List of sovereign states
Related subjects Geography
This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged, gives an overview of states around the world with information on the extent of their sovereignty. It includes both states widely recognized ( de jure) to be sovereign and entities that claim sovereignty while exercising de facto control over (part of) their claimed territory.
Criteria for inclusion
This list derives its definition of a sovereign state from Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention of 1933. According to the Convention, a sovereign state should possess the following qualifications: (a) a permanent population, (b) a defined territory, (c) government, and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states. In respect of the last qualification, the role of recognition by other states can often be crucial since it implies acceptance into the international community. The list includes all states that satisfy these criteria and claim independence; however, the aforementioned qualifications are not absolute and permit variations.
On the basis of the above criteria, this list includes the following 203 entities:
- 193 sovereign states with general international recognition:
- 192 member states of the United Nations
- One state with general international recognition but not UN membership, governed by the Holy See (a UN permanent observer): Vatican City
- 10 sovereign states lacking general international recognition:
- Four entities lacking general international recognition, none of which are UN members, that may be defined as states in the body of customary international law: the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Kosovo, and the Palestinian territories.
- Six entities lacking general international recognition, none of which are UN members, that have declared independence and have limited or no international recognition: the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (only recognized by Turkey), Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, Somaliland, and South Ossetia.
Entities considered to be micronations that are not internationally recognized are not included. Unlisted are the following noteworthy entities that do not possess all the qualifications in the Montevideo Convention:
- two states, in free association with New Zealand and represented in most matters by that country: Niue and the Cook Islands.
- one entity, a UN observer member, recognized by 96 states, but with extraterritorial areas within Rome is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
- one state, never a UN member, only ever briefly recognized by the Republic of Georgia, with all of its claimed territory under military occupation, the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
- The European Union, a sui generis supranational organization which currently has 27 member countries. The member countries transferred part of their legislative, executive, and judicial powers to the institutions of the EU; therefore, it has some characteristics of a sovereign state, without generally being considered a sovereign state.
- Parts of Antarctica are claimed by a few nations.
The listing or placement of any entity in this article is not meant to imply an official position in any naming dispute.
Internationally recognized sovereign states
- This list is complete and up-to-date as of June 8, 2008.
| Name in English and the official languages of the state | Information on the extent of the sovereignty | |
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Abkhazia  Other states |
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 Afghanistan - Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Albania - Republic of Albania
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Algeria - People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Andorra - Principality of Andorra
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Angola - Republic of Angola
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Widely recognized member of the UN. A separatist government in exile claims independence for Cabinda | |
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 Antigua and Barbuda - Antigua and Barbuda
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Antigua and Barbuda is a Commonwealth Realm and has a division (dependency), Barbuda, with a autonomous status. | |
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 Argentina - Argentine Republic
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Argentina is a federation divided in provinces and one federal district. Argentine claims also sovereignty over the British overseas territories of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | |
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 Armenia - Republic of Armenia
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Australia - Commonwealth of Australia
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Australia is a Commonwealth Realm and a federation of states and territories. Australia has sovereignty over:
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 Austria - Republic of Austria
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Widely recognized member of the UN and the EU. Austria is a federation divided in states (Bundesländer). | |
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 Azerbaijan - Republic of Azerbaijan
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Azerbaijan has one autonomous republic,  Nakhchivan, and the autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh (Dağlıq Qarabağ,). In Nagorno Karabakh a de facto country in the de jure territory of Azerbaijan has been established. |
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 The Bahamas - Commonwealth of The Bahamas
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Widely recognized member of the UN. The Bahamas is a Commonwealth Realm. | |
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 Bahrain - Kingdom of Bahrain
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Bangladesh - People's Republic of Bangladesh
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Barbados
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Barbados is a Commonwealth Realm. | |
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 Belarus - Republic of Belarus
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Belgium - Kingdom of Belgium
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Widely recognized member of the UN and the EU. Belgium is a federation divided in linguistic communities and regions. | |
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 Belize
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Belize is a Commonwealth Realm. | |
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 Benin - Republic of Benin
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Bhutan - Kingdom of Bhutan
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Bolivia - Republic of Bolivia
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Widely recognized member of the UN. As a result of the Dayton Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided into two constituent entities, the  Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the  Republika Srpska. |
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 Botswana - Republic of Botswana
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Brazil - Federative Republic of Brazil
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Brasil is a federation divided in states and one federal district. | |
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 Brunei - Negara Brunei Darussalam
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Brunei claims sovereignty over part of the Spratly Islands. | |
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 Bulgaria - Republic of Bulgaria
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Widely recognized member of the UN and the EU. | |
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 Burkina Faso - Burkina Faso
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Burma - Union of Myanmar (Burma)
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Burundi - Republic of Burundi
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Cambodia - Kingdom of Cambodia
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Cameroon - Republic of Cameroon
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Canada
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Canada is a Commonwealth Realm and a federation divided into provinces and territories. | |
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 Cape Verde - Republic of Cape Verde
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Central African Republic
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Chad - Republic of Chad
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Chile - Republic of Chile
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Easter Island is an integral part of Chile. | |
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 China - People's Republic of China
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Widely recognized member of the UN. Commonly known as China, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has five autonomous regions: Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Tibet. Additionally, it has sovereignty over the Special Administrative Regions of It claims sovereignty over Taiwan (Republic of China; ROC) (which claims sovereignty over the whole of China), the Paracel Islands (disputed by the ROC and Vietnam), the Spratly Islands (disputed by the ROC, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei), and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Kashmir. Tibet and East Turkestan (Xinjiang) have separatist governments in exile. |
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| China, Republic of Other states |
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 Colombia - Republic of Colombia
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Comoros - Union of the Comoros
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Widely recognized member of the UN. The Comoros is a federation with autonomous islands. The Comoros dispute the French sovereignty over Mayotte and the Glorioso Islands. | |
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 Congo - Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa)
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Congo - Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville)
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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| Cook Islands New Zealand |
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 Costa Rica - Republic of Costa Rica
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Côte d'Ivoire - Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Croatia - Republic of Croatia
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Cuba - Republic of Cuba
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Widely recognized member of the UN. The Cuban area of Guantánamo Bay is as the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base under the permanent control (with no claim of sovereignty) of the United States which pays rent under terms of treaties with Cuba. | |
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 Cyprus - Republic of Cyprus
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Widely recognized member of the UN and the EU. See Northern Cyprus for the de facto state in the de jure territory of Cyprus. | |
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 Czech Republic
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Widely recognized member of the UN and the EU. | |
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 Denmark - Kingdom of Denmark
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Widely recognized member of the UN and the EU. The Kingdom of Denmark includes also two autonomous provinces. For more information, see Rigsfællesskabet.
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 Djibouti - Republic of Djibouti
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Dominica - Commonwealth of Dominica
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Dominican Republic
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 East Timor - Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Ecuador - Republic of Ecuador
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 Egypt - Arab Republic of Egypt
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Widely recognized member of the UN. | |
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 El Salvador - R
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