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Dependency status
This entry describes the formal relationship between a particular nonindependent entity and an independent state.
| Country | Dependency status |
|---|---|
| Akrotiri |
a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
|
| American Samoa |
unincorporated unorganized territory of the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior
|
| Anguilla |
overseas territory of the UK
|
| Aruba |
constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
|
| Ashmore and Cartier Islands |
territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport
|
| Bermuda |
overseas territory of the UK
|
| Bouvet Island |
territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Oslo Police
|
| British Indian Ocean Territory |
overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
|
| British Virgin Islands |
overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
|
| Cayman Islands |
overseas territory of the UK
|
| Christmas Island |
non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport
|
| Clipperton Island |
possession of France; administered directly by the Minister of Overseas France
|
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport
|
| Cook Islands |
self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense in consultation with the Cook Islands
|
| Coral Sea Islands |
territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport
|
| Curacao |
constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs |
| Dhekelia |
a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
|
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) |
overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina
|
| Faroe Islands |
part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948
|
| French Polynesia |
overseas country of France; note - overseas territory of France from 1946-2003; overseas collectivity of France since 2003, though it is often referred to as an overseas country due to its degree of autonomy
|
| French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
overseas territory of France since 1955
|
| Gibraltar |
overseas territory of the UK
|
| Greenland |
part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979
|
| Guam |
unincorporated organized territory of the US with policy relations between Guam and the federal government under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior
|
| Guernsey |
British crown dependency
|
| Heard Island and McDonald Islands |
territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (Australian Antarctic Division)
|
| Hong Kong |
special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
|
| Howland Island |
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System
|
| Isle of Man |
British crown dependency
|
| Jan Mayen |
territory of Norway; since August 1994, administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service; in 2010, Norway designated the majority of Jan Mayen as a nature reserve
|
| Jarvis Island |
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System
|
| Jersey |
British crown dependency
|
| Johnston Atoll |
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Honolulu, Hawaii, by Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System
|
| Kingman Reef |
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the US Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior
note: on 1 September 2000, the Department of the Interior accepted restoration of its administrative jurisdiction over Kingman Reef from the Department of the Navy; Executive Order 3223 signed 18 January 2001 established Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge to be administered by the Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service; this refuge is managed to protect the terrestrial and aquatic wildlife of Kingman Reef out to the 12 nm territorial sea limit |
| Macau |
special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
|
| Midway Islands |
unincorporated unorganized territory of the US; formerly administered from Washington, DC, by the US Navy; on 31 October 1996, through a presidential executive order, the jurisdiction and control of the atoll was transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System
|
| Montserrat |
overseas territory of the UK
|
| Navassa Island |
unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of the Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; Haiti has claimed the island since the 19th century
|
| New Caledonia |
special collectivity (or a sui generis collectivity) of France since 1998; note - independence referenda took place on 4 November 2018 and 4 October 2020 with a majority voting to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo; an additional referenda, still unsceheduled, may occur in 2022
|
| Niue |
self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974; Niue is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense; however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue
|
| Norfolk Island |
self-governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts, and Sport
|
| Northern Mariana Islands |
commonwealth in political union with and under the sovereignty of the US; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs
|
| Palmyra Atoll |
incorporated territory of the US; privately owned but administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea limit or within the lagoon
|
| Pitcairn Islands |
overseas territory of the UK
|
| Puerto Rico |
unincorporated organized territory of the US; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President
|
| Saint Barthelemy |
overseas collectivity of France
|
| Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha |
overseas territory of the UK
|
| Saint Martin |
overseas collectivity of France
note: the only French overseas collectivity that is part of the EU |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
overseas collectivity of France
|
| Sint Maarten |
constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs |
| South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands |
overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II
|
| Svalbard |
territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920), sovereignty was awarded to Norway
|
| Tokelau |
self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN-sponsored referendum on self governance in October 2007 did not meet the two-thirds majority vote necessary for changing the political status
|
| Turks and Caicos Islands |
overseas territory of the UK
|
| United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges |
with the exception of Palmyra Atoll, the constituent islands are unincorporated, unorganized territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System
note: Palmyra Atoll is partly privately owned and partly federally owned; the federally owned portion is administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as an incorporated, unorganized territory of the US; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon |
| Virgin Islands |
unincorporated organized territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the federal government under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior
|
| Wake Island |
unincorporated unorganized territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Department of the Interior; activities in the atoll are currently conducted by the 11th US Air Force and managed from Pacific Air Force Support Center
|
| Wallis and Futuna |
overseas collectivity of France
|