List of dependent territories
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Dependent areas are territories that do not possess full political independence or sovereignty as states. There are varying degrees and forms of such a dependence. They are commonly distinguished from subnational entities in that they are not considered to be part of the motherland or mainland of the governing state, and in most cases they also represent a different order of separation. A subnational entity typically represents a division of the country proper, while a dependent territory might be an overseas territory that enjoys a greater degree of autonomy. For instance, many of them have a more or less separate legal system from the governing body.
The areas separately referred to as non-independent are territories that are disputed, are occupied, have a government in exile or have a non-negligible independence movement.
Entities on the lists
Currently, there are 61 dependencies on these lists, including one international protectorate in the territory of a sovereign country.The list includes several territories that are not included in the list of non-self-governing territories [link] listed by the General Assembly of the United Nations, a list that also includes Western Sahara, since 1990, the General Assembly reaffirmed that the question of Western Sahara was a question of decolonization which remained to be completed by the people of Western Sahara.
Four political entities have a special position recognized by international treaty or agreement (Åland in Finland, Svalbard in Norway, as well as the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau in the People's Republic of China). These are not dependent territories in the strict sense of the meaning, but have in some way a similar position.
List of dependencies by Commonwealth sovereignty
All these are, as such or as part of a Commonwealth realm in personal union under the same British Monarch.
- Ashmore and Cartier Islands: territory administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services
- Christmas Island: territory administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands: territory administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services
- Coral Sea Islands: territory administered from Canberra by the Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories
- Heard Island and McDonald Islands: territory administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage
- Norfolk Island: territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories
- Australian Antarctic Territory: territory administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage
British
- Guernsey British crown dependency
- Jersey: British crown dependency
- Isle of Man: British crown dependency
- Cook Islands: self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains some responsibility for external affairs and defense, in consultation with the Cook Islands. As of 2005 the Cook Islands has diplomatic relations in its own name with 18 countries.
- Niue: self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974; Niue fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense; however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue
- Tokelau: self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN sponsored referendum on self-governance, in February 2006, did not produce the two thirds majority vote necessary for changing the current political status
- Ross Dependency: land and islands claimed in Antarctica
- ''See also British Crown
- Akrotiri: overseas territory administered by an administrator who is also the Commander of the British Forces, Cyprus
- Anguilla: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Bermuda: overseas territory (a self-governing territory as defined by the UK. A non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- British Antarctic Territory: land and islands claimed in Antarctica
- British Indian Ocean Territory: overseas territory administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
- British Virgin Islands: overseas territory with internal self-government (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Cayman Islands: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Dhekelia: overseas territory administered by an administrator who is also the Commander of the British Forces, Cyprus
- Falkland Islands: overseas territory; also claimed by Argentina (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Gibraltar: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Montserrat: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Pitcairn Islands: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Saint Helena: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN); it includes the Island group of Tristan da Cunha; Saint Helena also administers Ascension Island.
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: overseas territory, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen Elizabeth II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South Georgia, is a scientific base
- Turks and Caicos Islands: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
List of dependencies by other sovereignty
- Faroe Islands: part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but not of the European Union; self-governing overseas administrative division since 1948
- Greenland: part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but not of the European Union; self-governing overseas administrative division since 1979
- France includes also the overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion, see notes
- Bassas da India: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Clipperton Island: possession administered by France from French Polynesia by a high commissioner of the Republic (no permanent population)
- Europa Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- French Polynesia: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as an overseas country since 2004)
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands: overseas territory since 1955 administered from Paris by Administrateur Superieur François Garde (since 24 May 2000), assisted by Secretary General Jean-Yves Hermoso; includes Île Amsterdam, Île Saint-Paul, Îles Crozet, and Îles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, along with Adélie Land, the French-claimed sector of Antarctica (no permanent population).
- Glorioso Islands: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Juan de Nova Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Mayotte: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a departmental collectivity since 2001)
- New Caledonia: territory with a unique status since 1999 (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a territorial collectivity since 1985)
- Tromelin Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Wallis and Futuna: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a territory since 1961)
- Aruba: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not of the European Union; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
- Netherlands Antilles: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not of the European Union; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs; comprises two groupings of islands: Curaçao and Bonaire are located off the coast of Venezuela; Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (the Dutch two-fifths of the island of Saint Martin) lie 800 km to the north.
