This is a handy list featuring all overseas territories and dependencies around the World. This extensive list includes an incredible 78 territories, but many of these territories also contain multiple territories within themselves – such as multiple island groups administered together for handiness.

Many of these territories are the residue of the past global colonisation by European powers, but there are some listed which represent the new imperialistic intentions of the West, most notably the United States.

This list includes inhabited and uninhabited territories, comprising of reefs, islands and areas of continental landmass. Some of these dependencies operate almost independently, others have some autonomy, whilst the remainder are administered by the governing nation.

All of these foreign dependencies represent strategic and/or economic importance to their governing nation, and they can also potentially hold the same importance to other nearby nations in some cases too, which can lead to disputes over these territories.

According to the United Nations’ Law of the Sea, those who govern a territory have control over underwater/underground exploration – and the control of marine resources – up to 200 nautical miles from its coast. This area is called the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Full List of Overseas Territories

[1] Both the United States and Colombia claim ownership, and both administer them seperately.

[2] This is an independent self-governing nation, but in a free association with New Zealand. New Zealand holds some control over external and defence matters.

[3] No permanent population.

[4] Hong Kong and Macau are ‘Special Administrative Regions’ administered by China. You will find lots of datasets on this website which include them as individual stand alone countries, due to a combination of having a history of being treated as such, their population sizes and their precieved status within the international community. Hong Kong was handed over to China by the United Kingdom in 1997, and Macau was handed over by Portugal in 1999 to China.

[5] This is an independent self-governing nation, but in a free association with the United States, which controls defence, social services, and funding grants.

[6] Hawaii is considered a state within the United States, and it may be inaccurate to call it an ‘overseas dependency’, but it is an overseas territory.