HomeIndependent States in the World ...Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty hide Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty Fact Sheet Bureau of Intelligence and Research January 17, 2024 Download Independent States and Dependencies (csv) [38 KB] See also: Independent States in the World ! New change, since previous list Short-form name Long-form name Sovereignty GENC 2A Code (see note 1) GENC 3A Code (see note 1) Administrative Center Akrotiri (see note 15) Akrotiri United Kingdom QZ XQZ Episkopi (see note 16) American Samoa Territory of American Samoa United States AS ASM Pago Pago Anguilla Anguilla United Kingdom AI AIA The Valley Antarctica (no long-form name) None (see note 2) AQ ATA None Aruba (see note 11) Country of Aruba Netherlands AW ABW Oranjestad Ashmore and Cartier Islands Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands Australia XA XAC Administered from Canberra Baker Island Baker Island United States XB XBK Administered from Washington, D.C. Bermuda Bermuda United Kingdom BM BMU Hamilton Bouvet Island Bouvet Island Norway BV BVT Admin. from Oslo British Indian Ocean Territory (see note 3) British Indian Ocean Territory United Kingdom IO IOT None Cayman Islands Cayman Islands United Kingdom KY CYM George Town Christmas Island Territory of Christmas Island Australia CX CXR Flying Fish Cove Clipperton Island Clipperton Island France CP CPT Administered from Paris Cocos (Keeling) Islands Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands Australia CC CCK West Island Coral Sea Islands Coral Sea Islands Territory Australia XC XCS Administered from Canberra Curaçao (see note 11) Country of Curaçao Netherlands CW CUW Willemstad Dhekelia (see note 15) Dhekelia United Kingdom XD XXD Episkopi (see note 16) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (see note 4) FK FLK Stanley Faroe Islands Faroe Islands Denmark FO FRO Tórshavn French Guiana (see note 5) GF GUF French Polynesia French Polynesia France PF PYF Papeete French Southern and Antarctic Lands (see note 6) French Southern and Antarctic Lands France TF ATF Administered from Paris Gibraltar Gibraltar United Kingdom GI GIB Gibraltar Greenland Greenland Denmark GL GRL Nuuk (Godthåb) Guadeloupe (see note 5) GP GLP Guam Territory of Guam United States GU GUM Hagatna Guernsey (see note 7) Bailiwick of Guernsey British Crown Dependency GG GGY Saint Peter Port Heard Island and McDonald Islands Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands Australia HM HMD Administered from Canberra Hong Kong Hong Kong Special Administrative Region China (see note 8) HK HKG None Howland Island Howland Island United States XH XHO Administered from Washington, D.C. Isle of Man Isle of Man British Crown Dependency IM IMN Douglas Jan Mayen Jan Mayen Norway XJ XJM Administered from Oslo (see note 9) Jarvis Island Jarvis Island United States XQ XJV Administered from Washington, D.C. Jersey Bailiwick of Jersey British Crown Dependency JE JEY Saint Helier Johnston Atoll Johnston Atoll United States XU XJA Administered from Washington, D.C. Kingman Reef Kingman Reef United States XM XKR Administered from Washington, D.C. Macau Macau Special Administrative Region China (see note 10) MO MAC Macau Martinique (see note 5) MQ MTQ Mayotte (see note 5) YT MYT Midway Islands Midway Islands United States QM XMW Administered from Washington, D.C. Montserrat Montserrat United Kingdom MS MSR Plymouth Navassa Island Navassa Island United States XV XNV Administered from Washington, D.C. New Caledonia New Caledonia France NC NCL Nouméa Norfolk Island Territory of Norfolk Island Australia NF NFK Kingston Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands United States MP MNP Saipan Palmyra Atoll Palmyra Atoll United States XL XPL Administered from Washington, D.C. Paracel Islands (no long-form name) Undetermined (see note 12) XP XPR None Pitcairn Islands Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands United Kingdom PN PCN Adamstown Puerto Rico Commonwealth of Puerto Rico United States PR PRI San Juan Reunion (see note 5) RE REU Saint Barthelemy Saint Barthelemy France BL BLM Gustavia Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha (see note 13) Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha United Kingdom SH SHN Jamestown Saint Martin (see note 17) Saint Martin France MF MAF Marigot Saint Pierre and Miquelon Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon France PM SPM Saint-Pierre Sint Maarten (see note 11) Country of Sint Maarten Netherlands SX SXM Philipsburg South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (see note 4) GS SGS None Spratly Islands (no long-form name) Undetermined (see note 14) XS XSP None Svalbard Svalbard Norway XR XSV Longyearbyen Tokelau Tokelau New Zealand TK TKL None Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands United Kingdom TC TCA Grand Turk Virgin Islands, British British Virgin Islands United Kingdom VG VGB Road Town Virgin Islands, U.S. United States Virgin Islands United States VI VIR Charlotte Amalie Wake Island Wake Island United States QW XWK Administered from Washington, D.C. Wallis and Futuna Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands France WF WLF Mata-Utu NOTES Note 1: Geopolitical Entities, Names, and Codes (GENC) Standard two-letter and three-letter codes. GENC is the replacement standard for FIPS 10-4 and is the U.S. Government profile of the ISO 3166 international country code standard. For more information on GENC please see https://nsgreg.nga.mil/genc/discovery. 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: Administered by the United Kingdom, claimed by Argentina. Note 5: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte and Reunion are first-order administrative divisions of overseas 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: The Netherlands Antilles dissolved on October 10, 2010. Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten (the Dutch two-fifths of the island of Saint Martin) are autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius fall under the direct administration of the country of the Netherlands. 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 and Ascension Island. Note 14: South China Sea islands claimed in entirety by China and Vietnam and in part by Brunei, 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) is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Source: Office of The Geographer and Global Issues, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC. 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