory French overseas region
USA2  Guam Hagåtña 4. Dependent Territory United States unincorporated territory
073  Guatemala Guatemala City 1. UN Member State
GBR9  Guernsey Saint Peter Port 4. Dependent Territory British Crown Dependency in the English Channel
074  Guinea Conakry 1. UN Member State
075  Guinea-Bissau Bissau 1. UN Member State
076  Guyana Georgetown 1. UN Member State
077  Haiti Port-au-Prince 1. UN Member State
ger-2 Heligoland Heligoland 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous municipality in Germany
som-2 Hirshabelle Jowhar 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous state in Somalia
078  Honduras Tegucigalpa 1. UN Member State
CHN1  Hong Kong Hong Kong 4. Dependent Territory Chinese special administrative region
079  Hungary Budapest 1. UN Member State
080  Iceland Reykjavík 1. UN Member State
081  India New Delhi 1. UN Member State
082  Indonesia Jakarta 1. UN Member State
083  Iran Tehran 1. UN Member State
084  Iraq Baghdad 1. UN Member State
085  Iraqi Kurdistan Erbil 3. Proto-State A de facto proto-state in Iraq.
086  Ireland Dublin 1. UN Member State
GBR10  Isle of Man Douglas 4. Dependent Territory British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea
087  Israel[lower-alpha 12] Jerusalem 1. UN Member State
088  Italy Rome 1. UN Member State
089  Ivory Coast Abidjan /

Yamoussoukro

1. UN Member State
090  Jamaica Kingston 1. UN Member State
091  Japan Tokyo 1. UN Member State
kor-1 Jeju Jeju City 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous province in South Korea
GBR11  Jersey Saint Helier 4. Dependent Territory British Crown Dependency in the English Channel
092  Jordan Amman 1. UN Member State
som-3 Jubaland Kismayo 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous state in Somalia
uzb-1 Karakalpakstan Nukus 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous republic in Uzbekistan
093  Kazakhstan Nur-Sultan 1. UN Member State
094  Kenya Nairobi 1. UN Member State
095  Kiribati Tarawa 1. UN Member State
096  Kosovo[lower-alpha 13] Pristina 2. Other State Claimed by  Serbia.
z-04 Kouru/Koalou Neutral Zone Koalou 6. Special Territory
097  Kuwait Kuwait City 1. UN Member State
098  Kyrgyzstan Bishkek 1. UN Member State
099  Laos Vientiane 1. UN Member State
100  Latvia Riga 1. UN Member State
101  Lebanon Beirut 1. UN Member State
102  Lesotho Maseru 1. UN Member State
103  Liberia Monrovia 1. UN Member State
104  Libya Tripoli 1. UN Member State
105  Liechtenstein Vaduz 1. UN Member State
106  Lithuania Vilnius 1. UN Member State
107  Logone[lower-alpha 14] Kaga-Bandoro 3. Proto-State A de facto proto-state in Central African Republic.
108  Luxembourg Luxembourg 1. UN Member State
CHN2  Macau Macau 4. Dependent Territory Chinese special administrative region
109  Madagascar Antananarivo 1. UN Member State
prt-2 Madeira Funchal 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Portugal
110  Malawi Lilongwe 1. UN Member State
111  Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 1. UN Member State
112  Maldives Malé 1. UN Member State
113  Mali Bamako 1. UN Member State
114  Malta Valletta 1. UN Member State
115  Marshall Islands Majuro 1. UN Member State
FRA4  Martinique Fort-de-France 4. Dependent Territory French overseas region
116  Mauritania Nouakchott 1. UN Member State
117  Mauritius Port Louis 1. UN Member State
FRA5  Mayotte Mamoudzou 4. Dependent Territory French overseas region
118  Mexico Mexico City 1. UN Member State
119  Micronesia Palikir 1. UN Member State
120  Moldova Chișinău 1. UN Member State
121  Monaco Monaco 1. UN Member State
122  Mongolia Ulaanbaatar 1. UN Member State
123  Montenegro Podgorica 1. UN Member State
GBR12  Montserrat Brades 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean
124  Morocco Rabat 1. UN Member State
125  Mozambique Maputo 1. UN Member State
126  Myanmar Naypyidaw 1. UN Member State
aze-1 Nakhchivan Nakhchivan 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous republic in Azerbaijan
127  Namibia Windhoek 1. UN Member State
128  Nauru Yaren 1. UN Member State
129    Nepal Kathmandu 1. UN Member State
130  Netherlands Amsterdam /

