El Salvador - Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site

Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site

Joya de Cerén was a pre-Hispanic farming community that, like Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy, was buried under an eruption of the Laguna Caldera volcano c. AD 600. Because of the exceptional condition of the remains, they provide an insight into the daily lives of the Central American populations who worked the land at that time.

Kazakhstan-Traditional knowledge and skills in making Kyrgyz and Kazakh yurts (Turkic nomadic dwellings)

The yurt is a nomadic dwelling used among the Kazakh and Kyrgyz peoples. It has a wooden circular frame covered with felt and braided with ropes, and can be easily assembled and dismantled within a short period of time. The bearers of yurt-making knowledge are craftspeople, both men and women, who produce yurts and their interior decorations. Yurts are made from natural and renewable raw materials. Men and their apprentices make the wooden frames by hand, along with wooden, leather, bone and metal details. Women make the interior decorations and exterior coverings, ornamented with traditional zoomorphic, vegetative or geometric patterns. As a rule, they work in community-based groups supervised by experienced women artisans, and employ weaving, spinning, braiding, felting, embroidering, sewing and other traditional handicraft techniques. Yurt creation involves the whole community of craftspeople, and fosters common human values, constructive cooperation and creative imagination. Traditionally, knowledge and skills are transmitted within families or from teachers to apprentices. All festivities, ceremonies, births, weddings and funeral rituals are held in a yurt. As such, the yurt remains a symbol of family and traditional hospitality, fundamental to the identity of the Kazakh and Kyrgyz peoples.

Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty collected (under construction)

New Zealand[edit]

See also: Realm of New Zealand

Summary: The Realm of New Zealand includes two self-governing states in free association with New Zealand, one territory (Tokelau), and a territorial claim in Antarctica.

In free association	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Cook Islands	Self-governing state in free association with New Zealand since 1965. Cook Islands' status is considered to be equivalent to independence for international law purposes, and the country exercises full sovereignty over its internal and external affairs.[7] Under the terms of the free association agreement, however, New Zealand retains some responsibility for the foreign relations and defence of the Cook Islands. These responsibilities confer no rights of control and are exercised only at the request of the Cook Islands Government. The government of New Zealand does not consider the Cook Islands to be sovereign due to its continued use of New Zealand citizenship.[8]	CK COK 184
Niue	Self-governing state in free association with New Zealand since 1974. Niue's status is considered to be equivalent to independence for international law purposes, and the country exercises full sovereignty over its internal and external affairs.[7] Under the terms of the free association agreement, however, New Zealand retains some responsibility for the foreign relations and defence of Niue. These responsibilities confer no rights of control and are exercised only at the request of the Government of Niue. The government of New Zealand does not consider Niue to be sovereign due to its continued use of New Zealand citizenship.[8]	NU NIU 570
Territory	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Tokelau	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.	TK TKL 772
Ross Dependency	No permanent population. New Zealand's Antarctic claim. Unlike Tokelau and the associated states (Cook Islands and Niue), it is constitutionally part of New Zealand.[9]	no separate code

Norway[edit]

See also: Dependencies of Norway

Summary: Norway has 1 dependent territory and 2 dependency claims.

Dependency	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Bouvet Island	No permanent population. Dependency administered from Oslo by the Polar Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice and the Police.	BV BVT 074
Peter I Island	No permanent population. Dependencies (subject to the Antarctic Treaty System) administered from Oslo by the Polar Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice and the Police.	no separate code
Queen Maud Land		no separate code

United Kingdom[edit]

See also: British Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies

Summary: the United Kingdom has 12 Overseas Territories (10 autonomous, 1 restricted to military personnel and 1 uninhabited), 3 Crown dependencies (autonomous), 1 group of Sovereign Base Areas, and 1 dependency claim.

Overseas territories (inhabited)	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Anguilla	House of Assembly of Anguilla handles domestic affairs. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.	AI AIA 660
Bermuda	Parliament of Bermuda handles domestic affairs and the territory is defined by the UK as self-governing. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.	BM BMU 060
British Indian Ocean Territory	Administered by the Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory, reporting to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Original population removed between 1967 and 1973, and presently restricted to military personnel. Also claimed by Mauritius.	IO IOT 086
British Virgin Islands	House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands handles domestic affairs. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories	VG VGB 092
Cayman Islands UPDATED	Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands handles domestic affairs. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Falkland Islands UPDATED	Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands handles domestic affairs. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. Also claimed by Argentina.
Gibraltar	Gibraltar Parliament handles domestic affairs. Almost complete internal self-government. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.	GI GIB 292
Montserrat	Legislative Council of Montserrat handles domestic affairs. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.	MS MSR 500
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands	Island Council of the Pitcairn Islands handles some domestic affairs, however decisions are subject to approval by the Governor of the Pitcairn Islands, reporting to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	Legislative Council of Saint Helena, Ascension Island Council and Tristan da Cunha Island Council handle domestic affairs. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.	SH SHN 654
Turks and Caicos Islands UPDATED	House of Assembly of the Turks and Caicos Islands handles some domestic affairs. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Overseas territories (uninhabited)	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	Administered by the Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (who is also the Governor of the Falkland Islands), reporting to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. No permanent population. Also claimed by Argentina.
British Antarctic Territory	Administered by the Commissioner of the British Antarctic Territory, reporting to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. No permanent population. The UK's Antarctic claim.
Sovereign Base Areas	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Administered by the Commander of British Forces Cyprus, reporting to the Ministry of Defence. Permanent Cypriot population, as well as British military personnel and their families.	no separate code
Crown dependencies	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Bailiwick of Guernsey UPDATED	Responsibility for defence, international representation, and good government rests with the United Kingdom. Though, the Parliament of the United Kingdomcan legislate on their behalf, if it deem necessary.[10][11][12][not in citation given]
Bailiwick of Jersey
Isle of Man		IM IMN 833

United States[edit]

See also: Insular area and Territories of the United States

Summary: the United States has 13 dependent territories and 2 dependency claims. The United States also has one incorporated territory.

Unincorporated organized territories (inhabited)	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Guam	Unincorporated organized territory of the U.S.; policy relations between Guam and the U.S. conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, Department of the Interior. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.	GU GUM 316
Northern Mariana Islands	Commonwealth in political union with the U.S.; federal funding administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, Department of the Interior.	MP MNP 580
Puerto Rico UPDATED	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.
U.S. Virgin Islands	Unincorporated organized territory of the U.S.; policy relations between the U.S. Virgin Islands and the U.S. conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, Department of the Interior. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.	VI VIR 850
Unincorporated unorganized territories (inhabited)	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
American Samoa	Unincorporated unorganized territory administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.	AS ASM 016
Midway Atoll	Unincorporated unorganized territory of the U.S. administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior.	UM UMI 581
Wake Island	Unincorporated unorganized territory of the U.S. administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior. Claimed by the Marshall Islands.
Unincorporated unorganized territories (uninhabited)	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Baker Island	Unincorporated unorganized territories of the U.S. administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior.	UM UMI 581
Howland Island
Jarvis Island
Johnston Atoll
Kingman Reef
Navassa Island	Unincorporated unorganized territory of the U.S. administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior from the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Claimed by Haiti and privately via the Guano Islands Act.
Incorporated unorganized territory (uninhabited)	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Palmyra Atoll	Incorporated unorganized territory of the U.S. administered by the U.S. federal government.	no separate code

Lists of other entities[edit]

The following entities are according to the law of their state, integral parts of the state, but exhibit many characteristics of dependent territories. This list is generally limited to entities which are either subject to an international treaty on their status, uninhabited, or have a unique level of autonomy and are largely self-governing in matters other than international affairs. As a result, it does not include most entities with no unique autonomy, such as the overseas regions of France, or only limited unique autonomy, such as the Autonomous Regions of Portugal. Dependency claims without general international recognition, including all claims in Antarctica, are listed in italics.

Australia[edit]

See also: States and territories of Australia

Summary: Australia has 6 territories in its administration and 1 dependency claim.

Although all territories of Australia are considered to be fully integrated in its federative system, and the official status of an external territory does not differ largely from that of a mainland territory (except in regards to immigration law), debate remains as to whether the external territories are integral parts of Australia, due to their not being part of Australia in 1901, when its constituent states federated (with the exception of Coral Sea Islands which was part of Queensland).^[13] They are often listed separately for statistical purposes.

External territories (inhabited)	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Christmas Island	Administered from Canberra by the Attorney-General's Department.[14][15]	CX CXR 162
Cocos (Keeling) Islands		CC CCK 166
Norfolk Island	Commonwealth responsibilities administered from Canberra through the Attorney-General's Department.[14]	NF NFK 574
External territories (uninhabited)	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Ashmore and Cartier Islands	Administered from Canberra by the Attorney-General's Department.[14]	no separate code
Coral Sea Islands[16]		no separate code
Australian Antarctic Territory	Administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment.	no separate code
Heard Island and McDonald Islands		HM HMD 334

China[edit]

See also: Special administrative regions of China

Summary: China has 2 special administrative regions which are governed according to international treaties.

Special Administrative Regions	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Hong Kong	Former British colony. Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China since 1997 pursuant to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, an international treatyregistered with the United Nations. The Hong Kong Basic Law provides for the territory to enjoy a high degree of autonomy in accordance with the one country, two systemsmodel under the central government of China. Although the territory is not part of Mainland China, it is officially considered as an integral part of the People's Republic of China.[17][18][19]	HK HKG 344
Macau UPDATED	Former Portuguese colony. Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China since 1999 pursuant to the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration, an international treaty registered with the United Nations. The Macau Basic Law provides for the territory to enjoy a high degree of autonomy in accordance with the "one country, two systems" model under the central government of China. Although the territory is not part of Mainland China, it is officially considered as an integral part of the People's Republic of China.

Denmark[edit]

See also: The unity of the Realm

The Kingdom of Denmark contains 2 self-governing countries.

Constituent country	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Faroe Islands	Self-governing overseas administrative division since 1948. Part of Denmark, but not of the European Union.	FO FRO 234
Greenland UPDATED	Self-governing overseas administrative division since 1979. Part of Denmark. Withdrew from the European Economic Community in 1985.

Finland[edit]

See also: Administrative divisions of Finland

Summary: Finland has 1 autonomous region, which is also subject to international treaties.

Division	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Åland Islands	The Åland Islands are governed according to the Act on the Autonomy of Åland and international treaties. These laws guarantee the islands' autonomy from Finland, which has ultimate sovereignty over them, as well as a demilitarized status	AX ALA 248

France[edit]

See also: Overseas France

Summary: France has 6 autonomous collectivities, and 2 uninhabited territories. This does not include the overseas regions (which are also overseas departments) of Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and Mayotte, which although also located overseas, have the same status as metropolitan France's regions. Nonetheless, all of France's overseas territory is considered to be an integral part of the French Republic.

Overseas collectivities	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Saint Barthélemy	Seceded from Guadeloupe to become an overseas collectivity in 2007.	BL BLM 652
Collectivity of Saint Martin	Seceded from Guadeloupe to become an overseas collectivity in 2007. It is the only overseas collectivity which is fully part of the European Union.	MF MAF 663
Saint Pierre and Miquelon UPDATED	Territorial collectivity since 1985; overseas collectivity since 2003.
Wallis and Futuna	Overseas territory since 1961; overseas collectivity since 2003.	WF WLF 876
French Polynesia UPDATED	Overseas collectivity since 2003; named overseas country since 2004. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Special collectivity	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
New Caledonia UPDATED	"Sui generis" collectivity since 1999. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Minor territory (uninhabited)	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Clipperton Island	Island administered by the Minister for Overseas Territories. No permanent population.	no separate code
Overseas territory (uninhabited)	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
French Southern and Antarctic Lands	The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (called TAAF for Terres australes et antartiques françaises) is an Overseas territory since 1955, administered from Parisby an Administrateur Supérieur. No permanent population. Includes the French territorial claim in Antarctica: Adelie Land.

