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.

U.S. Department of State

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