The Hague

1. UN Member State
kna-1 Nevis Charlestown 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous island in Saint Kitts and Nevis
FRA6  New Caledonia Nouméa 4. Dependent Territory French sui generis collectivity
131  New Zealand Wellington 1. UN Member State
132  Nicaragua Managua 1. UN Member State
133  Niger Niamey 1. UN Member State
134  Nigeria Abuja 1. UN Member State
135  Niue[lower-alpha 15] Alofi 2. Other State In free association with  New Zealand.
AUS3  Norfolk Island Kingston 4. Dependent Territory Australian External Territory
nic-1 North Caribbean Coast Puerto Cabezas 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Nicaragua
136  North Korea[lower-alpha 16] Pyongyang 1. UN Member State
137  North Macedonia Skopje 1. UN Member State
z-05 North Sentinel Island None 6. Special Territory
138  Northern Cyprus[lower-alpha 17] Nicosia 2. Other State Claimed by  Cyprus.
gbr-1 Northern Ireland Belfast 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous country in the United Kingdom
USA3  Northern Mariana Islands Saipan 4. Dependent Territory United States unincorporated territory
139  Norway Oslo 1. UN Member State
140  Oman Muscat 1. UN Member State
141  Pakistan Islamabad 1. UN Member State
142  Palau Ngerulmud 1. UN Member State
ISR1  Palestine Ramallah 4. Dependent Territory De jure UN Observer State
143  Panama Panama City 1. UN Member State
144  Papua New Guinea Port Moresby 1. UN Member State
145  Paraguay Asunción 1. UN Member State
146  Peru Lima 1. UN Member State
147  Philippines Manila 1. UN Member State
GBR13  Pitcairn Islands Adamstown 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean
148  Poland Warsaw 1. UN Member State
149  Portugal Lisbon 1. UN Member State
stp-1 Príncipe Santo António 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in São Tomé and Príncipe
USA4  Puerto Rico San Juan 4. Dependent Territory United States unincorporated territory
150  Puntland Garoowe 3. Proto-State A de facto proto-state in Somalia.
151  Qatar Doha 1. UN Member State
bih-2 Republika Srpska Banja Luka 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous federation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
FRA7  Réunion Saint-Denis 4. Dependent Territory French overseas region
mus-1 Rodrigues Port Mathurin 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous island in Mauritius
fji-1 Rotuma Ituʻtiʻu 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Fiji
152  Rojava Ayn Issa 3. Proto-State A de facto proto-state in Syria.
153  Romania Bucharest 1. UN Member State
154  Russia Moscow 1. UN Member State
155  Rwanda Kigali 1. UN Member State
NLD4  Saba The Bottom 4. Dependent Territory Dutch Special Municipality in the Caribbean
156  Sahrawi[lower-alpha 18][lower-alpha 19] Tifariti 2. Other State Claimed by  Morocco.
FRA8  Saint Barthélemy Gustavia 4. Dependent Territory French overseas collectivity
GBR14  Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Jamestown 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean
157  Saint Kitts and Nevis Basseterre 1. UN Member State
158  Saint Lucia Castries 1. UN Member State
FRA9  Saint Martin Marigot 4. Dependent Territory French overseas collectivity
FRA10  Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint-Pierre 4. Dependent Territory French overseas collectivity
159  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Kingstown 1. UN Member State
160  Samoa Apia 1. UN Member State
161  San Marino San Marino 1. UN Member State
ita-4 Sardinia Cagliari 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Italy
162  São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé 1. UN Member State
163  Saudi Arabia Riyadh 1. UN Member State
gbr-2 Scotland Edinburgh 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous country in the United Kingdom
164  Senegal Dakar 1. UN Member State
165  Serbia Belgrade 1. UN Member State
166  Seychelles Victoria 1. UN Member State
ita-5 Sicily Palermo 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Italy
167  Sierra Leone Freetown 1. UN Member State
168  Singapore Singapore 1. UN Member State
NLD5  Sint Eustatius Oranjestad 4. Dependent Territory Dutch Special Municipality in the Caribbean
NLD6  Sint Maarten Philipsburg 4. Dependent Territory Dutch Constituent Country in the Caribbean
169  Slovakia Bratislava 1. UN Member State
170  Slovenia Ljubljana 1. UN Member State
171  Solomon Islands Honiara 1. UN Member State
172  Somalia Mogadishu 1. UN Member State
173  Somaliland[lower-alpha 20] Hargeisa 2. Other State Claimed by  Somalia.
174  South Africa Pretoria / Cape Town

