List of island countries

This is a list of island countries. 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.

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).

Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea is officially an unincorporated territory of the United States.

South America is the only inhabited continent without an island country.^{[n 1]}^[5]

Sovereign states

UN member states and states with limited recognition

Name	ISO code	Geographic configuration	Geologic location	Area (km²)^[6]	Population ^[7]	Population density (per km²)	Geographical location	Establishment/ Independence
UN member states
Antigua and Barbuda	AG ATG	Two main islands (Antigua Island and Barbuda Island)	Continental shelf	442	97,120	220	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1981 November 1
Bahamas	BS BHS	Archipelago	Continental shelf	13,939	389,480	28	Atlantic Ocean, Lucayan Archipelago	1973 July 10
Bahrain	BH BHR	Archipelago (centered around Bahrain Island)	Continental shelf	778	1,641,170	2,109	Persian Gulf	1971 December 10
Barbados	BB BRB	One island	Continental shelf^{[n 2]}	430	287,020	667	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1966 November 30
Brunei	BN BRN	Part of a larger island (Borneo)	Continental shelf	5,765	433,290	75	Maritime Southeast Asia	1984 January 1
Cape Verde	CV CPV	Archipelago	Oceanic	4,033	549,930	136	Atlantic Ocean, Macaronesia	1975 July 5
Comoros	KM COM	Archipelago	Oceanic	1,861	850,890	457	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	109,884	11,346,346	103	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	9,251	888,005	96	Mediterranean Sea	1960 August 16
Dominica	DM DMA	One island	Continental shelf	754	71,810	95	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	48,671	10,738,960	221	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles	1821 December 1 1844 February 27
East Timor	TL TLS	Part of a larger island (Timor)	Oceanic	14,919	1,293,120	87	Maritime Southeast Asia, Lesser Sunda Islands	2002 May 20
Fiji	FJ FJI	Archipelago	Oceanic	18,274	889,950	49	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia	1970 October 10
Grenada	GD GRD	One main island, two dependencies (Carriacou and Petite Martinique)	Continental shelf	344	112,000	326	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	27,750	11,743,017	423	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles	1804 January 1
Iceland	IS ISL	One main island	Oceanic^{[n 4]}	102,775	361,310	4	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]}	1,904,569	270,625,570	142	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	70,273	4,977,400	71	Atlantic Ocean, British Isles	1922 December 6
Jamaica	JM JAM	One main island, and several small islands (Port Royal Cays, etc.)	Continental shelf	10,991	2,734,092	249	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles	1962 August 6
Japan	JP JPN	Archipelago (Japanese Archipelago)	Continental shelf	377,976^[8]	126,264,930	334	Pacific Ocean, East Asia	660 BC February 11^{[n 6]}
Kiribati	KI KIR	Archipelago	Oceanic	811	117,610	145	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia	1979 July 12
Madagascar	MG MDG	One main island	Continental shelf^{[n 7]}	587,041	26,969,310	46	Indian Ocean, Africa	1960 June 26
Maldives	MV MDV	Archipelago	Oceanic	298	383,976	1,289	Indian Ocean, Laccadive Sea	1965 July 26
Malta	MT MLT	Two main islands (Malta Island and Gozo) plus other smaller islands	Continental shelf	316	502,650	1,591	Mediterranean Sea	1964 September 21
Marshall Islands^{[n 8]}	MH MHL	Archipelago	Oceanic	181	58,790	325	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia	1979 May 1
Mauritius	MU MUS	Archipelago	Oceanic	2,040	1,265,710	620	Indian Ocean, Africa, Mascarene Islands	1968 March 12
Micronesia^{[n 8]}	FM FSM	Archipelago	Oceanic	702	113,810	162	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia	1979 May 10
Nauru	NR NRU	One island	Oceanic	21	12,580	599	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia	1968 January 31
New Zealand	NZ NZL	Two main islands (North Island and South Island) plus other smaller islands	Continental shelf^{[n 9]}	270,467	5,125,451	19	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia	1907 September 26
Palau^{[n 8]}	PW PLW	Archipelago	Oceanic	459	18,010	39	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia	1981 January 1
Papua New Guinea	PG PNG	Part of a larger island (New Guinea), and several smaller islands	Continental shelf	462,840	8,776,110	19	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia	1975 September 16
Philippines	PH PHL	Archipelago	Continental shelf	300,000	108,116,620	360	Maritime Southeast Asia	1898 June 12 1946 July 4
Saint Kitts and Nevis	KN KNA	Two main islands (Saint Kitts Island and Nevis Island)	Continental shelf	261	52,830	202	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1983 September 19
Saint Lucia	LC LCA	One main island	Continental shelf	616	182,790	297	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1979 February 22
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	VC VCT	Archipelago	Continental shelf	389	110,590	284	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1979 October 27
Samoa	WS WSM	Archipelago	Oceanic	2,842	197,100	69	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia	1962 January 1
São Tomé and Príncipe	ST STP	Two main islands (São Tomé Island and Príncipe Island)	Continental shelf	1,001	215,060	215	Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Guinea, Africa	1975 July 12
Seychelles	SC SYC	Archipelago	Various^{[n 10]}	455	97,630	215	Indian Ocean, Africa	1976 June 29
Singapore	SG SGP	One main island, plus other smaller islands	Continental shelf	728	5,703,570	7,831	Maritime Southeast Asia	1965 August 9
Solomon Islands	SB SLB	Archipelago	Oceanic	28,400	669,820	24	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia	1978 July 7
Sri Lanka	LK LKA	One main island, plus other small islands	Continental shelf	65,610	21,803,000	332	Indian Ocean, South Asia	1948 February 4
Tonga	TO TON	Archipelago	Oceanic	748	104,490	140	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia	1970 June 4
Trinidad and Tobago	TT TTO	Two main islands (Trinidad Island and Tobago Island) plus other smaller islands	Continental shelf	5,131	1,394,970	272	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1962 August 31
Tuvalu	TV TUV	Archipelago	Oceanic	26	11,650	448	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia	1978 October 1
United Kingdom^{[n 11]}^[9]^[discuss]	GB or UK GBR	One main island, part of second island (Ireland), plus several minor islands	Continental shelf	244,820	67,886,004	277	Atlantic Ocean, British Isles	1707 May 1
Vanuatu	VU VUT	Archipelago	Oceanic	12,189	299,880	25	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia	1980 July 30
States with limited recognition
Northern Cyprus^{[n 12]}	CY CYP	Part of a larger island (Cyprus)	Continental shelf	3,355	313,626^[10]	93	Mediterranean Sea	1974 July 20
Taiwan^{[n 13]}	TW TWN	One main island, and several smaller islands	Continental shelf	36,193	23,603,121	652	Pacific Ocean, East Asia	1912 January 1 1949 December 7^{[n 14]}

Associated states

Name	ISO code	Geographic configuration	Geologic location	Associated with	Area (km²)	Population	Density (per km²)	Geographical location
Cook Islands^{[n 15]}	CK COK	Archipelago	Oceanic	New Zealand	236	10,777	45.7	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
Niue^{[n 15]}	NU NIU	One island	Oceanic	New Zealand	260	1,269	4.9	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia

Dependencies and other territories

Name	Geographic configuration	Geologic location	Sovereign state	Area (km²)	Population	Density (per km²)	Geographic location
Åland	Archipelago^{[n 16]}	Continental shelf	Finland	1,580	28,355	17.9	Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia
American Samoa^{[n 17]}	Archipelago	Oceanic	United States	199	54,947	276	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	India	8,249	380,520	46	Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea
Anguilla	One main island	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	91	15,423	169	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Aruba	One main island	Continental shelf	Netherlands	180	107,635	598	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Bermuda	Archipelago	Oceanic	United Kingdom	53.3	62,500	1,170	Atlantic Ocean, North America
Bouvet Island	One island	Oceanic	Norway	49	No permanent resident	0	Southern Ocean
British Indian Ocean Territory	Archipelago	Oceanic	United Kingdom	60	3,000	50	Indian Ocean
British Virgin Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	151	31,148	206	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Caribbean Netherlands	Three main islands	Continental shelf	Netherlands	127	21,133	166	Caribbean Sea
Cayman Islands	Three islands	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	264	52,560	199	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles
Christmas Island	One island	Oceanic	Australia	135	1,496	11.1	Indian Ocean, Australasia
Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Archipelago	Oceanic	Australia	14	596	42.6	Indian Ocean, Australasia
Curaçao	One main island	Continental shelf	Netherlands	444	145,834	328	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Easter Island	One Island	Oceanic	Chile	163.6	6,148	37.5	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
Falkland Islands	Two main islands	Continental shelf	United Kingdom^{[n 18]}	12,173	3,140	0.26	Atlantic Ocean, South America
Faroe Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	Denmark	1,393	49,483	35.5	Atlantic Ocean
French Polynesia	Archipelago	Oceanic	France	3,827	274,512	71.7	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
French Southern and Antarctic Lands	Archipelago	Oceanic	France	7,747	150	49.4	Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean
Galapagos Islands	Archipelago	Oceanic	Ecuador	8,010	33,042	4.1	Pacific Ocean
Greenland	One main island with archipelagos	Continental shelf	Denmark	2,166,086	57,695	0.03	North America
Guadeloupe	Archipelago	Continental Shelf	France	1,628	405,500	250	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Guam^{[n 17]}	One main island	Oceanic	United States	544	159,914	293	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia
Guernsey^{[n 19]}^[11]	Three main islands	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	78	65,849	844	English Channel, Channel Islands
Heard and McDonald Islands	Two main islands (Heard Island and McDonald Island)	Oceanic	Australia	412	No permanent resident	0	Southern Ocean
Isle of Man^{[n 19]}^[11]	One main island	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	572	85,421	149	Irish Sea, British Isles
Jan Mayen	One island	Oceanic	Norway	377	No permanent resident	0	Arctic Ocean
Jersey^{[n 19]}^[11]	One main island	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	116	94,949	819	English Channel, Channel Islands
Juan Fernandez Islands	Two main islands	Oceanic	Chile	100	926	9.2	Pacific Ocean
Lakshadweep	Archipelago	Oceanic	India	32.62	64,473	2000	Indian Ocean
Macao	One main island and a peninsula on a river island	Continental shelf	China	32.9	680,000	20,668	South China Sea, Pearl River Delta
Martinique	One island	Continental shelf	France	1,128	403,795	360	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Mayotte	One main island	Oceanic	France	374	194,000	498.5	Indian Ocean, Africa, Comoros Islands
Montserrat	One island	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	102	5,164	50.6	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
New Caledonia	One main island	Continental shelf^{[n 9]}	France	18,275	260,166	14.2	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia
Norfolk Island	One main island	Continental shelf^{[n 9]}	Australia	36	2,182	60.6	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia
Northern Mariana Islands^{[n 17]}	Archipelago	Oceanic	United States	464	51,395	111	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands	Archipelago	Oceanic	United Kingdom	47	48	1.0	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
Puerto Rico^{[n 17]}	One main island, archipelago	Continental shelf	United States	8,870	3,690,923	416	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles
Réunion	One main island	Oceanic	France	2,512	893,500	330	Indian Ocean, Africa, Mascarene Islands
San Andrés and Providencia	Archipelago	Oceanic	Colombia	52,5	61,280	1,200	Caribbean Sea
Saint Barthélemy	One main island	Continental shelf	France	21	7,332	349	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	Three main islands distant from each other	Oceanic	United Kingdom	308	7,728	25.1	Atlantic Ocean
Saint Martin	Part of a larger island (Saint Martin)	Continental shelf	France	54.4	30,959	569	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Two main islands	Continental shelf	France	242	5,831	24.1	North America
Sint Maarten	Part of a larger island (Saint Martin)	Continental shelf	Netherlands	34	39,088	1,150	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	United Kingdom^{[n 18]}	3,903	No permanent resident	0	Atlantic Ocean
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Part of a larger island (Cyprus)	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	254	15,700	61.8	Mediterranean Sea
Svalbard^{[n 20]}	Archipelago	Continental shelf	Norway	62,045	2,752	0.03	Arctic Ocean
Tokelau^{[n 21]}	Archipelago	Oceanic	New Zealand	12	1,368	114	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
Turks and Caicos Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	948	46,335	48.9	Atlantic Ocean, Lucayan Archipelago
United States Minor Outlying Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	United States	41	300	7.3	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia, Polynesia
U.S. Virgin Islands^{[n 17]}	Archipelago	Continental shelf	United States	346	105,275	304	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Wallis and Futuna	Three main islands	Oceanic	France	264	15,289	57.9	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

Europe

Mediterranean Sea

North Europe & West Europe

North America

Oceania

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 25]}
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 26]}
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.

