List of island countries

Map depicts sovereign states and a de facto state (Taiwan) (tw) fully located on islands: those with land borders shaded green, and those without shaded dark blue.

Countries/territories not shown on the map: Antarctica (aq) (continental disputed territory), Australia (au) (continental country), the Cook Islands (ck) and Niue (nu) (free association with New Zealand), Greenland (gl) (constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark), Northern Cyprus (ct.tr and nc.tr) (unrecognized country), and Puerto Rico (pr) (unincorporated U.S. territory).

An island is a landmass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water.[1] Many island countries are spread over an archipelago, as is the case with Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines—these countries consist of thousands of islands. Others consist of a single island, such as Barbados, Dominica, and Nauru; a main island and some smaller islands, such as Cuba, Iceland, and Sri Lanka; a part of an island, such as Brunei, the Dominican Republic, East Timor, and the Republic of Ireland; or one main island but also sharing borders in other islands, such as the United Kingdom (Great Britain and a part of Ireland).

The list also includes two states in free association with New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Niue, as well as two states with limited diplomatic recognition which have de facto control over territories entirely on the islands, Northern Cyprus and Taiwan.[2] In total, 50 island countries have been included in the lists.

Australia is not included as it is considered a continental country, although it was historically referred to as an island country because of its lack of land borders.[3] Greenland is generally considered as the largest island on Earth and listed among the island territories. Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea is officially an unincorporated territory of the United States. Neither Greenland nor Puerto Rico are sovereign countries.

Indonesia is the world's largest island country by area (1,904,569 km2), and by total number of islands (17,504 islands).[4] It is also the world's most populous island country, with a population of over 270 million (the fourth most populous country in the world, after India, China, and the United States).

South America has only one independent sovereign island nation with Trinidad and Tobago; though considered a Caribbean island country, it is located on the northern portion of the South American continental shelf just 11 kilometres (6 nautical miles) off Venezuela, but 130 kilometres (70 nautical miles) from Grenada, the nearest of the Antilles.[n 1][5]

Sovereign states

UN member states and states with limited recognition

Name ISO code Geographic configuration Geologic location Area[6] Population [7] Population
density		 Geographical location Establishment/ Independence
km2 sq mi per km2 per sq mi
UN member states
 Antigua and Barbuda AG
ATG		 Two main islands:

Antigua Island
Barbuda Island

 Continental shelf 442171 97,120 220570 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles 1981 November 1
 Bahamas BS
BHS		 Archipelago Continental shelf 13,9395,382 389,480 2873 Atlantic Ocean, Lucayan Archipelago 1973 July 10
 Bahrain BH
BHR		 Archipelago with one main island Continental shelf 778300 1,641,170 2,1095,460 Persian Gulf 1971 December 10
 Barbados BB
BRB		 One main island Continental shelf[n 2] 430170 287,020 6671,730 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles 1966 November 30
 Brunei BN
BRN		 Part of a larger island (Borneo) Continental shelf 5,7652,226 433,290 75190 Maritime Southeast Asia 1984 January 1
 Cape Verde CV
CPV		 Archipelago Oceanic 4,0331,557 549,930 136350 Atlantic Ocean, Macaronesia 1975 July 5
 Comoros KM
COM		 Archipelago Oceanic 1,861719 850,890 4571,180 Indian Ocean, Africa, Comoros Islands 1975 July 6
 Cuba CU
CUB		 One main island, and several smaller islands (Isla de la Juventud, etc.) Continental shelf 109,88442,426 11,346,346 103270 Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles 1868 October 10

1902 May 20

 Cyprus[n 3] CY
CYP		 Part of a larger island, de jure sovereignty over entire island (Cyprus) Continental shelf 9,2513,572 888,005 96250 Mediterranean Sea 1960 August 16
 Dominica DM
DMA		 One main island Continental shelf 754291 71,810 95250 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles 1978 November 3
 Dominican Republic DO
DOM		 Part of a larger island (Hispaniola), and several smaller islands (Alto Velo, Catalina, Saona, Beata, etc.) Continental shelf 48,67118,792 10,738,960 221570 Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles 1821 December 1

1844 February 27

 East Timor TL
TLS		 Part of a larger island (Timor) Oceanic 14,9195,760 1,293,120 87230 Maritime Southeast Asia, Lesser Sunda Islands 2002 May 20
 Fiji FJ
FJI		 Archipelago with two main islands:

Viti Levu
Vanua Levu

 Oceanic 18,2747,056 889,950 49130 Pacific Ocean, Melanesia 1970 October 10
 Grenada GD
GRD		 One main island with two island dependencies (Carriacou and Petite Martinique) Continental shelf 344133 112,000 326840 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles 1974 February 7
 Haiti HT
HTI		 Part of a larger island (Hispaniola), and several smaller islands (Gonâve, Tortuga, Les Cayemites, etc.) Continental shelf 27,75010,710 11,743,017 4231,100 Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles 1804 January 1
 Iceland IS
ISL		 One main island Oceanic[n 4] 102,77539,682 361,310 410 Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Circle 1918 December 1
1944 June 17
 Indonesia ID
IDN		 Archipelago, including parts of larger islands (Borneo, New Guinea, Sebatik, and Timor) Various[n 5] 1,904,569735,358 270,625,570 142370 Maritime Southeast Asia, Indian and Pacific oceans 1945 August 17
 Ireland IE
IRL		 Part of a larger island (Ireland), and several smaller islands Continental shelf 70,27327,133 4,977,400 71180 Atlantic Ocean, British Isles 1922 December 6
 Jamaica JM
JAM		 One main island with an archipelago of islets (inc. Morant Cays, Pedro Cays, and Port Royal Cays) Continental shelf 10,9914,244 2,734,092 249640 Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles 1962 August 6
 Japan JP
JPN		 Four main islands and several surround archipelagos Continental shelf 377,976145,937[8] 126,264,930 334870 Pacific Ocean, East Asia 660 BC February 11[n 6]
 Kiribati KI
KIR		 Several separated archipelagos Oceanic 811313 117,610 145380 Pacific Ocean, Micronesia 1979 July 12
 Madagascar MG
MDG		 One main island Continental shelf[n 7] 587,041226,658 26,969,310 46120 Indian Ocean, Africa 1960 June 26
 Maldives MV
MDV		 Archipelago Oceanic 298115 383,976 1,2893,340 Indian Ocean, Laccadive Sea 1965 July 26
 Malta MT
MLT		 Two main islands (Malta Island and Gozo) plus other smaller islands Continental shelf 316122 502,650 1,5914,120 Mediterranean Sea 1964 September 21
 Marshall Islands[n 8] MH
MHL		 Two archipelagos Oceanic 18170 58,790 325840 Pacific Ocean, Micronesia 1979 May 1
 Mauritius MU
MUS		 Archipelago with one main island Oceanic 2,040790 1,265,710 6201,600 Indian Ocean, Africa, Mascarene Islands 1968 March 12
 Micronesia[n 8] FM
FSM		 Archipelago Oceanic 702271 113,810 162420 Pacific Ocean, Micronesia 1979 May 10
 Nauru NR
NRU		 One main island Oceanic 218.1 12,580 5991,550 Pacific Ocean, Micronesia 1968 January 31
 New Zealand (Aotearoa) NZ
NZL		 An archipelago around two main islands:

Te Ika-a-Māui (the North Island)
Te Waipounamu (the South Island)

 Continental shelf[n 9] 270,467104,428 5,125,451 1949 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia 1907 September 26
 Palau[n 8] PW
PLW		 Archipelago Oceanic 459177 18,010 39100 Pacific Ocean, Micronesia 1981 January 1
 Papua New Guinea PG
PNG		 Part of a larger island, (New Guinea), and surrounding archipelago Continental shelf 462,840178,700 8,776,110 1949 Pacific Ocean, Melanesia 1975 September 16
 Philippines PH
PHL		 Archipelago Continental shelf 300,000120,000 108,116,620 360930 Maritime Southeast Asia 1898 June 12

1946 July 4

 Saint Kitts and Nevis KN
KNA		 Two main islands:

Saint Christopher Island
Nevis Island

 Continental shelf 261101 52,830 202520 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles 1983 September 19
 Saint Lucia LC
LCA		 One main island Continental shelf 616238 182,790 297770 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles 1979 February 22
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines VC
VCT		 An archipelago with one main island Continental shelf 389150 110,590 284740 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles 1979 October 27
 Samoa WS
WSM		 Archipelago Oceanic 2,8421,097 197,100 69180 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia 1962 January 1
 São Tomé and Príncipe ST
STP		 Two main islands:

São Tomé Island
Príncipe Island)

 Continental shelf 1,001386 215,060 215560 Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Guinea, Africa 1975 July 12
 Seychelles SC
SYC		 Archipelago Various[n 10] 455176 97,630 215560 Indian Ocean, Africa 1976 June 29
 Singapore SG
SGP		 An archipelago with one main island Continental shelf 728281 5,703,570 7,83120,280 Maritime Southeast Asia 1965 August 9
 Solomon Islands SB
SLB		 Archipelago Oceanic 28,40011,000 669,820 2462 Pacific Ocean, Melanesia 1978 July 7
 Sri Lanka LK
LKA		 One main island, plus other small islands Continental shelf 65,61025,330 21,803,000 332860 Indian Ocean, South Asia 1948 February 4
 Tonga TO
TON		 Archipelago Oceanic 748289 104,490 140360 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia 1970 June 4
 Trinidad and Tobago TT
TTO		 An archipelago with two main islands:

Trinidad Island
Tobago Island

 Continental shelf 5,1311,981 1,394,970 272700 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles 1962 August 31
 Tuvalu TV
TUV		 Archipelago Oceanic 2610 11,650 4481,160 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia 1978 October 1
 United Kingdom[n 11][9] GB or UK
GBR		 One main island, part of second island (Ireland), plus several archipelagos Continental shelf 244,82094,530 67,886,004 277720 Atlantic Ocean, British Isles 1707 May 1
 Vanuatu VU
VUT		 Archipelago Oceanic 12,1894,706 299,880 2565 Pacific Ocean, Melanesia 1980 July 30
States with limited recognition
 Northern Cyprus[n 12] CY
CYP		 Part of a larger island (Cyprus) Continental shelf 3,3551,295 313,626[10] 93240 Mediterranean Sea 1974 July 20 (unlawful usurpation of Cypriot rule by Turkish minority)
 Taiwan[n 13] TW
TWN		 One main island and several smaller islands Continental shelf 36,19313,974 23,603,121 6521,690 Pacific Ocean, East Asia 1912 January 1
1949 December 7[n 14]

Associated states

Name ISO code Geographic configuration Geologic location Associated with Area Population Density Geographical location
km2 sq mi per km2 per sq mi
 Cook Islands[n 15] CK
COK		 Two archipelagos Oceanic  New Zealand 23691 10,777 45.7118 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
 Niue[n 15] NU
NIU		 One island Oceanic  New Zealand 260100 1,269 4.913 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia

Dependencies and territories

Name ISO code Geographic configuration Geologic location Sovereign state Area Population Density Geographic location
km2 sq mi per km2 per sq mi
 Åland AX
AXL		 Archipelago[n 16] Continental shelf  Finland 1,580610 28,355 17.946 Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia
 American Samoa[n 17] AS
ASM		 Archipelago Oceanic  United States 19977 54,947 276710 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
 Andaman and Nicobar Islands IN
IND		 Two neighbouring archipelagos of the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands Continental shelf  India 8,2493,185 380,520 46120 Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea
 Anguilla AI
AIA		 One main island Continental shelf United Kingdom 9135 15,423 169440 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 Aruba AW
ABW		 One main island Continental shelf  Netherlands 18069 107,635 5981,550 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 Bermuda BM
BMU		 Archipelago Oceanic United Kingdom 53.320.6 62,500 1,1703,000 Atlantic Ocean, North America
 Bouvet Island BV
BVT		 One island Oceanic  Norway 4919 No permanent resident 00 Southern Ocean
 British Indian Ocean Territory[n 18][11] IO
IOT		 Archipelago (The Chagos Archipelago) Oceanic United Kingdom

 Mauritius[n 18]

 6023 3,000 50130 Indian Ocean
 British Virgin Islands VG
VGB		 Archipelago Continental shelf United Kingdom 15158 31,148 206530 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 Caribbean Netherlands BQ
BES		 Three separate main islands:

 Bonaire
 Sint Eustatius
 Saba

 Continental shelf  Netherlands 12749 21,133 166430 Caribbean Sea
 Cayman Islands KY
CYM		 Three main islands Continental shelf United Kingdom 264102 52,560 199520 Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles
 Christmas Island CX
CXR		 One main island Oceanic  Australia 13552 1,496 11.129 Indian Ocean, Australasia
 Cocos (Keeling) Islands CC
CCK		 Archipelago Oceanic  Australia 145.4 596 42.6110 Indian Ocean, Australasia
 Curaçao CW
CUW		 One main island (central island of the ABC Islands) Continental shelf  Netherlands 444171 145,834 328850 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 Easter Island CL
CHL		 One main island Oceanic  Chile 163.663.2 6,148 37.597 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
 Falkland Islands FK
FLK		 Archipelago with two main islands Continental shelf United Kingdom[n 19] 12,1734,700 3,140 0.260.67 Atlantic Ocean, South America
 Faroe Islands FO
FRO		 Archipelago Continental shelf Denmark 1,393538 49,483 35.592 Atlantic Ocean
 French Polynesia PF
PYF		 Five archipelagos:

The Society Islands
The Tuamotu Archipelago
The Gambier Islands
The Marquesas Islands
The Austral Islands

 Oceanic  France 3,8271,478 274,512 71.7186 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
 French Southern and Antarctic Lands TF
ATF		 Several scattered archipelagos — Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands, Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands and the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean — plus Adélie Land (432,000 km2 claim to uninhabited territory in Antarctica) Oceanic  France 7,7472,991 150 49.4128 Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean
Galápagos Islands EC
ECU		 Archipelago Oceanic  Ecuador 8,0103,090 33,042 4.111 Pacific Ocean
 Greenland GL
GRL		 One main island with several archipelagos Continental shelf Denmark 2,166,086836,330 57,695 0.030.078 North America
 Guadeloupe GP
GLP		 Archipelago Continental Shelf  France 1,628629 405,500 250650 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 Guam[n 17] GU
GUM		 One main island Oceanic  United States 544210 159,914 293760 Pacific Ocean, Micronesia
 Guernsey[n 20][12] GG
GGY		 Three main islands:

 Guernsey
 Alderney
 Sark

 Continental shelf United Kingdom 7830 65,849 8442,190 English Channel, Channel Islands
 Heard and McDonald Islands HM
HMD		 Two main islands (Heard Island and McDonald Island) Oceanic  Australia 412159 No permanent resident 00 Southern Ocean
 Hong Kong HK
HKG		 river delta island group with two main islands of Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island of a total of 263 with the largest 19 encompassing 293.26 km2 (113.23 sq mi) around the peninsula of Kowloon and the New Territories Continental shelf  China 1,108428 7,498,100 6,76817,530 South China Sea, Pearl River Delta
 Isle of Man[n 20] IM
IMN		 One main island and a minor island (the Calf of Man) Continental shelf United Kingdom 572221 85,421 149390 Irish Sea, British Isles
 Jan Mayen SJ
SJM		 One island Oceanic  Norway 377146 No permanent resident 00 Arctic Ocean
 Jersey[n 20][12] JE
JEY		 One main island Continental shelf United Kingdom 11645 94,949 8192,120 English Channel, Channel Islands
 Juan Fernández Islands CL
CHL		 Three main islands: Robinson Crusoe
Alejandro Selkirk
Santa Clara
 Oceanic  Chile 10039 926 9.224 Pacific Ocean
 Lakshadweep IN
IND		 Archipelago Oceanic  India 32.6212.59 64,473 2,0005,200 Indian Ocean
 Macau MO
MAC		 One main island of 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) and a peninsula on a river delta island (Zhonghsan) Continental shelf  China 32.912.7 680,000 20,66853,530 South China Sea, Pearl River Delta
 Martinique MQ
MTQ		 One main island Continental shelf  France 1,128436 403,795 360930 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 Mayotte YT
MYT		 One main island Oceanic  France 374144 194,000 498.51,291 Indian Ocean, Africa, Comoros Islands
 Montserrat MS
MST		 One main island Continental shelf United Kingdom 10239 5,164 50.6131 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 New Caledonia NC
NCL		 Archipelago around one main island Continental shelf[n 9]  France 18,2757,056 260,166 14.237 Pacific Ocean, Melanesia
 Norfolk Island NF
NFK		 One main island Continental shelf[n 9]  Australia 3614 2,182 60.6157 Pacific Ocean, Melanesia
 Northern Mariana Islands[n 17] MP
MNP		 Archipelago Oceanic  United States 464179 51,395 111290 Pacific Ocean, Micronesia
 Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands PN
PCN		 Archipelago Oceanic United Kingdom 4718 48 1.02.6 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
 Puerto Rico[n 17] PR
PRI		 Archipelago around one main island Continental shelf  United States 8,8683,424 3,203,295 361930 Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles
 Réunion RE
REU		 One main island Oceanic  France 2,512970 893,500 330850 Indian Ocean, Africa, Mascarene Islands

San Andrés and Providencia

 CO
COL		 Two archipelagos around two main islands of San Andrés and Providencia Oceanic  Colombia 525203 61,280 1,2003,100 Caribbean Sea
 Saint Barthélemy BL
BLM		 Archipelago around one main island Continental shelf  France 218.1 7,332 349900 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha SH
SHN		 Three main islands distant from each other of:

 Saint Helena
 Ascension
 Tristan da Cunha

 Oceanic United Kingdom 308119 7,728 25.165 Atlantic Ocean
Saint Martin MF
MAF		 Part of a larger island (Saint Martin) Continental shelf  France 54.421.0 30,959 5691,470 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 Saint Pierre and Miquelon PM
SPM		 Two main islands Continental shelf  France 24293 5,831 24.162 North America
 Sint Maarten SX
SXM		 Part of a larger island (Saint Martin) Continental shelf  Netherlands 3413 39,088 1,1503,000 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GS
SGs		 One main island and neighbouring archipelago Continental shelf United Kingdom[n 19] 3,9031,507 30 3078 Atlantic Ocean
 Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia GB
GBR		 Parts of a larger island (Cyprus) Continental shelf United Kingdom 25498 15,700 61.8160 Mediterranean Sea
 Svalbard[n 21] SJ
SJM		 Archipelago Continental shelf  Norway 62,04523,956 2,763 0.030.078 Arctic Ocean
 Tokelau[n 22] TK
TKL		 Archipelago Oceanic New Zealand 124.6 1,368 114300 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
 Turks and Caicos Islands TC
TCA		 Archipelago of two island groups Continental shelf United Kingdom 948366 46,335 48.9127 Atlantic Ocean, Lucayan Archipelago
 United States Minor Outlying Islands UM
UMI		 Loose scattered archipelago of eight Pacific insular areas with one Caribbean (Navassa Island) Continental shelf  United States 4116 300 7.319 Pacific Ocean, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Caribbean Sea
 U.S. Virgin Islands[n 17] VI
VIR		 Archipelago Continental shelf  United States 346134 87,146[13] 252650 Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
 Wallis and Futuna WF
WLF		 Three main islands of:

 Uvea (Wallis)
Hoorn Islands of Futuna and Alofi Island

 Oceanic  France 264102 15,289 57.9150 Pacific Ocean, Polynesia

Former sovereign island nations and primarily island-based countries

Africa

  • State of Anjouan (1997–2008)
  • Sultanate of Bambao (Ngazidja, 1886–1908)
  • Merina Kingdom
  • Mohéli (1997–1998)
  • Mwali Sultanate
  • Sultanate of Ndzuwani
  •  Sultanate of Zanzibar

Asia

  • East Asia
    • Republic of Ezo
    •  Republic of Formosa
    •  Empire of Japan, (1868-1910)[n 23]
    • Ryūkyū Kingdom
    • Tamna
    • Kingdom of Tungning
    • Usan
    • Yamatai
  • Southeast Asia
    • Aceh Sultanate
    • Aru Kingdom
    • Bali Kingdom
    • Sultanate of Banjar
    •  Banten Sultanate
    • Blambangan Kingdom
    • Sultanate of Brunei
    • Buton Sultanate
    • Rajahnate of Butuan
    • Sultanate of Cirebon
    • Sultanate of Deli
    • Demak Sultanate
    • Galuh Kingdom
    • Sultanate of Gowa
    • Janggala
    • Kediri Kingdom
    • Lanfang Republic
    • Sultanate of Maguindanao
    • Ma-i
    • Majapahit
    • Mataram Kingdom
    •  Mataram Sultanate
    • Maynila
    • Melayu Kingdom
    • Pagaruyung Kingdom
    •  First Philippine Republic
    • Pontianak Sultanate
    • Riau-Lingga Sultanate
    • Sultanate of Sambas
    •  Raj of Sarawak
    • Sultanate of Siak
    • Kingdom of Singapura
    • Singhasari
    • Srivijaya
    • Sugbu
    • Sultanate of Sulu
    • Sunda Kingdom
    • Tarumanagara
    • Sultanate of Ternate
    • Sultanate of Tidore
  • South Asia
    • Anuradhapura kingdom Kingdom of Anuradhapura
    • Sri Lanka Dominion of Ceylon
    • Kingdom of Dambadeniya
    • Kingdom of Gampola
    • Jaffna Kingdom Jaffna Kingdom
    • Kingdom of Kandy Kingdom of Kandy
    • Kingdom of Kotte Kingdom of Kotte
    • Kingdom of Polonnaruwa
    • Kingdom of Sitawaka Kingdom of Sitawaka
    • United Suvadive Republic
  • Western Asia
    • Kingdom of Ormus

Europe

  • Mediterranean Sea
    • Archaic Greek city-states
    • Lordship of Chios
    • Kingdom of Corsica (1736)
    • Corsican Republic
    • Anglo-Corsican Kingdom
    • Emirate of Crete
    •  Cretan State
    •  Kingdom of Cyprus
    • Duchy of the Archipelago
    • Principality of Elba
    • Gozo (independent state)
    • Hospitaller Malta
    • Hospitaller Rhodes
    • Kingdom of Majorca
    • Triarchy of Negroponte
    • Sardinian Judicati
      • Judicate of Arborea
      • Judicate of Cagliari
      • Judicate of Gallura
      • Judicate of Logudoro
    • Republic of Sassari
    • Emirate of Sicily
    •  Kingdom of Sicily, (1282–1816)[n 24]
  • North Europe & West Europe
    • Dál Riata
    • Commonwealth of England / Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
    • Kingdom of England
    •  Kingdom of Great Britain
    • Heptarchy (seven kingdoms before the unification of England )
    • Kingdom of Mann and the Isles
    • Commonwealth of Iceland
    •  Kingdom of Iceland
    • Gaelic Ireland
    • Norman Ireland
    •  Kingdom of Ireland
    • Irish Free State
    • Soviet Republic of Naissaar
    • Kingdom of Scotland (Kingdom of Alba before the First War of Scottish Independence)
    • Kingdom of Strathclyde
    • Principality of Wales
      • Brycheiniog
      • Kingdom of Deheubarth
      • Kingdom of Gwent
      • Kingdom of Gwynedd
      • Kingdom of Morgannwg
      • Kingdom of Powys

North America

  •  Republic of Anguilla
  • First Republic of Cuba
  • First Empire of Haiti
  • Second Empire of Haiti
  • Kingdom of Haiti
  • Republic of Spanish Haiti
  • Republic of the Floridas
  •  West Indies Federation, (1958–1962)[n 25]

Oceania

  • Kingdom of Bora Bora
  • Franceville, New Hebrides
  • Kingdom of Fiji
  •  Kingdom of Hawaii
  • Republic of Hawaii
  • Republic of the North Solomons
  • Kingdom of Tahiti
  • Tuʻi Tonga Empire
  • Yapese Empire

Former colonies, possessions, protectorates, and other territories

  • Annobón (1474–1778), now part of Equatorial Guinea
  • Bay Islands, now a department of Honduras
  • Cape Breton Island, now part of Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Danish West Indies, now the United States Virgin Islands
  • Elobey, Annobón and Corisco (1843–1926) unified with the rest of Spanish Guinea
  • Fernando Po (1778–1926)
  • The Territory of Hawaii, now Hawaii, a state of the United States
  • Heligoland (1807–1890)
  • Hong Kong Island (1841–1860), now a part of Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China[n 26]
  • United States of the Ionian Islands, protectorate of the United Kingdom.
  • Septinsular Republic, protectorate in the Ionian Islands under nominal Russo-Ottoman joint sovereignty.
  • Labuan, briefly part of British North Borneo, the Straits Settlements and Sabah, now a federal territory of Malaysia
  • Mayotte, now an overseas department and region of France
  • Minorca (1713–1802)
  • Colony of Newfoundland (1583–1907)[n 27]
  • New Hebrides, now Vanuatu
  • British North Borneo
  • Padang
  • Prince of Wales Island between 1786 and 1800, at that point joined by Province Wellesley (now Seberang Perai). Now as the state of Penang in the Malaysian federation.
  • Prince Edward Island, now a province of Canada
  • The Providence Island colony
  • Queen Charlotte Islands
  • Réunion, now an overseas department and region of France
  •  Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, former British overseas territory dissolved in 1983.
  • Socotra Archipelago, now a governorate of Yemen
  • Tasmania, now a state of Australia, shares a land boundary with Victoria on Boundary Islet
  • Vancouver Island, now a part of British Columbia, Canada
  • People's Republic of Zanzibar, now a member of the United Republic of Tanzania.
  •  Bahrain to  Saudi Arabia via the King Fahd Causeway
  •  Singapore to  Malaysia via the Johor–Singapore Causeway since 1924, with the Tuas Second Link added in 1998
  •  United Kingdom to  France via the Channel Tunnel

See also

  • Archipelagic state
  • List of archipelagos
  • List of Caribbean countries by population
  • List of countries that border only one other country
  • List of divided islands
  • Lists of islands
  • List of islands by area
  • List of islands by population
  • List of islands by population density
  • List of Oceanian countries by population
  • List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Oceania
  • List of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Indian Ocean
  • Small Island Developing States
  • Thalassocracy

Notes

  1. ↑ The Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are disputed island territories administered by the United Kingdom and claimed by Argentina.
  2. ↑ A microcontinent on continental crust.
  3. ↑ The northern part of the island of Cyprus is the de facto independent state of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by Turkey. In the south of the island are the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, controlled by the United Kingdom.
  4. ↑ The largest oceanic island in the world.
  5. ↑ The western portion of the country is on the continental shelf of Asia while the eastern portion of the country is on the continental shelf of Australia. The central portion of the country consists of oceanic islands in Wallacea.
  6. ↑ In Japanese tradition, 11 February 660 BC is regarded as the accession date of the first Emperor of Japan in legendary, Emperor Jimmu, marking the establishment of the imperial dynasty. However, no historical evidence that Jimmu actually existed and his story was largely narrated by Japanese mythology. February 11 was also the day when the Constitution of the Empire of Japan was proclaimed in 1889. See: National Foundation Day
  7. ↑ The largest microcontinent in the world.
  8. 1 2 3 The Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau are states in free association with the United States, under the Compact of Free Association.
  9. 1 2 3 A part of the submerged continent of Zealandia.
  10. ↑ The Granitic Seychelles is a part of the Seychelles microcontinent. The Coralline Seychelles consists of oceanic islands.
  11. ↑ The British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar is a peninsular exclave which shares a land border with Spain and can thus be regarded as a part of continental Europe, with the United Kingdom retaining the full authority for its defence and foreign relations. However, Gibraltar and other BOTs are considered to be dependent territories of the British Crown with varying degrees of self-governance, not parts of the United Kingdom proper nor of any of its four constituent countries.
  12. ↑ In 1983, in a breach of international law, Northern Cyprus unilaterally declared independence from Cyprus, with direct support of its neighbour Turkey, in support of the Turkish people minority on the island. Northern Cyprus's sovereignty has been recognized by only one United Nations member state: Turkey. It retains a de facto control of this part of the island. It is not a member state of the United Nations. Most states recognize Cyprus's claim to sovereignty over the entirety of the island of Cyprus.
  13. ↑ Since the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War, the Republic of China (ROC) retains actual rule over the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other minor islands, all of which are collectively known as the "Free Area" (or Taiwan Area) in contrast to Mainland China being under communist rule, thus making it a de facto island nation, and has become known colloquially as simply "Taiwan" due to the island of Taiwan forming the majority of the ROC-controlled territories; nonetheless, the ROC has not officially renounced its constitutional-defined territories which include areas effectively controlled by the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, Tuva (a Russian republic) etc. If claimed territories were taken into account, the ROC would not be an island country, nor a country centred around a major island. The ROC-controlled territories are also claimed by the People's Republic of China. See: Cross-Strait relations, One China, Political status of Taiwan, and Two Chinas.
  14. ↑ The Republic of China (ROC) was formally established on 1 January 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution, which succeeded the former Qing dynasty's territories on Mainland China, while the islands of Taiwan and Penghu were under Japanese rule at the time. The ROC gained control over the latter after the Surrender of Japan in 1945, but soon lost its control of mainland to the communists due to the Chinese Civil War. The ROC government relocated to Taipei on 7 December 1949 and named the city its provisional capital. Constitutionally, the Republic of China on Taiwan still views itself as the continuation of the former Chinese republic, with legitimate sovereignty over Mainland China despite having no actual control. 7 December 1949 is listed as the date of formation of its governing authority fully established on the islands. See: Four-Stage Theory of the Republic of China, Kuomintang's retreat to Taiwan, and Political status of Taiwan.
  15. 1 2 The political status of the Cook Islands and Niue is defined as states in free association with New Zealand. The Cook Islands and Niue are internally self-governing, with New Zealand retaining responsibility for their defence and for some foreign affairs. However, these responsibilities confer New Zealand no rights of control and can only be exercised at the request of the Cook Islands and Niue. See: Constitution of the Cook Islands and Niue Constitution Act.
  16. ↑ Finland and Sweden share a border over the small island of Märket; however, the property including the lighthouse is owned by the Finnish rather than Åland government.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 An insular area of the United States. See Territories of the United States.
  18. 1 2 Since 2024, the Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute is approaching a resolution with the return of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius — deemed to have the right of sovereignty over the isles by ruling from both the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) the International Court of Justice (ICJ) — with the United Kingdom retaining control of the airbase on Diego Garcia on the basis of a 99-year lease. The negotiations as to the details of the return and the cost of the lease and the rate of compensation are yet to be determined.
  19. 1 2 The Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are also claimed by Argentina.
  20. 1 2 3 The Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey, and the Isle of Man are peculiars of the British Crown and not part of the United Kingdom; foreign relations and defence are provided by the UK.
  21. ↑ Administered by Norway under the Svalbard Treaty.
  22. ↑ Tokelau is a dependent territory of New Zealand.
  23. ↑ By 1910, the Empire of Japan was restricted to the entire Japanese archipelago, Southern Sakhalin, Kuril Islands and Taiwan, before its official annexation of Korea. The Japanese concessions in China including the Kwantung Leased Territory which acquired by Japan before 1905 were regarded as Chinese territories under foreign jurisdiction, they were not officially annexed by Japan and obliged to be returned under a fixed-term territorial lease by bilateral agreements.
  24. ↑ Before the outbreak of Sicilian Vespers in 1282, the Kingdom of Sicily encompassed both the island of Sicily and south Italy; the war resulted the division of the kingdom into two parts as "Kingdom of Trinacria" (island part), and Kingdom of Naples (mainland part) which still officially called itself "Kingdom of Sicily". The two Sicilian kingdoms had since remained separate until 1816, when they remerged to form the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
  25. ↑ Dissolved in 1962 and then divided into Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Barbuda, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
  26. ↑ The Crown Colony of Hong Kong covered only Hong Kong Island from 1841 to 1860. Kowloon, south of Boundary Street on the continent, was added in 1860, and extended to include the New Territories in 1898.
  27. ↑ The colony covered the island of Newfoundland before 1809. In 1809, part of the Labrador Peninsula was transferred to Newfoundland from Lower Canada. In other words, before 1809, Newfoundland was an island colony. From 1809 onwards, the Colony of Newfoundland and, since 1907, the Dominion of Newfoundland had been an island plus Labrador (an area on the continent of North America).

References

  1. ↑ "Definition of island". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012.
  2. ↑ The Republic of China (commonly known as "Taiwan") only controls the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu etc. after the Chinese Civil War, but has not renounced claim on areas currently under control of the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, Tuva (a Russian republic) etc. If those territories are taken into account, the Republic of China is not an island country or a country centered with a major island. The area under ROC control is also claimed by the People's Republic of China. See: One China and Political status of Taiwan.
  3. ↑ Löffler, Ernst; A.J. Rose, Anneliese Löffler & Denis Warner (1983). Australia:Portrait of a Continent. Richmond, Victoria: Hutchinson Group. p. 17. ISBN 0-09-130460-1.
  4. ↑ Which Countries Have The Most Islands?
  5. ↑ Island Countries
  6. ↑ "Island Countries Of The World". WorldAtlas.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  7. ↑ "Total Population Estimates 2015-2019". data.worldbank.org. The World Bank. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "令和元年全国都道府県市区町村別面積調（１０月１日時点）2020年" (in Japanese). Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. 25 December 2020. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  9. ↑ "The Overseas Territories" (PDF). Foreign and Commonwealth Office. June 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  10. ↑ TRNC SPO, Economic and Social Indicators 2014, pages=2–3
  11. ↑ The Guardian, 24-Dec-2024 Mauritius holds out on Chagos Islands deal over Diego Garcia lease
  12. 1 2 "Channel Islands". Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "2020 Island Areas Censuses: U.S. Virgin Islands". United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
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