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 and the Philippines—these countries consist of thousands of islands. Others consist of a single island, such as Barbados or Nauru, part of an island, such as Ireland, Brunei or the Dominican Republic, or one that is a mix of an island and a part-island United Kingdom.

Sovereign states and states with limited recognition fully on islands (Australia is regarded as a continent): those with land borders shaded green, and those without shaded dark blue

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 and 44 island territories 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).

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 Darussalam 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] 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
 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
 Greenland One main island with archipelagos Continental shelf Denmark 2,166,086 57,695 0.03 North America
 Guadeloupe One main island 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
 Isle of Man[n 19][11] One main island Continental shelf United Kingdom 572 85,421 149 Irish Sea, British Isles
 Jersey[n 19][11] One main island Continental shelf United Kingdom 116 94,949 819 English Channel, Channel Islands
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
 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 30 0.008 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
 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

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania

Former colonies, possessions, protectorates, and other territories

See also

Notes
  1. 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.
  2. A microcontinent on continental crust.
  3. 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.
  4. The largest oceanic island in the world.
  5. 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.
  6. In Japanese tradition, 11st of February in 660 B.C. 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 (Japan)|]]
  7. The largest microcontinent in the world.
  8. 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.
  9. A part of the submerged continent of Zealandia.
  10. The Granitic Seychelles is a part of the Seychelles microcontinent. The Coralline Seychelles consists of oceanic islands.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. An insular area of the United States. See Territories of the United States.
  18. The Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are also claimed by Argentina.
  19. 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.
  20. Administered by Norway under the Svalbard Treaty.
  21. Tokelau is a dependent territory of New Zealand.
  22. By 1910, the Empire of Japan was restricted to the majority of the Japanese archipelago and Taiwan before its official annexation of Korea.
  23. 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.
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
  26. 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
  1. "Definition of island". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012.
  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?
  5. Island Countries
  6. "Island Countries Of The World". WorldAtlas.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  7. "Total Population Estimates 2015-2019". data.worldbank.org. The World Bank. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  8. "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.
  9. "The Overseas Territories" (PDF). Foreign and Commonwealth Office. June 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  10. TRNC SPO, Economic and Social Indicators 2014, pages=2–3
  11. "Channel Islands". Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
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