- Jan Mayen: territory administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland since August 1994; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service
- Bouvet Island, territory administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo
- Peter I Island (Antarctica)
- Queen Maud Land (Antarctica)
The smallest island entities belong to the United States Minor Outlying Islands
In the Caribbean
- Navassa Island: unincorporated territory of the U.S.; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island
- Puerto Rico: unincorporated, organized territory of the US with 'commonwealth' status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President
- U.S. Virgin Islands: organized, unincorporated territory with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
In the Pacific
- American Samoa: unincorporated and unorganized territory administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Guam: organized, unincorporated territory with policy relations between Guam and the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Northern Mariana Islands: commonwealth in political union with the U.S.; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs
- Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef & Midway Islands: unincorporated territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
- Palmyra Atoll: incorporated Territory of the US; partly privately owned and partly federally owned; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon
- Wake Island: unincorporated territory administered from Washington, D.C., by the US Department of the Interior; activities on the island are conducted by the US Air Force, the ownership of the territory is disputed with the Marshall Islands.
Notes
France
French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion are departments (first-order administrative units) of France, and are therefore not dependencies or areas of special sovereignty, similar to how the island state of Hawaii is a first-order political unit of the United States. The Department of Guadeloupe includes the nearby islands of Marie-Galante, La Desirade, and the Iles des Saintes, as well as Saint Barthelemy and the northern three-fifths of Saint Martin (the rest of which belongs to Netherlands Antilles).
- Guernsey British crown dependency
- Jersey: British crown dependency
- Isle of Man: British crown dependency
- Cook Islands: self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains some responsibility for external affairs and defense, in consultation with the Cook Islands. As of 2005 the Cook Islands has diplomatic relations in its own name with 18 countries.
- Niue: self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974; Niue fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense; however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue
- Tokelau: self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN sponsored referendum on self-governance, in February 2006, did not produce the two thirds majority vote necessary for changing the current political status
- Ross Dependency: land and islands claimed in Antarctica
- ''See also British Crown
- Akrotiri: overseas territory administered by an administrator who is also the Commander of the British Forces, Cyprus
- Anguilla: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Bermuda: overseas territory (a self-governing territory as defined by the UK. A non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- British Antarctic Territory: land and islands claimed in Antarctica
- British Indian Ocean Territory: overseas territory administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
- British Virgin Islands: overseas territory with internal self-government (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Cayman Islands: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Dhekelia: overseas territory administered by an administrator who is also the Commander of the British Forces, Cyprus
- Falkland Islands: overseas territory; also claimed by Argentina (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Gibraltar: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Montserrat: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Pitcairn Islands: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Saint Helena: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN); it includes the Island group of Tristan da Cunha; Saint Helena also administers Ascension Island.
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: overseas territory, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen Elizabeth II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South Georgia, is a scientific base
- Turks and Caicos Islands: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
List of dependencies by other sovereignty
- Faroe Islands: part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but not of the European Union; self-governing overseas administrative division since 1948
- Greenland: part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but not of the European Union; self-governing overseas administrative division since 1979
- France includes also the overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion, see notes
- Bassas da India: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Clipperton Island: possession administered by France from French Polynesia by a high commissioner of the Republic (no permanent population)
- Europa Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- French Polynesia: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as an overseas country since 2004)
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands: overseas territory since 1955 administered from Paris by Administrateur Superieur François Garde (since 24 May 2000), assisted by Secretary General Jean-Yves Hermoso; includes Île Amsterdam, Île Saint-Paul, Îles Crozet, and Îles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, along with Adélie Land, the French-claimed sector of Antarctica (no permanent population).
- Glorioso Islands: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Juan de Nova Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Mayotte: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a departmental collectivity since 2001)
- New Caledonia: territory with a unique status since 1999 (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a territorial collectivity since 1985)
- Tromelin Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Wallis and Futuna: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a territory since 1961)
- Aruba: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not of the European Union; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
- Netherlands Antilles: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not of the European Union; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs; comprises two groupings of islands: Curaçao and Bonaire are located off the coast of Venezuela; Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (the Dutch two-fifths of the island of Saint Martin) lie 800 km to the north.