/ Bloemfontein

1. UN Member State
nic-2 South Caribbean Coast Bluefields 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous region in Nicaragua
GBR15  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands King Edward Point 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean
175  South Korea[lower-alpha 21] Seoul 1. UN Member State
176  South Ossetia[lower-alpha 22] Tskhinvali 2. Other State Claimed by  Georgia.
177  South Sudan Juba 1. UN Member State
ita-6 South Tyrol Bolzano 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous province in Italy
som-4 South West Somalia Baidoa 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous state in Somalia
178  Spain Madrid 1. UN Member State
179  Sri Lanka Kotte / Colombo 1. UN Member State
180  Sudan Khartoum 1. UN Member State
181  Suriname Paramaribo 1. UN Member State
NOR1  Svalbard Longyearbyen 4. Dependent Territory Norwegian territory
182  Sweden Stockholm 1. UN Member State
183   Switzerland Bern 1. UN Member State
184  Syria Damascus 1. UN Member State
185  Taiwan[lower-alpha 23] Taipei 2. Other State Claimed by  China.
186  Tajikistan Dushanbe 1. UN Member State
187  Tanzania Dodoma 1. UN Member State
188  Thailand Bangkok 1. UN Member State
tto-1 Tobago Scarborough 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous island in Trinidad and Tobago
189  Togo Lomé 1. UN Member State
NZL1  Tokelau None 4. Dependent Territory Dependent territory in New Zealand
190  Tonga Nukuʻalofa 1. UN Member State
191  Transnistria[lower-alpha 24] Tiraspol 2. Other State Claimed by  Moldova.
ita-7 Trentino Trento 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous province in Italy
192  Trinidad and Tobago Port of Spain 1. UN Member State
193  Tunisia Tunis 1. UN Member State
194  Turkey Ankara 1. UN Member State
195  Turkmenistan Ashgabat 1. UN Member State
GBR16  Turks and Caicos Islands Cockburn Town 4. Dependent Territory British Overseas Territory in the Lucayan Archipelago
196  Tuvalu Funafuti 1. UN Member State
197  Uganda Kampala 1. UN Member State
198  Ukraine Kiev 1. UN Member State
199  United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi 1. UN Member State
200  United Kingdom London 1. UN Member State
201  United States Washington, D.C. 1. UN Member State
USA5  United States Virgin Islands Charlotte Amalie 4. Dependent Territory United States unincorporated territory
202  Uruguay Montevideo 1. UN Member State
203  Uzbekistan Tashkent 1. UN Member State
204  Vanuatu Port Vila 1. UN Member State
205   Vatican City Vatican City 1. UN Observer State
206  Venezuela Caracas 1. UN Member State
207  Vietnam Hanoi 1. UN Member State
srb-1 Vojvodina Novi Sad 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous province in Serbia
208  Wa State Pangkham 3. Proto-State A de facto proto-state in Myanmar.
FRA11  Wallis and Futuna Mata Utu 4. Dependent Territory French overseas collectivity
gbr-3 Wales Cardiff 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous country in the United Kingdom
209  Yemen Aden 1. UN Member State
210  Zambia Lusaka 1. UN Member State
tza-1 Zanzibar Zanzibar City 5. Autonomous Area Autonomous province in Tanzania
211  Zimbabwe Harare 1. UN Member State

See also[edit]

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Citations[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. Claimed in whole by  Georgia as part of its sovereign territory. It is recognised by 9 countries: Nauru, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Artsakh, South Ossetia and Transnistria.
  2. The de facto ruling government, the  Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has not been recognised by any state. The United Nations continues to recognise the  Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as the government of Afghanistan.[12][13]
  3. Barbuda, would also be included in this list as an autonomous area, however, the island is uninhabited since 2017.
  4. Armenia is not recognised by Pakistan due to the dispute over Artsakh.[14][15][16]
  5. Also known as  Nagorno-Karabakh
  6. Claimed in whole by  Azerbaijan as part of its sovereign territory. It is recognised by 3 countries: Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria.
  7. It is a self-governing administrative district.[17]
  8. China is not recognised by the Vatican City and 14 UN member states (Belize, Bhutan, Eswatini, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Tuvalu). With the exception of Bhutan, all recognise the Republic of China (Taiwan) instead.
  9. A state in free association with  New Zealand, the Cook Islands maintains diplomatic relations with 52 states.
  10. Cyprus is not recognised by Turkey due to the Cyprus dispute, with Turkey recognising Northern Cyprus.[18]
  11. Also known as  Swaziland
  12. Israel is not recognised as a state by Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and 28 UN member states (Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela and Yemen). On the other hand, it is recognised by 162 UN member states as well as Cook Islands, Kosovo, Niue, Palestine and the Vatican City.
  13. Claimed in whole by  Serbia as part of its sovereign territory. It is recognised by 113 UN member states and Cook Islands, Niue and Taiwan.[19]
  14. Also known as  Dar El Kuti
  15. A state in free association with  New Zealand, Niue maintains diplomatic relations with 20 states.
  16. North Korea is not recognised by seven UN members, Botswana, Estonia, France, Israel, Japan, the United States, and South Korea, the last of which claims to be the sole legitimate government of Korea.[20]
  17. Claimed in whole by  Cyprus as part of its sovereign territory. It is recognised only by Turkey.
  18. Also known as  Western Sahara
  19. Claimed in whole by  Morocco as part of its sovereign territory. It is recognised by 41 countries.
  20. Claimed in whole by  Somalia as part of its sovereign territory. It is not recognised by any country.
  21. South Korea is not recognised by North Korea, which claims to be the sole legitimate government of Korea.
  22. Claimed in whole by  Georgia as part of its sovereign territory. It is recognised by 9 countries: Nauru, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria, Venezuela, Abkhazia, Artsakh, Sahrawi and Transnistria.
  23. Claimed in whole by  China as part of its sovereign territory. It is recognised by 14 countries: Belize, Eswatini, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu and the Vatican City.
  24. Claimed in whole by  Moldova as part of its sovereign territory. It is recognised by 3 countries: Abkhazia, Artsakh and South Ossetia.

References[edit]

  1. "Sovereignty". A Dictionary of Law. Oxford University Press. 21 June 2018. ISBN 978-0-19-880252-5. Search this book on
  2. "sovereignty (politics)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  3. 3.0 3.1 de Benoist, Alain (1999). "What is Sovereignty?". Telos: Critical Theory of the Contemporary. Telos Press. 1999 (116): 99–118.
  4. "sovereign state". Oxford dictionaries. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  5. Jasentuliyana, Nandasiri, ed. (1995). Perspectives on international law. Kluwer Law International. p. 20. So far as States are concerned, the traditional definitions provided for in the Montevideo Convention remain generally accepted. Search this book on
  6. Shaw, Malcolm Nathan (2003). International law. Cambridge University Press. p. 178. Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States, lays down the most widely accepted formulation of the criteria of statehood in international law. It note that the state as an international person should possess the following qualifications: '(a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with other states' Search this book on
  7. 7.0 7.1 Lauterpacht, Hersch (2012). Recognition in International Law. Cambridge University Press. p. 64. ISBN 9781107609433. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help) Search this book on
  8. See the following:
    • Wheaton, Henry (1836). Elements of international law: with a sketch of the history of the science. Carey, Lea & Blanchard. p. 51. A sovereign state is generally defined to be any nation or people, whatever may be the form of its internal constitution, which governs itself independently of foreign powers. Search this book on
    • "sovereign", The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.), Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004, archived from the original on 7 October 2015, retrieved 28 January 2023, adj. 1. Self-governing; independent: a sovereign state. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
    • "sovereign", The New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-19-517077-1, adjective ... [ attrib. ] (of a nation or state) fully independent and determining its own affairs.
    • Pellet, Alain (1992). "The Opinions of the Badinter Arbitration Committee" (PDF). European Journal of International Law. 3 (1): 182. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2023. The Committee considers [...] that the state is commonly defined as a community which consists of a territory and a population subject to an organized political authority; that such a state is characterized by sovereignty; [...] Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  9. Thomas D. Grant, The recognition of states: law and practice in debate and evolution (Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1999), chapter 1.
  10. Press Release ORG/1469 (3 July 2006). "United Nations Member States". United Nations. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2023. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  11. "UN Member States on the Record". United Nations. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  12. "Taliban announce new government for Afghanistan". BBC News. 7 September 2021.
  13. "U.N. Seats Denied, for Now, to Afghanistan's Taliban and Myanmar's Junta". The New York Times. 1 December 2021.
  14. "Pakistan Worldview, Report 21, Visit to Azerbaijan" (PDF). Senate of Pakistan Foreign Relations Committee. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2009. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  15. Nilufer Bakhtiyar: "For Azerbaijan Pakistan does not recognise Armenia as a country" Archived 13 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine 13 September 2006 [14:03] – Today.Az
  16. "Pakistan the only country not recognizing Armenia – envoy". News.Az. 5 February 2014. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014. We are the only country not recognizing Armenia as a state. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  17. Stjepanović, Dejan (2015). "Dual Substate Citizenship as Institutional Innovation: The Case of Bosnia's Brčko District". Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. 21 (4): 382–383. doi:10.1080/13537113.2015.1095043. eISSN 1557-2986. ISSN 1353-7113. OCLC 5927465455. Unknown parameter |s2cid= ignored (help)
  18. Kakouris, Andreas S. (9 July 2010). "Cyprus is not at peace with Turkey". CNN. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014. Turkey stands alone in violation of the will of the international community. It is the only country to recognize the "TRNC" and is the only country that does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus and its government. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  19. "Map & Analysis: Which Countries Recognize Kosovo in 2020?". Political Geography Now. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2023. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  20. "Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea". Archived from the original on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2008. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)

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