Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty

Fact Sheet
Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Washington, DC
October 12, 2016


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

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

The Settlement
(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

Cook Islands

Cook Islands

New Zealand

CK

COK

Avarua

Coral Sea Islands

Coral Sea
Islands Territory

Australia

XC

XCS

Administered
from Canberra

Curaçao
(see note 11)

! Land 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)

United
Kingdom
(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

Niue

Niue

New Zealand

NU

NIU

Alofi

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)

Sint Maarten

Netherlands

SX

SXM

Philipsburg

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

United
Kingdom
(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

Wallis and Futuna

France

WF

WLF

Matâ'utu

Western Sahara

(no long-form name)

To be determined

EH

ESH

None

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: U.K. Overseas Territory (also 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. Curaçao and Sint Maarten (the Dutch two-fifths of the island of Saint Martin) became autonomous territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius now fall under the direct administration 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 territory of 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.