List of all independent countries and dependent territories. It could be a long debate, depending on the adopted criteria, you can add or delete them from the list. So far I have accepted the following:
For the independent countries in question I counted Vatican and Taiwan. The Vatican does not belong to the UN because they do not want to, but they could. Taiwan is not a member of the UN and is practically not recognized by the only one superpower. Therefore, only in theory does not exist for others, as a fear of the economic power of China. In practice, however, they are separate, independent states.
In both categories of independent countries and dependent territories I do not recognize:
Uninhabited islands (or occupied just by Government personnel): Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Baker Island, Clipperton Island, Howland Island, Jan Mayen Island, Jarvis Island, Coral Sea Islands, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll and Palmyra Atoll.
However, I did include uninhabited Antarctica, because it is a continent. But I did not divide it into further territories, as surrounding islands belong to different states, they are inhabited only by scientists. For example Heard and McDonald Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands etc.
I didn't include territories for purely military purpose, such as: Akrotiri and Dhekelia, British Indian Ocean Territory (Diego Garcia), Guantanamo, Navassa, and Wake Island.
So far so good, no doubts. Now it's the toughest division – dependent territories. They are different countries and kingdoms, republics and states, associations and communities, enclaves and territories, dependencies and autonomies, the former colonies, overseas and external territories, departments and areas with military activities. All with limited sovereignty. Problem with classification is when we can consider country as a dependent territory, and when just as a part of the country which they belong. Treaties and pacts, politics and economics, administration and justice, economy, law and finance do not say clearly what degree of independence the region has (and in what field). I am a traveler, not the political scientist, so besides those regulations I took into account the geography, demography and ethnography, to help solve the classifications when doubts are too high. But I think there is not possible to make a perfect list. In the first group the countries have a mutual legal agreement between the territory and his superior. These are often overseas territories and former colonies, usually islands which in economic terms, prefer to maintain this status. I took these regions as the dependent territories such as Greenland, Svalbard, Faroe Islands, part of the Caribbean (eg Guadeloupe) and the Pacific Islands (eg, French Polynesia).
Later was more difficult - the small states with limited sovereignty or autonomy, but in another dimension than the countries listed above. Guernsey, Jersey and Man Island are not part of the UK or European Union, they have their own government. Similarly, the Finnish autonomous Aaland Islands. Because of their slight importance in the international arena and the lack of geographical and ethnic diversity, I skipped them out from the list, but I'm not 100% sure if it was fair decision 100% and I might change my mind after additional considering the situation. I did not accept to the list the various micro states such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Principality of Sealand, Mount Athos etc.
I took on the list Australian territory of Norfolk Island, Christmas and Cocos Islands. Only the first one has its own government, which is unique in the world by terms of sovereignty. Additionally this island is different from the Australian mainland in terms of botanical and geographical, and the local population are Polynesian origin. The other two group of islands have no sovereignty and need to respect Canberra law, but geographically, demographically and culturally – Christmas and Cocos Islands are in the Asian world.
I didn't include yet countries like Somaliland, South Sudan and Kosovo. They are de facto independent territories, but not recognized yet by the world in 100%. At least so far they are as dependent territories. Simillar as Macau and Hong Kong, but they are going in the opposite direction and gradually lose its status from year to year. So far they have their own currency, government, sports teams etc.
What to do with other territories that have no sovereignty, but are located far beyond their mainland country, even on another continent? In this case I didn't include those territories, such as Spanish Ceuta, Melilla, Canary Islands (and 6 other enclaves), or Portuguese Madeira and Selvagens Islands, belong to Yemen Socotra Island etc.
There are also areas where military operations are on. International arena in the near future will not recognize such regions, but it cannot be counted to their previous superiors either. I am thinking of Abkhazia, Northern Cyprus, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia and Palestine. Apart from the political views, it is difficult not to regard them as a separate region.
In the following tables of all independent countries and dependent territories, I highlited in red ink the visited countries, and in black one not visited yet. At the bottom of the page I made an additional list of territories, which are not consider as independent country, either as dependent territory, but I have some doubts about that.
EUROPE | ASIA | AFRICA | |||||
1 |
Albania | 1 |
Afghanistan | 1 |
Algeria | ||
2 |
Andorra | 2 |
Armenia | 2 |
Angola | ||
3 |
Austria | 3 |
Azerbaijan | 3 |
Benin | ||
4 |
Belarus | 4 |
Bahrain | 4 |
Botswana | ||
5 |
Belgium | 5 |
Bangladesh | 5 |
Burkina Faso | ||
6 |
Bosnia & Herzegovina | 6 |
Bhutan | 6 |
Burundi | ||
7 |
Bulgaria | 7 |
Brunei | 7 |
Cameroon | ||
8 |
Croatia | 8 |
Cambodia | 8 |
Cape Verde Islands | ||
9 |
Czech Republic | 9 |
China | 9 |
Central African Republic | ||
10 |
Denmark | 10 |
Cyprus | 10 |
Chad | ||
11 |
Estonia | 11 |
East Timor | 11 |
Comoros | ||
12 |
Finland | 12 |
Georgia | 12 |
Congo | ||
13 |
France | 13 |
India | 13 |
Congo Democratic Rep. (Zaire) | ||
14 |
Germany | 14 |
Indonesia | 14 |
Côte d”Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | ||
15 |
Greece | 15 |
Iran | 15 |
Djibouti | ||
16 |
Holland | 16 |
Iraq | 16 |
Egypt | ||
17 |
Hungary | 17 |
Israel | 17 |
Equatorial Guinea | ||
18 |
Iceland | 18 |
Japan | 18 |
Eritrea | ||
19 |
Ireland (Eire) | 19 |
Jordan | 19 |
Ethiopia | ||
20 |
Italy | 20 |
Kazakhstan | 20 |
Gabon | ||
21 |
Latvia | 21 |
Kuwait | 21 |
Gambia | ||
22 |
Liechtenstein | 22 |
Kyrgyzstan | 22 |
Ghana | ||
23 |
Lithuania | 23 |
Laos | 23 |
Guinea | ||
24 |
Luxembourg | 24 |
Lebanon | 24 |
Guinea–Bissau | ||
25 |
Macedonia | 25 |
Malaysia | 25 |
Kenya | ||
26 |
Malta | 26 |
Maldives | 26 |
Lesotho | ||
27 |
Moldova | 27 |
Mongolia | 27 |
Liberia | ||
28 |
Monaco | 28 |
Myanmar (Burma) | 28 |
Libya | ||
29 |
Montenegro | 29 |
Nepal | 29 |
Madagascar | ||
30 |
Norway | 30 |
North Korea | 30 |
Malawi | ||
31 |
Poland | 31 |
Oman | 31 |
Mali | ||
32 |
Portugal | 32 |
Pakistan | 32 |
Mauritania | ||
33 |
Romania | 33 |
Philippines | 33 |
Mauritius | ||
34 |
Russia | 34 |
Qatar | 34 |
Morocco | ||
35 |
San Marino | 35 |
Saudi Arabia | 35 |
Mozambique | ||
36 |
Serbia | 36 |
Singapore | 36 |
Namibia | ||
37 |
Slovakia | 37 |
South Korea | 37 |
Niger | ||
38 |
Slovenia | 38 |
Sri Lanka (Ceylon) | 38 |
Nigeria | ||
39 |
Spain | 39 |
Syria | 39 |
Rwanda | ||
40 |
Sweden | 40 |
Taiwan | 40 |
São Tome & Principe | ||
41 |
Switzerland | 41 |
Tajikistan | 41 |
Senegal | ||
42 |
Ukraine | 42 |
Thailand | 42 |
Seychelles | ||
43 |
United Kingdom | 43 |
Turkey | 43 |
Sierra Leone | ||
44 |
Vatican City | 44 |
Turkmenistan | 44 |
Somalia | ||
Dependent territories: | 45 |
United Arab Emirates | 45 |
South Africa | |||
1 |
Faroe Islands - den. | 46 |
Uzbekistan | 46 |
South Sudan | ||
2 |