- Jan Mayen: territory administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland since August 1994; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service
- Bouvet Island, territory administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo
- Peter I Island (Antarctica)
- Queen Maud Land (Antarctica)
The smallest island entities belong to the United States Minor Outlying Islands
In the Caribbean
- Navassa Island: unincorporated territory of the U.S.; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island
- Puerto Rico: unincorporated, organized territory of the US with 'commonwealth' status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President
- U.S. Virgin Islands: organized, unincorporated territory with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
In the Pacific
- American Samoa: unincorporated and unorganized territory administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Guam: organized, unincorporated territory with policy relations between Guam and the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Northern Mariana Islands: commonwealth in political union with the U.S.; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs
- Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef & Midway Islands: unincorporated territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
- Palmyra Atoll: incorporated Territory of the US; partly privately owned and partly federally owned; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon
- Wake Island: unincorporated territory administered from Washington, D.C., by the US Department of the Interior; activities on the island are conducted by the US Air Force, the ownership of the territory is disputed with the Marshall Islands.
Notes
France
French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion are departments (first-order administrative units) of France, and are therefore not dependencies or areas of special sovereignty, similar to how the island state of Hawaii is a first-order political unit of the United States. The Department of Guadeloupe includes the nearby islands of Marie-Galante, La Desirade, and the Iles des Saintes, as well as Saint Barthelemy and the northern three-fifths of Saint Martin (the rest of which belongs to Netherlands Antilles).
- ''See also British Crown
- Akrotiri: overseas territory administered by an administrator who is also the Commander of the British Forces, Cyprus
- Anguilla: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Bermuda: overseas territory (a self-governing territory as defined by the UK. A non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- British Antarctic Territory: land and islands claimed in Antarctica
- British Indian Ocean Territory: overseas territory administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
- British Virgin Islands: overseas territory with internal self-government (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Cayman Islands: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Dhekelia: overseas territory administered by an administrator who is also the Commander of the British Forces, Cyprus
- Falkland Islands: overseas territory; also claimed by Argentina (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Gibraltar: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Montserrat: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Pitcairn Islands: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Saint Helena: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN); it includes the Island group of Tristan da Cunha; Saint Helena also administers Ascension Island.
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: overseas territory, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen Elizabeth II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South Georgia, is a scientific base
- Turks and Caicos Islands: overseas territory (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
List of dependencies by other sovereignty
- Faroe Islands: part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but not of the European Union; self-governing overseas administrative division since 1948
- Greenland: part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but not of the European Union; self-governing overseas administrative division since 1979
- France includes also the overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion, see notes
- Bassas da India: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Clipperton Island: possession administered by France from French Polynesia by a high commissioner of the Republic (no permanent population)
- Europa Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- French Polynesia: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as an overseas country since 2004)
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands: overseas territory since 1955 administered from Paris by Administrateur Superieur François Garde (since 24 May 2000), assisted by Secretary General Jean-Yves Hermoso; includes Île Amsterdam, Île Saint-Paul, Îles Crozet, and Îles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, along with Adélie Land, the French-claimed sector of Antarctica (no permanent population).
- Glorioso Islands: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Juan de Nova Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Mayotte: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a departmental collectivity since 2001)
- New Caledonia: territory with a unique status since 1999 (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a territorial collectivity since 1985)
- Tromelin Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Wallis and Futuna: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a territory since 1961)
- Aruba: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not of the European Union; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
- Netherlands Antilles: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not of the European Union; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs; comprises two groupings of islands: Curaçao and Bonaire are located off the coast of Venezuela; Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (the Dutch two-fifths of the island of Saint Martin) lie 800 km to the north.
- Jan Mayen: territory administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland since August 1994; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service
- Bouvet Island, territory administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo
- Peter I Island (Antarctica)
- Queen Maud Land (Antarctica)
The smallest island entities belong to the United States Minor Outlying Islands
In the Caribbean
- Navassa Island: unincorporated territory of the U.S.; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island
- Puerto Rico: unincorporated, organized territory of the US with 'commonwealth' status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President
- U.S. Virgin Islands: organized, unincorporated territory with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
In the Pacific
- American Samoa: unincorporated and unorganized territory administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Guam: organized, unincorporated territory with policy relations between Guam and the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Northern Mariana Islands: commonwealth in political union with the U.S.; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs
- Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef & Midway Islands: unincorporated territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
- Palmyra Atoll: incorporated Territory of the US; partly privately owned and partly federally owned; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon
- Wake Island: unincorporated territory administered from Washington, D.C., by the US Department of the Interior; activities on the island are conducted by the US Air Force, the ownership of the territory is disputed with the Marshall Islands.
Notes
France
French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion are departments (first-order administrative units) of France, and are therefore not dependencies or areas of special sovereignty, similar to how the island state of Hawaii is a first-order political unit of the United States. The Department of Guadeloupe includes the nearby islands of Marie-Galante, La Desirade, and the Iles des Saintes, as well as Saint Barthelemy and the northern three-fifths of Saint Martin (the rest of which belongs to Netherlands Antilles).
- France includes also the overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion, see notes
- Bassas da India: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Clipperton Island: possession administered by France from French Polynesia by a high commissioner of the Republic (no permanent population)
- Europa Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- French Polynesia: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as an overseas country since 2004)
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands: overseas territory since 1955 administered from Paris by Administrateur Superieur François Garde (since 24 May 2000), assisted by Secretary General Jean-Yves Hermoso; includes Île Amsterdam, Île Saint-Paul, Îles Crozet, and Îles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, along with Adélie Land, the French-claimed sector of Antarctica (no permanent population).
- Glorioso Islands: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Juan de Nova Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Mayotte: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a departmental collectivity since 2001)
- New Caledonia: territory with a unique status since 1999 (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a territorial collectivity since 1985)
- Tromelin Island: possession administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Réunion (no permanent population)
- Wallis and Futuna: overseas collectivity since 2003 (designated as a territory since 1961)
- Aruba: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not of the European Union; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
- Netherlands Antilles: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not of the European Union; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs; comprises two groupings of islands: Curaçao and Bonaire are located off the coast of Venezuela; Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (the Dutch two-fifths of the island of Saint Martin) lie 800 km to the north.
- Jan Mayen: territory administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland since August 1994; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service
- Bouvet Island, territory administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo
- Peter I Island (Antarctica)
- Queen Maud Land (Antarctica)
The smallest island entities belong to the United States Minor Outlying Islands
In the Caribbean
- Navassa Island: unincorporated territory of the U.S.; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island
- Puerto Rico: unincorporated, organized territory of the US with 'commonwealth' status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President
- U.S. Virgin Islands: organized, unincorporated territory with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
In the Pacific
- American Samoa: unincorporated and unorganized territory administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Guam: organized, unincorporated territory with policy relations between Guam and the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Northern Mariana Islands: commonwealth in political union with the U.S.; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs
- Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef & Midway Islands: unincorporated territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
- Palmyra Atoll: incorporated Territory of the US; partly privately owned and partly federally owned; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon
- Wake Island: unincorporated territory administered from Washington, D.C., by the US Department of the Interior; activities on the island are conducted by the US Air Force, the ownership of the territory is disputed with the Marshall Islands.
Notes
France
French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion are departments (first-order administrative units) of France, and are therefore not dependencies or areas of special sovereignty, similar to how the island state of Hawaii is a first-order political unit of the United States. The Department of Guadeloupe includes the nearby islands of Marie-Galante, La Desirade, and the Iles des Saintes, as well as Saint Barthelemy and the northern three-fifths of Saint Martin (the rest of which belongs to Netherlands Antilles).
- Jan Mayen: territory administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland since August 1994; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service
- Bouvet Island, territory administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo
- Peter I Island (Antarctica)
- Queen Maud Land (Antarctica)
The smallest island entities belong to the United States Minor Outlying Islands
In the Caribbean
- Navassa Island: unincorporated territory of the U.S.; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island
- Puerto Rico: unincorporated, organized territory of the US with 'commonwealth' status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President
- U.S. Virgin Islands: organized, unincorporated territory with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
In the Pacific
- American Samoa: unincorporated and unorganized territory administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Guam: organized, unincorporated territory with policy relations between Guam and the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (a non-self-governing territory as listed by the UN)
- Northern Mariana Islands: commonwealth in political union with the U.S.; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs
- Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef & Midway Islands: unincorporated territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
- Palmyra Atoll: incorporated Territory of the US; partly privately owned and partly federally owned; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon
- Wake Island: unincorporated territory administered from Washington, D.C., by the US Department of the Interior; activities on the island are conducted by the US Air Force, the ownership of the territory is disputed with the Marshall Islands.
Notes
France
French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion are departments (first-order administrative units) of France, and are therefore not dependencies or areas of special sovereignty, similar to how the island state of Hawaii is a first-order political unit of the United States. The Department of Guadeloupe includes the nearby islands of Marie-Galante, La Desirade, and the Iles des Saintes, as well as Saint Barthelemy and the northern three-fifths of Saint Martin (the rest of which belongs to Netherlands Antilles).
The uninhabited islands of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island are administered from Reunion; all these islands are claimed by Madagascar, and Tromelin Island is claimed by Mauritius. However their are not legally part of the Reunion but part of the French Republic (and grouped together as an entity formally named "Dispersed islands", or îles Éparses), as well as the French Southern Territories (a group of islands in the Far Southern Indian Ocean, near the Antarctic, and that previously included the French claims in the Antarctic), or the small island of Clipperton, administered for the French Republic from French Polynesia, but claimed by Mexico.
France has no formal colonies since the 1960s. All citizens of the listed territorial entities enjoy full French (and European Union) citizenship rights, including the right to vote for national or European elections (including those living in areas out of the European Union, for the election of French deputies at the European Parlement). All the inhabited entities, whatever their status, are represented by deputies and senators to the national parliament. French citizens living abroad can also vote in the French embassies and consulates worldwide for their own deputies.
French Polynesia (overseas country), New Caledonia (collectivity sui generis), and Wallis and Futuna (overseas territorial collectivity) enjoy some substantial legislative autonomy and have a separate currency (the CFP Franc). These territories are not in the economical area of the European Union, and have a legal personality allowing them to be members of other regional organizations. Whether they will choose independence in the future is an open question, and the local governments of these territories have considered to replace the Franc CFP by the Euro (but to keep their independent financial autonomy).
See Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans
United States
Citizens of U.S. overseas possessions, including Puerto Rico, do not have the right to vote in U.S. federal elections. The U.S. Department of State uses the term Insular areas to refer to the areas listed above (with the exception of Guantanamo Bay). Although the U.S. state of Hawaii is an island and is technically overseas from the rest of the U.S., it is fully a state of the Union and shares equal status under the U.S. constitution with all of the other states.The U.S. does not claim sovereignty on Guantanamo Bay, but exercises permanent control and pays rent under terms of treaties with Cuba.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau, formerly part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, have not been U.S. territory ever since each became a sovereign state and entered into a Compact of Free Association with the United States. However, some still treated them as U.S. dependencies until they were admitted to the United Nations in the 1990s as full nations.
The Native American tribal governments are sometimes called "dependencies", but in a broader sense they are really subnational entities; their territories, whether recognized as reservations or not, are an integral part of the United States in every territorial and geographic sense, as well as legally for most purposes. Their status as a "nation" is merely official recognition of their historic tribal sovereignty, which under U.S. law usually displaces state sovereignty but not Federal sovereignty (including foreign affairs). Native Americans are full citizens of the United States and of the state in which they reside, regardless of their tribal membership or place of residence.
This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
See also
- List of countries
- List of sovereign states
- List of subnational entities
- List of territorial disputes
- List of special entities recognized by international treaty or agreement
- Condominium (international law) - Joint control by multiple sovereign states
- List of unrecognized countries
- Dependent territories in the European Union
- Kosovo, de jure part of Serbia, currently a UN protectorate.
- unclaimed Antarctic territories
External links
- [WorldStatesmen- includes former dependent states]
- [Political freedoms and civil rights rankings in the depedent territories]
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