Independent States in the World
State Department Country Background Notes
! New change, since previous list
| Short-form name | Long-form name | Sovereignty | FIPS Code (see note 1) | Administrative Center |
| ! Akrotiri (see note 15) | Akrotiri | United Kingdom | AX | Episkopi (see note 16) |
| American Samoa | Territory of American Samoa | United States | AQ | Pago Pago |
| Anguilla | Anguilla | United Kingdom | AV | The Valley |
| Antarctica | (no long-form name) | None (see note 2) | AY | None |
| Aruba | (no long-form name) | Netherlands | AA | Oranjestad |
| Ashmore and Cartier Islands | Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands | Australia | AT | Administered from Canberra |
| Baker Island | (no long-form name) | United States | FQ | Administered from Washington, D.C. |
| Bermuda | Bermuda | United Kingdom | BD | Hamilton |
| Bouvet Island | (no long-form name) | Norway | BV | Admin. from Oslo |
| British Indian Ocean Territory (see note 3) | British Indian Ocean Territory | United Kingdom | IO | None |
| Cayman Islands | Cayman Islands | United Kingdom | CJ | George Town |
| Christmas Island | Territory of Christmas Island | Australia | KT | The Settlement (Flying Fish Cove) |
| Clipperton Island | (no long-form name) | France | IP | Administered from Paris |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Australia | CK | West Island |
| Cook Islands | (no long-form name) | New Zealand | CW | Avarua |
| Coral Sea Islands | Coral Sea Islands Territory | Australia | CR | Administered from Canberra |
| ! Dhekelia (see note 15) | Dhekelia | United Kingdom | DX | Episkopi (see note 16) |
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | United Kingdom (see note 4) | FK | Stanley |
| Faroe Islands | (no long-form name) | Denmark | FO | Tórshavn |
| French Guiana (see note 5) | ||||
| French Polynesia | (no long-form name) | France | FP | Papeete |
| French Southern and Antarctic Lands (see note 6) | (no long-form name) | France | FS | Administered from Paris |
| Gibraltar | Gibraltar | United Kingdom | GI | Gibraltar |
| Greenland | (no long-form name) | Denmark | GL | Nuuk (Godthåb) |
| Guadeloupe (see note 5) | ||||
| Guam | Territory of Guam | United States | GQ | Hagatna |
| Guernsey (see note 7) | Bailiwick of Guernsey | British Crown Dependency | GK | Saint Peter Port |
| Heard Island and McDonald Islands | Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands | Australia | HM | Administered from Canberra |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | China (see note 8) | HK | None |
| Howland Island | (no long-form name) | United States | HQ | Administered from Washington, D.C. |
| Isle of Man | (no long-form name) | British Crown Dependency | IM | Douglas |
| Jan Mayen | (no long-form name) | Norway | JN | Administered from Oslo (see note 9) |
| Jarvis Island | (no long-form name) | United States | DQ | Administered from Washington, D.C. |
| Jersey | Bailiwick of Jersey | British Crown Dependency | JE | Saint Helier |
| Johnston Atoll | (no long-form name) | United States | JQ | Administered from Washington, D.C. |
| Kingman Reef | (no long-form name) | United States | KQ | Administered from Washington, D.C. |
| Macau | Macau Special Administrative Region | China (see note 10) | MC | Macau |
| Martinique (see note 5) | ||||
| Mayotte | Departmental Collectivity of Mayotte | France | MF | Mamoudzou |
| Midway Islands | (no long-form name) | United States | MQ | Administered from Washington, D.C. |
| Montserrat | Montserrat | United Kingdom | MH | Plymouth |
| Navassa Island | (no long-form name) | United States | BQ | Administered from Washington, D.C. |
| Netherlands Antilles (see note 11) | (no long-form name) | Netherlands | NT | Willemstad |
| New Caledonia | (no long-form name) | France | NC | Nouméa |
| Niue | (no long-form name) | New Zealand | NE | Alofi |
| Norfolk Island | Territory of Norfolk Island | Australia | NF | Kingston |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands | United States | CQ | Saipan |
| Palmyra Atoll | (no long-form name) | United States | LQ | Administered from Washington, D.C. |
| Paracel Islands | (no long-form name) | undetermined (see note 12) | PF | None |
| Pitcairn Islands | Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands | United Kingdom | PC | Adamstown |
| Puerto Rico | Commonwealth of Puerto Rico | United States | RQ | San Juan |
| Reunion (see note 5) | ||||
| ! Saint Barthelemy | Saint Barthelemy | France | TB | Gustavia |
| Saint Helena (see note 13) | Saint Helena | United Kingdom | SH | Jamestown |
| ! Saint Martin (see note 17) | Saint Martin | France | RN | Marigot |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon | France | SB | Saint-Pierre |
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | United Kingdom (see note 4) | SX | None |
| Spratly Islands | (no long-form name) | undetermined (see note 14) | PG | None |
| Svalbard | (no long-form name) | Norway | SV | Longyearbyen |
| Tokelau | (no long-form name) | New Zealand | TL | None |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands | United Kingdom | TK | Grand Turk |
| Virgin Islands, British | Virgin Islands, British | United Kingdom | VI | Road Town |
| Virgin Islands, U.S. | United States Virgin Islands | United States | VQ | Charlotte Amalie |
| Wake Island | (no long-form name) | United States | WQ | Administered from Washington, D.C. |
| Wallis and Futuna | (no long-form name) | France | WF | Matâ'utu |
| Western Sahara | (no long-form name) | To be determined | WI | None |
NOTES
Note 1: Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 10-4 codes.
Note 2: Antarctica consists of the territory south of 60 degrees south latitude. This area includes claims by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the legal status of which remains in suspense under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty of 1959. The United States recognizes no claims to Antarctica.
Note 3: Chagos Archipelago (including Diego Garcia).
Note 4: U.K. Overseas Territory (also claimed by Argentina).
Note 5: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Reunion are departments (first-order administrative units) of France, and are therefore not dependencies or areas of special sovereignty. They are included in this list only for the convenience of the user. The Department of Guadeloupe includes the nearby islands of Marie-Galante, La Desirade, and Iles des Saintes.
Note 6: The French Southern and Antarctic Lands includes Île Amsterdam, Île Saint-Paul, Îles Crozet, and Îles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean; the "Iles Eparses" (Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island and Tromelin Island) in the Mozambique Channel and western Indian Ocean; and the French-claimed sector of Antarctica, "Terre Adélie." The United States does not recognize the French claim to "Terre Adélie" (see note 2).
Note 7: The Bailiwick of Guernsey includes the islands of Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and nearby smaller islands.
Note 8: Under a Sino-British declaration of September 1984, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese control on July 1, 1997. It is now a semi-autonomous entity that exists pursuant to international agreement and maintains its own government apart from the People's Republic of China.
Note 9: Administered from Oslo, Norway, through a governor resident in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.
Note 10: Under the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau signed in 1987, Macau reverted to Chinese control on December 20, 1999. It is now a semi-autonomous entity that exists pursuant to international agreement and maintains its own government apart from the People's Republic of China.
Note 11: Netherlands Antilles 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.
Note 12: South China Sea islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam.
Note 13: The territory of Saint Helena includes the Island group of Tristan da Cunha; Saint Helena also administers Ascension Island.
Note 14: South China Sea islands claimed in entirety by China and Vietnam and in part by the Philippines and Malaysia; each of these states occupies some part of the islands.
Note 15: United Kingdom sovereign base area on the island of Cyprus.
Note 16: The joint force headquarters under the Commander of the British Forces, Cyprus administers both sovereign base areas from Episkopi.
Note 17: The island of Saint Martin is divided: the northern three-fifths form the French collectivity of Saint-Martin, while the southern two-fifths (Sint Maarten) are part of the Netherlands Antilles.
Source: Office of The Geographer and Global Issues, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC.
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