Gibraltar - uk | 47 |
Vietnam | 47 |
Sudan | ||
3 |
Kosovo | 48 |
Yemen | 48 |
Swaziland | ||
4 |
Svalbard - nor. | Dependent territories: | 49 |
Tanzania | |||
5 |
Trans-Dniester Republic - rus. | 1 |
Abkhazia | 50 |
Togo | ||
2 |
Christmas Island - aus. | 51 |
Tunisia | ||||
3 |
Cocos Islands - aus. | 52 |
Uganda | ||||
4 |
Hong Kong - chn | 53 |
Zambia | ||||
5 |
Macao - chn | 54 |
Zimbabwe | ||||
6 |
Nagorno-Karabakh | Dependent territories: | |||||
7 |
Northern Cyprus | 1 |
Majotta - fr. | ||||
8 |
Palestine | 2 |
Reunion - fr. | ||||
9 |
South Ossetia | 3 |
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha - uk | ||||
4 |
Somaliland | ||||||
5 |
Western Sahara - mor. |
Europe | 46/49 |
75% | Asia | 39/57 |
56% | Africa | 33/59 |
Independent countries | 43/44 |
Independent countries | 37/48 |
Azj |
Independent countries | 32/54 |
|
Dependent territories | 3/5 |
Dependent territories | 2/9 |
55 % | Dependent territories | 1/5 |
|
Afr |
|||||||
Mainland countries | 43/43 |
Mainland countries | 31/44 |
Mainland countries | 33/51 |
||
Islands | 3/6 |
Islands | 8/13 |
Islands | 0/8 |
||
Azj |
|||||||
Time I spent there | 28 months |
781 | Time I spent there | 1.6 year |
533 | Time I spent there | 9 months |
plus in Poland | 25 years |
Afr | |||||
Number of visit in Eu. | 10+ |
Number of visit in Asia | 10+ |
287 | Number of visit in Africa | 3 |
NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA | SOUTH AMERICA | AUSTRALIA and OCEANIA | |||||
1 |
Antigua & Barbuda | 1 |
Argentina | 1 |
Australia | ||
2 |
Bahamas | 2 |
Bolivia | 2 |
Fiji | ||
3 |
Barbados | 3 |
Brazil | 3 |
Kiribati | ||
4 |
Belize | 4 |
Chile | 4 |
Marshall Islands | ||
5 |
Canada | 5 |
Colombia | 5 |
Micronesia | ||
6 |
Costa Rica | 6 |
Ecuador | 6 |
Nauru | ||
7 |
Cuba | 7 |
Guyana | 7 |
New Zealand | ||
8 |
Dominica | 8 |
Paraguay | 8 |
Palau | ||
9 |
Dominican Republic | 9 |
Peru | 9 |
Papua New Guinea | ||
10 |
El Salvador | 10 |
Suriname | 10 |
Samoa | ||
11 |
Grenada | 11 |
Uruguay | 11 |
Solomon Islands | ||
12 |
Guatemala | 12 |
Venezuela | 12 |
Tonga | ||
13 |
Haiti | Dependent territories: | 13 |
Tuvalu | |||
14 |
Honduras | 1 |
Falkland Islands - uk | 14 |
Vanuatu | ||
15 |
Jamaica | 2 |
French Guyana | Dependent territories: | |||
16 |
Mexico | 1 |
American Samoa | ||||
17 |
Nicaragua | 2 |
Cook Is. - nz | ||||
18 |
Panama | 3 |
French Polynesia | ||||
19 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 4 |
Guam - usa | ||||
20 |
Saint Lucia | 5 |
Niue - nz | ||||
21 |
Saint Vincent and Grenadines | 6 |
Norfolk - aus. | ||||
22 |
United States | 7 |
New Caledonia - fr. | ||||
23 |
Trinidad & Tobago | 8 |
Northern Mariana Islands - usa | ||||
Dependent territories: | 9 |
Pictairn I. - uk | |||||
1 |
Anquila - uk | 10 |
Tokelau - nz | ||||
2 |
Aruba - hol. | 11 |
Wallis & Futuna - fr. | ||||
3 |
Bermuda - uk | ||||||
4 |
Cayman Is. - uk | ||||||
5 |
Greenland - den. | ||||||
6 |
Guadeloupe - fr. | ||||||
7 |
Martinique - fr. | ||||||
8 |
Montserrat - uk | ||||||
9 |
Netherlands Antilles | ||||||
10 |
Puerto Rico - usa | ||||||
11 |
Saint Barthelemy - fr | ||||||
12 |
Saint Martin - fr | ||||||
13 |
Saint Pierre i Miquelon - fr. | ||||||
14 |
Turks i Caicos - uk | ||||||
15 |
Virgin Islands - uk | ||||||
16 |
Virgin Islands - usa |
North & Centr. Amer. | 13/39 |
33% | South America | 10/14 |
64% | Australia & Oceania | 10/25 |
Independent countries | 11/23 |
Independent countries | 10/12 |
AME |
Independent countries | 9/14 |
|
Dependent territories | 2/16 |
Dependent territories | 0/2 |
16% | Dependent territories | 1/11 |
|
AUS |
|||||||
Mainland countries | 10/10 |
Mainland countries | 10/13 |
Mainland countries | 1/1 |
||
Islands | 3/29 |
Islands | 0/1 |
Islands | 9/24 |
||
AME |
|||||||
Time I spent there | 5 months |
114 | Time I spent there | 1.5 years |
121 | Time I spent in Oceania | 8 weeks |
AUS | plus in Australia country |
11 years |
|||||
Number of visit | 4 |
Number of visit | 6 |
19 | Number of visit on islands | 5 |
Antarctica | 0/1 |
50% | World | 151/244 |
Independent countries | 142/195 |
|||
Dependent territories | 0/1 |
Dependent territories | 9/49 |
|
Mainland countries | 0/1 |
Mainland countries | 128/163 |
|
Islands | 23/81 |
|||
Time I spent there | - |
1855 | Time I spent in the world except Poland & Australia |
6.5 years
|
Number of visit | - |
List of additional regions which are not sovereign enough to be on the previous list of dependent territories. This is not a closed list, I have mixed feelings of these regions and it is possible to transfer them to dependent territories list.
EUROPE | AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA | ANTARCTICA | ||
Aaland Islands – fin. | Ashmore and Cartiera Is. – aus. | Australian Antarctic Territory | ||
Azores – por. | Baker I. - usa | Bouvet Island – nor. | ||
Guernsey – uk | Coral Sea Islands – aus. | British Antarctic Territory | ||
Isle of Man - uk | Howland I. – usa | French Southern and Arctic Lands | ||
Jan Mayen - nor. | Jarvis I. – usa | Heard I. And McDonald Is. - aus. | ||
Jersey – uk | Johnston Atoll – usa | Peter I Island. - nor. | ||
Mt. Athos – gr. | Kingman Reef – usa | Queen Maud Land – nor. | ||
Sovereign Military Order of Malta | Midway Atoll – usa | Ross Dependency - nz | ||
Palmyra Atoll – usa | South Georgia and the S. Sandwich Is. - uk | |||
Wake I. - usa | ||||
NORTH AMERICA | ASIA | AFRICA | ||
Clipperton - fr. | Akrotiri – uk. | British Indian Ocean Territory (Diego Garcia) | ||
Guantanamo - usa | Dhekelia – uk. | Ceuta, Melilla and others – sp. | ||
Navassa – usa | Kurdistan - iraq | Madera and Selvagens Is. - por. | ||
Spratly Is. | Socotra – yem. | |||
Tibet |