The terms country, state, and nation can have various meanings. Therefore, diverse lists of these entities are possible. Wikipedia offers the following lists:
the list of countries, listing countries in the sense of independent states (both those that are internationally recognized and generally unrecognized), inhabited dependent territories, and areas of special sovereignty.
the list of sovereign states, listing sovereign states with information on the extent of their sovereignty. It includes both states widely recognized (de jure) to be sovereign and entities that claim sovereignty while exercising de facto control over (part of) their claimed territory.
There are varying degrees and forms of dependence, commonly distinguished from other subnational entities in that they are not considered to be part of the motherland or mainland of the governing State. In most cases they also represent a different order of separation. A subnational entity typically represents a division of the State proper, while a dependent territory might be an overseas territory that enjoys a greater degree of autonomy. For instance, many of them have more or less separate legal systems from the governing States. Varies among different legal and constitutional traditions, these territories may or may not be considered part of the States.
Currently there are 60 dependencies on this list, not including those listed as under China, Finland, and Russia. Out of the list below, Australian, British and New Zealand territories are part of the Commonwealth realm - their governing States are in personal union under the same British monarch. All claims south of 60 degrees south (in Antarctica) are not recognised or are disputed. They are italicised. Uninhabited territories or territories with no permanent population are marked with hash keys/number symbols (#).
The list includes several territories that are not included in the list of non-self-governing territories[1] listed by the General Assembly of the United Nations (which also includes Western Sahara, since 1990, the General Assembly reaffirmed that the question of Western Sahara was a question of decolonization which remained to be completed by the people of Western Sahara).
Administered by the Comissão Interministerial para os Recursos do Mar (CIRM), the Brazilian National Committee on Antarctic Research (CONAPA), and the National Commission on Antarctic Matters (CONANTAR). The base of operations is in Comandante Ferraz.
The Southern and Antarctic Lands is an Overseas territory since 1955, administered from Paris by an Administrateur Superieur (since May 2000, François Garde assisted by Secretary General Jean-Yves Hermoso). No permanent population.
Full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Government of the Netherlands responsible for defense and foreign affairs. Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but not of the European Union.
The Netherlands Antilles were to be dissolved on 15 December 2008, but this has been put off to an later, undefined, date. Under that plan Curaçao and Sint Maarten will become autonomous regions in their own right. Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius will become special municipalities of the Netherlands.
Self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1965. The Cook Islands are fully responsible for their internal affairs; New Zealand, in consultation, retains some responsibility for external affairs and defence. As of 2005, the Cook Islands have diplomatic relations in their own name with eighteen countries.
Self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974. Niue is fully responsible for its internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defence. New Zealand's responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue.
Self-administering territory of New Zealand. As it moves toward free association with New Zealand, Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution. A UN-sponsored referendum on self-governance in February 2006 did not produce the two-thirds supermajority necessary for changing the current political status. Another one was in October 2007, which failed to reach the 2/3 margin.
Under terms of treaties with Cuba, the United States leases Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Thus it's not a dependent territory under the sovereignty of the United States.
Unincorporated organized territory; policy relations between Guam and the U.S. conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Unincorporated organized territory of the U.S. with commonwealth status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the U.S. conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President.
Unincorporated territory supervised by the U.S. Air Force and administered from Washington, D.C. by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Claimed by the Marshall Islands.
This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.
^ E.g. the constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales).
^ ab First Assistant Secretary, Territories Division (2008-01-30). "Territories of Australia". Attorney-General's Department. Retrieved on 2008-02-07. “The Federal Government, through the Attorney-General's Department administers Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, Jervis Bay, and Norfolk Island as Territories.”
George Drower, Britain's Dependent Territories, Dartmouth, 1992
George Drower, Overseas Territories Handbook, TSO, 1998
Argentine Antarctica #
Ashmore and Cartier Islands #
Christmas Island_Islands.svg){kind=small}
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Norfolk Island
Brazilian Antarctica #
Antártica #
Faroe Islands
Greenland
Clipperton Island #
French Polynesia.svg){kind=small}
Mayotte.svg){kind=small}
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Wallis and Futuna
Aruba
Netherlands Antilles
Cook Islands
Niue
Tokelau
Ross Dependency #
Anguilla
Cayman Islands
Montserrat
Pitcairn Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands
Bermuda
British Antarctic Territory #
British Indian Ocean Territory #
British Virgin Islands
Falkland Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands through the Governor of the Falkland Islands as representative of the British monarch.
Gibraltar
Saint Helena
Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Guernsey
Jersey
Isle of Man
American Samoa
Bajo Nuevo Bank #
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands