Sovereign states by year | ||
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List of sovereign states in 2009 | Events of 2010 | List of sovereign states in 2011 |
This is a list of sovereign states in 2010, giving an overview of states around the world during the period between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010. It contains 205 entries, arranged alphabetically, with information on the status and recognition of their sovereignty. It includes 194 widely recognized sovereign states and 11 entities which claim an effective sovereignty but are considered de facto constituents of other powers by the general international community.
Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state. Recognition can be reaccorded either de facto or de jure. Recognition can be a declaration to that effect by the recognizing government, or an act of recognition such as entering into a treaty with the other state. A vote by a country in the United Nations in favour of the membership of another country is an implicit recognition of that country by the country so voting, as only states may be members of the UN.
Sovereignty is the full right and power of a governing body over itself, without any interference from outside sources or bodies. In political theory, sovereignty is a substantive term designating supreme authority over some polity. In international law, the important concept of sovereignty refers to the exercise of power by a state. De jure sovereignty refers to the legal right to do so; de facto sovereignty the ability in fact to do so
In law and government, de facto describes practices that exist in reality, even though they are not officially recognized by laws. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with de jure, which refers to things that happen according to law.
Name and capital city | Information on status and recognition of sovereignty | |
---|---|---|
A | ||
Capital: Kabul | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Tirana | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Algiers | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Andorra la Vella | Widely-recognized UN member state; the President of France and Bishop of Urgell were ex officio Co-Princes of Andorra. The defense of Andorra was the responsibility of France and Spain. | |
Capital: Luanda | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: St. John's | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. Antigua and Barbuda had two dependencies and they were Barbuda and Redonda. | |
Capital: Buenos Aires | Widely-recognized UN member state. Argentina was a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city. [lower-alpha 2] It had a claim over Argentine Antarctica, which was suspended under the Antarctic Treaty. It also claimed the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, both of which were British overseas territories. | |
Capital: Yerevan | Widely-recognized UN member state. [lower-alpha 3] | |
Capital: Canberra | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. Australia was a federation of six states and three territories. [lower-alpha 4] It had sovereignty over the following external territories:
The Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands is an uninhabited external territory of Australia consisting of four low-lying tropical islands in two separate reefs, and the 12 nautical mile territorial sea generated by the islands. The territory is located in the Indian Ocean situated on the edge of the continental shelf, about 320 km (199 mi) off the northwest coast of Australia and 144 km (89 mi) south of the Indonesian island of Rote. The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is a part of Antarctica administered by the Australian Antarctic Division, an agency of the federal Department of the Environment and Energy. The territory's history dates to a claim on Enderby Land made by the United Kingdom in 1841, which was subsequently expanded and eventually transferred to Australia in 1933. It is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation by area. In 1961, the Antarctic Treaty came into force. Article 4 deals with territorial claims, and although it does not renounce or diminish any preexisting claims to sovereignty, it also does not prejudice the position of Contracting Parties in their recognition or non-recognition of territorial sovereignty. As a result, only four other countries—New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, and Norway—recognise Australia's claim to sovereignty in Antarctica. The Territory of Christmas Island is an Australian external territory comprising the island of the same name. Christmas Island is located in the Indian Ocean, around 350 kilometres (220 mi) south of Java and Sumatra and around 1,550 kilometres (960 mi) north-west of the closest point on the Australian mainland. It has an area of 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi). | |
Capital: Vienna | Widely-recognized UN member state and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. EU member. Austria was a federation of nine states. [lower-alpha 5] | |
Capital: Baku | Widely-recognized UN member state; Azerbaijan had one autonomous republic and it was Nakhchivan. It included the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, where a partially recognized breakaway republic had declared independence. | |
B | ||
Capital: Nassau | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. | |
Capital: Manama | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Dhaka | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Bridgetown | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. | |
Capital: Minsk | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Brussels | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. Belgium was a federation of three communities and three regions. [lower-alpha 6] | |
Capital: Belmopan | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. | |
