List of nations

"List of nations" and "List of countries" redirect here. For other country lists, see Lists of countries and territories. For non-sovereign dependencies, see Dependent territory.

This is a list of sovereign states giving an overview of states around the world with information on the status and recognition of theirsovereignty.

The list contains 206 entries. The states are divided using two distinct methods:

1. The membership within the United Nations system column divides the states into two categories: 193 member states^[1] and twoobserver states, and 11 other states.
2. The sovereignty disputes column divides the states into two categories: 190 undisputed states and 16 states whose sovereignty is disputed.

Compiling a list such as this can be a difficult and controversial process, as there is no definition that is binding on all the members of the community of nations concerning the criteria for statehood. For more information on the criteria used to determine the contents of this list, please see the criteria for inclusion section below.

The dominant customary international law standard of statehood is the declarative theory of statehood that defines the state as a person of international law if it "possess[es] the following qualifications: (a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states." Debate exists on the degree to which recognition should be included as a criterion of statehood. The declarative theory of statehood, an example of which can be found in the Montevideo Convention, argues that statehood is purely objective and recognition of a state by other states is irrelevant. On the other end of the spectrum, the constitutive theory of statehood defines a state as a person under international law only if it is recognised as sovereign by other states. For the purposes of this list, included are all states that either:

• (a) have declared independence and are often regarded as having control over a permanently populated territory

or

• (b) are recognised as a sovereign state by at least one other sovereign state

Note that in some cases there is a divergence of opinion over the interpretation of the first point, and whether an entity satisfies it is disputed.

On the basis of the above criteria, this list includes the following 206 entities:^{[58][Note 29]}

• 203 states recognised by at least one UN member state
• Two states that control a permanently populated territory and are recognised only by non-UN member states: Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Transnistria
• One state that controls a permanently populated territory and is not recognised by any other state: Somaliland

1. ^ This column indicates whether or not a state is a member of the United Nations.^[1] It also indicates which non-member states participate in the United Nations System through membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency or one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations. All United Nations members belong to at least one specialized agency and are parties to the statute of the International Court of Justice.
2. ^ This column indicates whether or not a state is the subject of a major sovereignty dispute. Only states whose entire sovereignty is disputed by another state are listed. Minor territorial disputes are detailed in the Further informationcolumn.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac} The member states of the European Union have transferred part of their sovereignty in the form of legislative, executive, and judicial powers to the institutions of the EU, which is an example ofsupranationalism. The EU has 28 member states.^[8]
4. ^ Information is included on:
   • the extent to which a state's sovereignty is recognised internationally. More information can be found at List of states with limited recognition,
   • membership in the European Union,^{[Note 3]} where applicable,
   • any overseas dependencies, if applicable, which are generally not part of the territory of the sovereign state,
   • federal structure of the state, where applicable. More information can be found at Federated state,
   • any autonomous areas inside the territory of the sovereign state,
   • any situations where one person is the Head of State of more than one state,
   • any major territorial disputes,
   • any governments in exile recognised by at least one state.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p} Commonwealth realms are members of the Commonwealth of Nations in which the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. The realms are sovereign states; see Relationship of the realms.
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x} For more information on divisions with a high degree of autonomy, see the List of autonomous areas by country.
7. ^ The Argentine Constitution (Art. 35) recognises the following denominations for Argentina: "United Provinces of the Río de la Plata", "Argentine Republic" and "Argentine Confederation"; furthermore, it establishes the usage of "Argentine Nation" for purposes of legislation.
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} The continent of Antarctica, including its outlying islands south of 60°S, are held in abeyance under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty System. Under this treaty, territorial claims in this region are neither recognised nor disputed. Claimant countries are Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom, with all those save Argentina and Chile mutually recognising each others claims.
9. ^ Formerly referred to as Dahomey, its official name until 1975.
10. ^ For more information about the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina, see Dayton Agreement and the text of The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina(14 December 1995). Office of the High Representative. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
11. ^ ^{a b c d e f} The sovereignty over the Spratly Islands is disputed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and in part by Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Except for Brunei, each of these countries occupies part of the islands (see List of territorial disputes).
12. ^ Also known as Burkina; formerly referred to as Upper Volta, its official name until 1984.
13. ^ Burma's official short form name as used by the United Nations is "Myanmar". The government changed the state's official name in English from "Union of Myanmar" to "Republic of the Union of Myanmar" in October 2010.
14. ^ The legal name for Canada is the sole word; an officially sanctioned, though disused, name is Dominion of Canada (which includes its legal title); see: Name of Canada, Dominion.
15. ^ ^a b The People's Republic of China (PRC) is commonly referred to as "China", while the Republic of China (ROC) is commonly referred to as "Taiwan". The ROC is also occasionally known diplomatically as Chinese Taipei, along with other names.
16. ^ See also Dates of establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and Foreign relations of the People's Republic of China.
17. ^ ^a b In 1949, the Republic of China government led by theKuomintang (KMT) lost the Chinese Civil War to the Communist Party of China (CPC) and set up a provisional capital in Taipei. The CPC established the PRC. As such, the political status of the ROC and the legal status of Taiwan (alongside theterritories under ROC jurisdiction) are in dispute. In 1971, the United Nations gave the China seat to the PRC and the ROC withdrew from the UN. Most states recognise the PRC to be thesole legitimate representative of all China, and the UN classifies Taiwan as "Taiwan, Province of China". The ROC has de facto relations with most sovereign states. A significant political movement within Taiwan advocates Taiwan independence.
18. ^ ^a b c Sovereignty over Kashmir is disputed between India andPakistan; smaller parts are disputed by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. Kashmir is divided between India, Pakistan and the PRC. See the List of territorial disputes.
19. ^ ^a b The Chinese sovereignty over the Paracel Islands is disputed by Vietnam and the Republic of China (see List of territorial disputes);
20. ^ ^a b c More information on more or less federal structures can be found at a List of federations.
21. ^ Also known as Congo-Kinshasa. Formerly referred to asZaire, its official name from 1971 to 1997.
22. ^ Also known as Congo-Brazzaville.
23. ^ A simpler official short-form name has been encouraged by the Czech government: the English variant Czechia remains uncommon, but variants in Czech (Česko) and some other languages are more popular. See Name of the Czech Republic
24. ^ The government of East Timor uses "Timor-Leste" as the English translation.
25. ^ Åland was demilitarised by the Treaty of Paris in 1856, which was later affirmed by the League of Nations in 1921, and in a somewhat different context reaffirmed in the treaty on Finland's admission to the European Union in 1995.
26. ^ Also known as Guinea-Conakry.
27. ^ The Irish state is often referred to as the Republic of Ireland(its official description but not its name). Sometimes this is done to distinguish the state from the island of Ireland as a whole. However, sometimes it is done for political reasons and is contentious.
28. ^ ^a b Both North Korea and South Korea claim to be the sole legitimate government of Korea. See also Foreign relations of North Korea and Foreign relations of South Korea.
29. ^ The non-state sovereign entity Order of Malta is not included. It claims neither statehood nor any territory. Entities considered to be micronations are not included. It is often up to debate whether a micronation truly controls its claimed territory. Also omitted from this list are all uncontacted peoples, either who live in societies that cannot be defined as states or whose statuses as such are not definitively known.