Island countries with man-made fixed links to continents

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

Notes

^ Unless Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean island country located on the northern portion of the South American continental shelf, is considered a South American country. The Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are disputed island territories administered by the United Kingdom and claimed by Argentina.
^ A microcontinent on continental crust.
^ 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.
^ The largest oceanic island in the world.
^ 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.
^ 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 Yamato 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
^ The largest microcontinent in the world.
^ ^a ^b ^c 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.
^ ^a ^b ^c A part of the submerged continent of Zealandia.
^ The Granitic Seychelles is a part of the Seychelles microcontinent. The Coralline Seychelles consists of oceanic islands.
^ 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.
^ In 1983, Northern Cyprus declared independence from Cyprus. Northern Cyprus' sovereignty has been recognized by only one United Nations member state (Turkey). It is not a member state of the United Nations. Most states recognize Cyprus' claim to sovereignty over Northern Cyprus.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ ^a ^b 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.
^ 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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e An insular area of the United States. See Territories of the United States.
^ ^a ^b The Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are also claimed by Argentina.
^ ^a ^b ^c 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.
^ Administered by Norway under the Svalbard Treaty.
^ Tokelau is a dependent territory of New Zealand.
^ By 1910, the Empire of Japan was restricted to the majority of the Japanese archipelago and Taiwan before its official annexation of Korea.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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

^ "Definition of island". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Which Countries Have The Most Islands?
^ Island Countries
^ "Island Countries Of The World". WorldAtlas.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
^ "Total Population Estimates 2015-2019". data.worldbank.org. The World Bank. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
^ "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.
^ "The Overseas Territories" (PDF). Foreign and Commonwealth Office. June 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
^ TRNC SPO, Economic and Social Indicators 2014, pages=2–3
^ ^a ^b ^c "Channel Islands". Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2013.

External links

Island superlatives

[5] Unless Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean island country located on the northern portion of the South American continental shelf, is considered a South American country. The Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are disputed island territories administered by the United Kingdom and claimed by Argentina.

[Microcontinent-9] A microcontinent on continental crust.

[Cyprus-10] 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.

[11] The largest oceanic island in the world.

[12] 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.

[JPN-14] 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 Yamato 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

[15] The largest microcontinent in the world.

[CFA-16] 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.

[Zealandia-17] A part of the submerged continent of Zealandia.

[18] The Granitic Seychelles is a part of the Seychelles microcontinent. The Coralline Seychelles consists of oceanic islands.

[BOTs-19] 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.

[trnc-21] In 1983, Northern Cyprus declared independence from Cyprus. Northern Cyprus' sovereignty has been recognized by only one United Nations member state (Turkey). It is not a member state of the United Nations. Most states recognize Cyprus' claim to sovereignty over Northern Cyprus.

[roc-23] 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.

[roc-2-24] 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.

[NCA-25] 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.

[26] 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.

[territories-27] An insular area of the United States. See Territories of the United States.

[Argentina-28] The Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are also claimed by Argentina.

[crowndependencies-29] 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.

[31] Administered by Norway under the Svalbard Treaty.

[32] Tokelau is a dependent territory of New Zealand.

[Japan-33] By 1910, the Empire of Japan was restricted to the majority of the Japanese archipelago and Taiwan before its official annexation of Korea.

[Sicily-34] 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.

[West_Indies-35] 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.

[36] 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.

[Newfoundland-37] 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).

[1] "Definition of island". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012.

[roc-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?

[6] Island Countries

[world-atlas-7] "Island Countries Of The World". WorldAtlas.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2019-08-10.

[8] "Total Population Estimates 2015-2019". data.worldbank.org. The World Bank. Retrieved 21 April 2021.

[geospatial-13] "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.

[20] "The Overseas Territories" (PDF). Foreign and Commonwealth Office. June 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2020.

[22] TRNC SPO, Economic and Social Indicators 2014, pages=2–3

[channel_islands-30] "Channel Islands". Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2013.

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