Capital: Porto-Novo (official), Cotonou (seat of government) | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Thimphu | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Sucre (official), La Paz (administrative) | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Sarajevo | Widely-recognized UN member state and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Bosnia and Herzegovina was a federation of two constituent entities and they were the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. | |
Capital: Gaborone | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Brasília | Widely-recognized UN member state and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Brazil was a federation of 26 states and one federal district. [lower-alpha 7] | |
Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan | Widely-recognized UN member state. Brunei claimed part of the Spratly Islands (disputed by China, Taiwan Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia). | |
Capital: Sofia | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Ouagadougou | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Burma | ||
Capital: Bujumbura | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
C | ||
Capital: Phnom Penh | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Yaoundé | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Ottawa | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. Canada was a federation of ten provinces and three territories. [lower-alpha 8] | |
Capital: Praia | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Bangui | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: N'Djamena | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Santiago | Widely-recognized UN member state. Chile had two special territories and they were Easter Island and the Juan Fernández Islands. It had a claim over Chilean Antarctic Territory, which was suspended under the Antarctic Treaty. | |
Capital: Beijing | Widely-recognized UN member state [lower-alpha 9] and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. The People's Republic of China had five autonomous regions: Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Tibet. Additionally, it had sovereignty over two special administrative regions: China claimed Taiwan, Kinmen, the Matsu Islands, the Pratas Islands and Itu Aba, all of which were governed by the Republic of China. It also claimed the Paracel Islands (disputed by the Republic of China and Vietnam), the Spratly Islands (disputed by the Republic of China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei), and South Tibet (controlled by India). The People's Republic of China administered Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract, which were within the disputed region of Kashmir. China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia and the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.404 billion in 2017. Covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third or fourth largest country by total area. Governed by the Communist Party of China, the state exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities, and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the north-east, and the Philippines to the south. The island of Taiwan has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 sq mi), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanised population is concentrated. Taipei is the capital and largest metropolitan area. Other major cities include Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan and Taoyuan. With 23.7 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated states, and is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations (UN). Kinmen or Quemoy, officially Kinmen County, is two groups of islands governed by the Republic of China (Taiwan) and located just off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The county consists of the Kinmen Islands and the Wuqiu Islands (Ockseu) more than 110 kilometres (68 mi) to the northeast. It is one of two counties under the streamlined Fujian Province of the Republic of China. The Kinmen Islands are located only about two kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the mainland city of Xiamen, and their strategic position has reflected the significant change of Cross-Strait relations from a battlefront to a trading point between China and Taiwan. In the controversy regarding the political status of Taiwan, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has continuously claimed the territory of Kinmen County as part of its own Fujian Province, claiming the Kinmen Islands as a county of Quanzhou prefecture-level city, and claiming the Wuqiu (Ockseu) Islands as part of Xiuyu District in Putian prefecture-level city. | |
Capital: Bogotá | Widely-recognized UN member state. Colombia administered Serranilla Bank and claimed Bajo Nuevo Bank (disputed by Nicaragua and the United States) | |
Capital: Moroni | Widely-recognized UN member state. The Comoros was a federation of three islands autonomous islands: Grande Comore, Mohéli, and Anjouan. Comoros also claimed sovereignty over the French region of Mayotte and the Glorioso Islands. Comoros also claimed Banc du Geyser (disputed by Madagascar and France). | |
Capital: Kinshasa | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Brazzaville | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: San José | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Côte d'Ivoire | ||
Capital: Zagreb | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Havana | Widely-recognized UN member state; the Cuban area of Guantánamo Bay was under the control of the United States. | |
Capital: Nicosia | Widely-recognized UN member state. [lower-alpha 10] EU member. The northeastern part of the island was under the control of the de facto independent state of Northern Cyprus, which was recognized only by Turkey. | |
Capital: Prague | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
D | ||