Netherlands[edit]

Summary: The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of 3 Caribbean countries with autonomy in internal affairs, and one country—the Netherlands—with most of its area in Europe, except 3 municipalities also in the Caribbean. The 3 municipalities in the Caribbean—Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius—are not listed as they are directly administered by the Government of the Netherlands.^[20] All Dutch citizens of the Kingdom share the same nationality and are thus citizens of the European Union.

Country	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Aruba UPDATED	Each is defined as a "country" ("land") within the Kingdom of the Netherlands by the Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba obtained full autonomy in internal affairs upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986. Curaçao and Sint Maarten were part of the Netherlands Antilles until it was dissolved in October 2010. The government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands coincides with the government of the Netherlands, and is responsible for defence, foreign affairs and nationality law. Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands but not of the European Union, but owing to their Dutch nationality, its citizens are Citizens of the European Union.
Curaçao UPDATED
Sint Maarten UPDATED

Norway[edit]

See also: Administrative divisions of Norway

Summary: Norway has one internal territory with limited Norwegian sovereignty—Svalbard. It is part of the Kingdom of Norway, unlike the country's Antarctic dependent territory—Bouvet Island, and two dependency claims (see above).

Division	Administration	ISO 3166 country code
Svalbard	Svalbard is subject to an international treaty with some limits to Norwegian sovereignty.	SJ SJM 744†

† Svalbard shares an ISO code with Jan Mayen, a remote uninhabited Norwegian island situated south west of the archipelago.

Description[edit]

Three Crown dependencies are in a form of association with the UK. They are independently administrated jurisdictions, although the British Government is solely responsible for defence and international representation, and has ultimate responsibility for ensuring good government. They do not have diplomatic recognition as independent states, but they are not an integrated part of the UK, nor do they form part of the European Union. The UK Parliament retains the ability to legislate for the Crown dependencies even without the agreement of the insular legislatures. None of the Crown dependencies has representatives in the UK Parliament. Bermuda and Gibraltar have similar relationships to the UK as the Crown dependencies. While Britain is officially responsible for defence and international representation, these jurisdictions maintain their own militaries and have been granted limited diplomatic powers, in addition to having internal self-government. Nevertheless, they are British Overseas Territories.

New Zealand and dependencies share the same Governor-General and constitute one realm. The Cook Islands and Niue are officially termed associated states.

Puerto Rico (since 1952) and the Northern Mariana Islands (since 1986) are non-independent states freely associated with the United States. The mutually negotiated Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) in Political Union with the United States was approved in 1976. The Covenant was fully implemented November 3, 1986, pursuant to Presidential Proclamation no. 5564, which conferred United States citizenship on legally qualified CNMI residents.^[21]

Under the Constitution of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico is described as a Commonwealth and Puerto Ricans have a degree of administrative autonomy similar to citizens of a U.S. state. Puerto Ricans "were collectively made U.S. citizens" in 1917 as a result of the Jones-Shafroth Act.^[22][23] The commonly used name in Spanish of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, literally "Associated Free State of Puerto Rico", which sounds similar to "free association" particularly when loosely used in Spanish, is sometimes erroneously interpreted to mean that Puerto Rico's relationship with United States is based on a Compact of Free Association and at other times erroneously held to mean that Puerto Rico's relationship with United States is based on an Interstate compact. This is a constant source of ambiguity and confusion when trying to define, understand and explain Puerto Rico's political relationship with the United States. For various reasons Puerto Rico's political status differs from that of the Pacific Islands that entered into Compacts of Free Association with the United States. As sovereign states, these islands have full right to conduct their own foreign relations, while the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has territorial status subject to United States congressional authority under the Constitution's Territory Clause, "to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory… belonging to the United States.".^[24] Puerto Rico does not have the right to unilaterally declare independence, and at the last referendum (1998) the narrow majority voted for "none of the above", which was a formally undefined alternative used by commonwealth supporters to express their desire for an "enhanced commonwealth" option.^[24]

This kind of relationship also can be found in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is a federacy. The continental part is organized like a unitary state but the status of its territories (Aruba, since 1986, and the Netherlands Antilles, since 1954 until 2010) can be considered dependencies or "associated non-independent states". After the split-up of the Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao and Sint Maarten are separate associated states like Aruba.

Additionally, Denmark operates in a similar manner to a federacy. The Faroes and Greenland are two self-governing territories, or regions within the Kingdom. The relationship between Denmark proper and the two territories is semi-officially termed the "Rigsfællesskabet".

Overview of dependent territories[edit]

Name	Population (2016)[25]	Area[26]	Continent	Sovereign state	Legal status[27]
Akrotiri and Dhekelia	15,700	254 km² (98 sq mi)	Europe	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
Åland Islands	29,013	1,580 km² (610 sq mi)	Europe	Finland	Autonomous region
American Samoa	54,194	199 km² (77 sq mi)	Oceania	United States	Unincorporated territory
Anguilla	15,100	91 km² (35 sq mi)	North America	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
Aruba	113,648	UPDATED	North America	Netherlands	Constituent country
Bermuda	70,537	53.2 km² (20.5 sq mi)	North America	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
British Virgin Islands	34,232	153 km² (59 sq mi)	North America	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
Cayman Islands	57,268	UPDATED	North America	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
Christmas Island	2,205	135 km² (52 sq mi)	Asia	Australia	External territory
Cocos (Keeling) Islands	596	14 km² (5.4 sq mi)	Asia	Australia	External territory
Cook Islands	18,100	240 km² (93 sq mi)	Oceania	New Zealand	Free association
Curaçao	158,986	UPDATED	North America	Netherlands	Constituent country
Falkland Islands	2,931	UPDATED	South America	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
Faroe Islands	49,188	4,167 km² (540 sq mi)	Europe	Denmark	Constituent country
French Polynesia	285,735	UPDATED	Oceania	France	Overseas country
Gibraltar	29,328	6.5 km² (2.5 sq mi)	Europe	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
Greenland	56,483	UPDATED	North America	Denmark	Constituent country
Guam	162,742	210 km² (540 sq mi)	Oceania	United States	Unincorporated territory
Guernsey	63,026	UPDATED	Europe	United Kingdom	Crown dependency
Hong Kong	7,374,000	2,755 km² (1,064 sq mi)	Asia	China	Special administrative region
Isle of Man	88,195	572 km² (221 sq mi)	Europe	United Kingdom	Crown dependency
Jersey	98,069	UPDATED	Europe	United Kingdom	Crown dependency
Macau	650,900	115.3 km² (44.5 sq mi)	Asia	China	Special administrative region
Montserrat	5,267	101 km² (39 sq mi)	North America	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
New Caledonia	275,355	UPDATED	Oceania	France	Sui generis collectivity
Niue	1,190	261.46 km² (100.95 sq mi)	Oceania	New Zealand	Free association
Norfolk Island	2,210	34.6 km² (13.4 sq mi)	Oceania	Australia	External territory
Northern Mariana Islands	53,467	464 km² (179 sq mi)	Oceania	United States	Commonwealth
Pitcairn Islands	57	UPDATED	Oceania	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
Puerto Rico	3,411,307	UPDATED	North America	United States	Commonwealth
Saint Barthélemy	7,209	25 km² (9.7 sq mi)	North America	France	Overseas collectivity
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	5,633	394 km² (152 sq mi)	Africa	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
Saint Martin	31,949	53.2 km² (20.5 sq mi)	North America	France	Overseas collectivity
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	5,595	UPDATED	North America	France	Overseas collectivity
Sint Maarten	41,486	UPDATED	North America	Netherlands	Constituent country
Svalbard	2,667	61,022 km² (23,561 sq mi)	Europe	Norway	Division
Tokelau	1,499	10 km² (3.9 sq mi)	Oceania	New Zealand	Free association
Turks and Caicos Islands	51,430	UPDATED	North America	United Kingdom	Overseas territory
United States Virgin Islands	102,951	346.36 km² (133.73 sq mi)	North America	United States	Unincorporated territory
Wallis and Futuna	15,664	142 km² (55 sq mi)	Oceania	France	Overseas collectivity