Capital: Copenhagen | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. The Kingdom of Denmark also included two autonomous countries: | |
Capital: Djibouti | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Roseau | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Santo Domingo | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
E | ||
Capital: Dili | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Quito | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Cairo | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: San Salvador | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Malabo | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Asmara | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Tallinn | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Addis Ababa | Widely-recognized UN member state; Ethiopia was a federation of nine regions and two chartered cities. [lower-alpha 12] | |
F | ||
Capital: Suva | Widely-recognized UN member state. Fiji had an autonomous dependency, Rotuma. | |
Capital: Helsinki | Widely-recognized UN member state. EU member. Finland had a neutral and demilitarised region: | |
Capital: Paris | Widely-recognized UN member state and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. EU member. France includes four overseas departments: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion. It also had sovereignty over the following overseas territories:
Clipperton Island is an uninhabited 6 km2 (2.3 sq mi) coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Central America. It is 10,677 km (6,634 mi) from Paris, France, 5,400 km (3,400 mi) from Papeete, Tahiti, and 1,080 km (670 mi) from Mexico. It is an overseas minor territory of France, under direct authority of the Minister of Overseas France. French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of the French Republic and its sole overseas country. It is composed of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over an expanse of more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) in the South Pacific Ocean. Its total land area is 4,167 square kilometres (1,609 sq mi). The French Southern and Antarctic Lands is an overseas territory of France. It consists of:
France also claimed Banc du Geyser (disputed by Madagascar and the Comoros). | |
G | ||
Capital: Libreville | Widely-recognized UN member state and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. | |
Capital: Banjul | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Tbilisi | Widely-recognized UN member state. Georgia had two autonomous republics and they were Adjara and Abkhazia. The latter republic was home to a de facto independent state. Georgia also included the disputed region of South Ossetia, where a partially-recognized breakaway republic had declared independence. | |
Capital: Berlin | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. Germany was a federation of sixteen states. [lower-alpha 13] | |
Capital: Accra | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Athens | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. Greece had sovereignty over Mount Athos, an autonomous monastic state that was jointly governed by the multi-national "Holy Community" on the mountain and the Civil Governor appointed by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and spiritually under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. | |
Capital: St. George's | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. Grenada had one autonomous dependency and it was Carriacou and Petite Martinique. | |
Capital: Guatemala City | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Conakry | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Bissau | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Georgetown | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
H | ||
Capital: Port-au-Prince | Widely-recognized UN member state; Haiti claimed the uninhabited United States possession of Navassa Island. | |
Holy See | ||
Capital: Tegucigalpa | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Budapest | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
I | ||
Capital: Reykjavík | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: New Delhi | Widely-recognized UN member state. India was a federation of twenty-eight states and seven union territories. Indian sovereignty over South Tibet was disputed by China. India administered part of the disputed region of Kashmir as the state of Jammu and Kashmir. [lower-alpha 14] | |
Capital: Jakarta | Widely-recognized UN member state. Indonesia had five special provinces: Aceh, Jakarta, Papua, West Papua, and Yogyakarta. | |
Capital: Tehran | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Baghdad | Widely-recognized UN member state. Iraq was constitutionally designated as a federation of autonomous regions, but only one region (Iraqi Kurdistan) had actually been established. | |
Capital: Dublin | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Jerusalem | Widely-recognized UN member state.{{Israel was not recognized by Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Chad, Cuba, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, or Yemen.}} Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank. These areas were not generally recognized as being part of Israel. | |
Capital: Rome | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. Italy had 5 autonomous regions: Aosta Valley, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Sardinia, Sicily, and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. | |
Capital: Yamoussoukro (official), Abidjan (seat of government) | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
J | ||
Capital: Kingston | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. | |
Capital: Tokyo | Widely-recognized UN member state and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. | |
Capital: Amman | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
K | ||
Capital: Astana | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Nairobi | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: South Tarawa | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Pyongyang | Widely-recognized UN member state; [lower-alpha 16] claimed to be the sole legitimate government of Korea. | |
Capital: Seoul | Widely-recognized UN member state. [lower-alpha 17] South Korea had one autonomous region and it was Jeju-do; claimed to be the sole legitimate government of Korea. | |
Capital: Kuwait City | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Bishkek | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
L | ||
Capital: Vientiane | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Riga | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Beirut | Widely-recognized UN member state and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. | |
Capital: Maseru | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Monrovia | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Tripoli | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Vaduz | Widely-recognized UN member state; the defense of Liechtenstein was the responsibility of Switzerland. | |
Capital: Vilnius | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Luxembourg | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
M | ||
Capital: Skopje | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Antananarivo | Widely-recognized UN member state. Madagascar claimed the French possessions of Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands and Juan de Nova Island. It also claimed Banc du Geyser (disputed by Comoros and France). | |
Capital: Lilongwe | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Kuala Lumpur (official), Putrajaya (administrative) | Widely-recognized UN member state; Malaysia was a federation of thirteen states and three federal territories. [lower-alpha 19] Malaysia claimed part of the Spratly Islands (disputed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei). | |
Capital: Malé | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Bamako | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Valletta | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Majuro | Widely-recognized UN member state under Compact of Free Association with the United States; the Marshall Islands claimed the U.S. territory of Wake Island. | |
Capital: Nouakchott | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Port Louis | Widely-recognized UN member state; Mauritius had one autonomous dependency and it was Rodrigues. Mauritius also had two other dependencies and they were Agalega Islands and Cargados Carajos; it claimed the British Indian Ocean Territory and the French territory of Tromelin Island. | |
Capital: Mexico City | Widely-recognized UN member state and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council; Mexico was a federation of 31 states and one federal district. [lower-alpha 20] | |
Capital: Palikir | Widely-recognized UN member state under Compact of Free Association with the United States; the FSM was a federation of four states. [lower-alpha 21] | |
Capital: Chişinău | Widely-recognized UN member state. Moldova had two autonomous territorial units: Gagauzia and Transnistria. The latter was home to a de facto independent state. | |
Capital: Monaco | Widely-recognized UN member state; the defense of Monaco was the responsibility of France. | |
Capital: Ulaanbaatar | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Podgorica | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Rabat | Widely-recognized UN member state. Morocco claimed sovereignty over and controlled most of the disputed Western Sahara, which was home to the de facto independent Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Morocco disputed the Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta, Isla de Alborán, Isla Perejil, Islas Chafarinas, Melilla, and Peñón de Alhucemas. | |
Capital: Maputo | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Naypyidaw
| Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
N | ||
Capital: Windhoek | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Yaren (unofficial, seat of parliament) | Widely-recognized UN member state; the defense of Nauru was the responsibility of Australia. | |
Capital: Kathmandu | Widely-recognized UN member state. Nepal was designated as a federation, but its federal units had not yet been created. | |
Capital: Amsterdam (official), The Hague (seat of government) | Widely-recognized UN member state. The Kingdom of the Netherlands consisted of four (three until 10 October) autonomous countries:
Territory of islands without autonomy (consists of three special municipalities that are part of the Netherlands):
The Kingdom of the Netherlands as a whole was a member of the EU, but Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Caribbean Netherlands are not. | |
Capital: Wellington | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. New Zealand had responsibilities for the two free associated states of: It also had sovereignty over two dependent territories:
The government of Tokelau claimed Swains Island, part of American Samoa (a U.S. dependency). New Zealand did not recognize this claim. | |
Capital: Managua | Widely-recognized UN member state. Nicaragua had two autonomous regions: the North Atlantic Autonomous Region and South Atlantic Autonomous Region. | |
Capital: Niamey | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Abuja | Widely-recognized UN member state and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council; Nigeria was a federation of 36 states and one federal territory. [lower-alpha 23] | |
Capital: Oslo | Widely-recognized UN member state. Norway had two integral overseas areas: Jan Mayen and Svalbard. The latter of area had a special status due to the Spitsbergen Treaty. Norway had sovereignty over the following dependencies:
| |
O | ||
Capital: Muscat, Oman | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
P | ||
Capital: Islamabad | Widely-recognized UN member state; Pakistan was a federation of four provinces and four territories. It administered part of the disputed region of Kashmir as the territories of Azad Kashmir and the autonomous territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. [lower-alpha 24] | |
Capital: Ngerulmud | Widely-recognized UN member state under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. | |
Capital: Ramallah (administrative), Gaza City (administrative), Jerusalem (claimed) | Partially-recognized de facto self-governing entity. [lower-alpha 25] Palestine claimed sovereignty over a disputed region consisting of three Israeli-occupied territories: the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. In foreign relations, Palestine was represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization, which was a permanent observer at the United Nations. The Palestinian National Authority was an interim administrative body that exercised limited control over parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Gaza was under the control of Hamas. | |
Capital: Panama City | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Port Moresby | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. Papua New Guinea had one autonomous region and it was Bougainville. | |
Capital: Asunción | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Lima | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Manila | Widely-recognized UN member state. The Philippines had one autonomous region and it was Muslim Mindanao. The Philippines administered Scarborough Shoal, which was disputed by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. It also claimed sovereignty over the Spratly Islands (disputed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia) and the Malaysian territory of Sabah. | |
Capital: Warsaw | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Lisbon | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. Portugal had two autonomous regions: the Azores and Madeira. Portugal claimed the Spanish municipalities of Olivenza and Táliga. | |
Q | ||
Capital: Doha | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
R | ||
Capital: Bucharest | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Moscow | Widely-recognized UN member state and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Russia was a federation of 22 republics, 46 oblasts, 9 krais, 3 federal cities, 1 autonomous oblast, and 4 autonomous okrugs. [lower-alpha 26] | |
Capital: Kigali | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
S | ||
Capital: Basseterre | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. Saint Kitts and Nevis was a federation of fourteen parishes within two island. [lower-alpha 27] Nevis (which was one of the islands) had autonomy. | |
Capital: Castries | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. | |
Capital: Kingstown | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. | |
Capital: Apia | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: San Marino | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: São Tomé | Widely-recognized UN member state; São Tomé and Príncipe had one autonomous province and it was Príncipe. | |
Capital: Riyadh | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Dakar | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Belgrade | Widely-recognized UN member state; Serbia had two autonomous provinces and they were Vojvodina and Kosovo and Metohija. The latter was governed by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo; Kosovo declared independence in 2008, [1] and was a partially recognized de facto independent republic. | |
Capital: Victoria | Widely-recognized UN member state; the Seychelles claimed the British Indian Ocean Territory. | |
Capital: Freetown | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Singapore | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Bratislava | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Ljubljana | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Honiara | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. | |
Capital: Mogadishu | Widely-recognized UN member state. Over the course of the Somali Civil War, several autonomous regional governments were established in the de jure territory of Somalia. Although these states did not claim independence from Somalia, they were de facto self-governing:
There were also areas of the country which at various times had no effective government at all or which were ruled by local clans. In addition, there was one state which had declared and established de facto independence from Somalia: Somaliland. | |
Capital: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial) | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Madrid | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. Spain was divided into seventeen autonomous communities and two autonomous cities. [lower-alpha 28] Its sovereignty over Ceuta, Isla de Alborán, Isla Perejil, Islas Chafarinas, Melilla, and Peñón de Alhucemas was disputed by Morocco. Its sovereignty over Olivenza and Táliga was disputed by Portugal. It claimed the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. | |
Capital: Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte (administrative), Colombo (commercial) | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Khartoum | Widely-recognized UN member state; Sudan was a federation of 25 states. [lower-alpha 29] | |
Capital: Paramaribo | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Mbabane (administrative), Lobamba (royal and legislative) | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Stockholm | Widely-recognized UN member state; EU member. | |
Capital: Bern | Widely recognized independent state; UN member state. Switzerland was a federation of 26 cantons. [lower-alpha 30] | |
Capital: Damascus | Widely-recognized UN member state. Syria included the Golan Heights, which were occupied by Israel. It disputed the Turkish sovereignty over Hatay Province. | |
T | ||
Capital: Dushanbe | Widely-recognized UN member state. Tajikistan had one autonomous province and it was Gorno-Badakhshan. | |
Capital: Dodoma (official), Dar es Salaam (seat of government) | Widely-recognized UN member state. Tanzania had one autonomous region and it was Zanzibar. | |
Capital: Bangkok | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Timor-Leste | ||
Capital: Lomé | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Nukuʻalofa | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Port of Spain | Widely-recognized UN member state. Trinidad and Tobago had one autonomous island and it was Tobago. | |
Capital: Tunis | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Ankara | Widely-recognized UN member state and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. | |
Capital: Ashgabat | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Funafuti | Widely-recognized UN member state; Commonwealth realm. | |
U | ||
Capital: Kampala | Widely-recognized UN member state and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. | |
Capital: Kiev | Widely-recognized UN member state. Ukraine had one autonomous republic and it was Crimea. | |
Capital: Abu Dhabi | Widely-recognized UN member state; the United Arab Emirates was a federation of seven emirates. [lower-alpha 31] | |
Capital: London | Widely-recognized UN member state and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. EU member. The United Kingdom was composed of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. It had sovereignty over the following British overseas territories:
In addition, the British Monarch (not the United Kingdom) had direct sovereignty over three self-governing Crown dependencies:
| |
Capital: Washington, D.C. | Widely-recognized UN member state and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. The United States was a federation of 50 states, one federal district, and one incorporated territory. [lower-alpha 32] It asserted sovereignty over the following inhabited insular areas:
It also asserted sovereignty over eight uninhabited unincorporated territories: [lower-alpha 33]
The United States claimed Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank. Its claim to Serranilla was disputed by Colombia and Nicaragua and its claim to Bajo Nuevo was disputed by Colombia, Jamaica, and Nicaragua. Some government sources stated that these two areas were unincorporated territories of the United States. | |
Capital: Montevideo | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Tashkent | Widely-recognized UN member state. Uzbekistan had one autonomous republic: Karakalpakstan. | |
V | ||
Capital: Port Vila | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Vatican City | Widely recognized independent state. Vatican City was administered by the Holy See, a sovereign entity recognized by a large number of countries and a Permanent observer at the United Nations. The Holy See also administered a number of extraterritorial properties in Italy. The Pope was the ex officio head of state of Vatican City. | |
Capital: Caracas | Widely-recognized UN member state. Venezuela was a federation of 23 states, one federal dependency, and one federal district. [lower-alpha 34] | |
Capital: Hanoi | Widely-recognized UN member state; Vietnam claimed sovereignty over the Paracel Islands (disputed by China and Taiwan) and the Spratly Islands (disputed by [[China], Taiwan, Brunei, the Philippines, and Malaysia). | |
Y | ||
Capital: Sana'a | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Z | ||
Capital: Lusaka | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Capital: Harare | Widely-recognized UN member state. | |
Name and capital city | Information on status and recognition of sovereignty |
---|---|
Capital: Sukhumi | Partially recognized de facto self-governing entity. 3 |
Capital: Avarua | A state in free association with New Zealand; recognized by China. The Cook Islands is a member of multiple UN agencies with full treaty making capacity. It shared a head of state with New Zealand as well as having shared citizenship. |
Capital: Pristina | Partially recognized de facto self-governing entity. [lower-alpha 35] Claimed by Serbia as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija under UN administration. |
Capital: Stepanakert | De facto self-governing entity. Not recognized by any other state. claims by Azerbaijan. |
Capital: Alofi | A state in free association with New Zealand, recognized by China. Niue is a member of multiple UN agencies with full treaty making capacity. It had shared citizenship with New Zealand. |
Capital: Lefkoşa | Partially recognized de facto self-governing entity; [lower-alpha 36] claimed by Cyprus. |
Capital: Tifariti (temporary), El Aaiún (claimed) | Partially recognized de facto self-governing entity. [lower-alpha 37] The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic claims the disputed territory of Western Sahara, most of which is under control of Morocco. The territories under its control, the so-called Free Zone, were claims by Morocco. Its government resided in exile in Tindouf, Algeria. |
Capital: Hargeisa | De facto self-governing entity; not recognized by any other state. Claimed by Somalia. |
Capital: Tskhinvali | Partially recognized de facto independent state. [lower-alpha 38] Claimed by Georgia as the Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia. |
Capital: Taipei (seat of government) | Partially-recognized de facto independent state. [lower-alpha 9] Taiwan claimed to be the sole legitimate government of China, but only administered Taiwan, Kinmen, the Matsu Islands, the Pratas Islands, and Itu Aba. |
Capital: Tiraspol | Partially recognized de facto self-governing entity; [lower-alpha 39] claimed by Moldova. |
Excluded from the list above are the following noteworthy entities which either were not fully sovereign or did not claim to be independent: