This is a list of sovereign states and dependent territories in Asia. It includes fully recognized states, states with limited but substantial international recognition, de facto states with little or no international recognition, and dependencies of both Asian and non-Asian states. In particular, it lists (i) 49 generally recognized sovereign states, all of which are members of the United Nations; (ii) two states with substantial but not general international recognition, one of which is a United Nations General Assembly non-member observer state; (iii) four largely unrecognized de facto states; and (iv) six dependent and other territories.
The 49 generally recognized sovereign states listed here include two countries that are generally classified as European or African nations but with portions of their territory being in Asia, while the two states with substantial but not general recognition are both fully encompassed in Asia. Though a majority of the Russian Federation's land area is located within Asia, it is generally considered a European country because of its historical, cultural, ethnic, and political ties to Europe. Its capital and largest city, Moscow is located within Europe, and the vast majority of its population lives within its European part. In addition, while Egypt extends into Asia through the Sinai Peninsula, it is generally considered to be an African country because most of its population and geographic area is in Africa.
The divisions between Asia and Europe occur at the Ural Mountains, Ural River, and Caspian Sea in the east, the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Bosporus Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea in the south. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey all have territory in both Asia and Europe. Armenia and Cyprus are entirely in Western Asia but are socio-politically European countries and members of the Council of Europe, with Cyprus also being a member of the European Union.
The division between Asia and Africa is normally considered to be the Suez Canal, placing the Sinai peninsula (which is part of Egypt) in Asia. Therefore, Egypt, an African country, may also be considered to be a country in Asia.
The division between Southeast Asia and Australia/Oceania is disputed and currently placed somewhere between Java and New Guinea. Indonesia spans both areas, but is ordinarily considered to be an Asian country.[1] East Timor is sometimes considered to be part of Australasia or Melanesia, but due to its being surrounded by Indonesia, and its once being politically part of Indonesia, it is generally considered to be in Southeast Asia. Papua New Guinea is occasionally thought of as a Southeast Asian country,[2] [3] [4] but it is generally considered to be part of Australasia or Melanesia. The division between East Asia and Oceania is usually placed somewhere between the Japanese archipelago and the Northern Mariana Islands of Micronesia.[5] Certain Japanese islands are often categorized as being within Micronesia due to non-continental geology and similar biogeography.[6] [7] The division between Asia and North America is considered to be the Bering Strait. Some of the Aleutian Islands, however, may be considered to be in Asia.
A sovereign state is a political organization with effective sovereignty over a population for whom it makes decisions in its interest.[8] According to the Montevideo convention, a state must have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.
These states were categorized accordingly independent of our endorsement or opposition to their statehood and is based solely on their de facto and de jure statuses[9]
There are 49 Asian states or states with substantial territory in Asia in this list. All are members of the United Nations.[10]
| Flag | Map | English short, formal names, and ISO [11] [12] [13] [14] | Domestic short and formal name(s) | Capital [15] [16] | Population | Area [17] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan AFG | {{Script/Arabic|امارت اسلامی افغانستان – {{Script/Arabic|افغانستان Pushto; Pashto: {{Script/Arabic|د افغانستان اسلامي امارت – Pushto; Pashto: {{Script/Arabic|فغانستان | Kabul Dari and Pushto; Pashto: {{Script/Arabic|کابل | |||||
| Armenia Republic of Armenia ARM | Armenian: Հայաստան – Հայաստանի Հանրապետությու () | Yerevan Armenian: Երևան () | |||||
| Azerbaijan Republic of Azerbaijan AZE | Azerbaijani: Azǝrbaycan – Azǝrbaycan Respublikası | Baku Azerbaijani: Bakı | |||||
| Bahrain Kingdom of Bahrain BHR | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|مملكة البحرين – البحرين () | Manama Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|المنامة () | |||||
| Bangladesh People's Republic of Bangladesh BGD | Bengali: বাংলাদেশ – গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ () | Dhaka Bengali: ঢাকা () | |||||
| Bhutan Kingdom of Bhutan BTN | Dzongkha: འབྲུག་ཡུལ་ – འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ () | Thimphu Dzongkha: ཐིམ་ཕུ () | |||||
| Brunei Brunei Darussalam BRN | Malay: Brunei – Negara Brunei Darussalam () | Bandar Seri Begawan Malay: Bandar Seri Begawan () | 460,356 | ||||
| Cambodia Kingdom of Cambodia KHM | Central Khmer: កម្ពុជា – ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា () | Phnom Penh Central Khmer: ភ្នំពេញ () | |||||
| China People's Republic of China CHN | () | Beijing () | |||||
| Cyprus Republic of Cyprus CYP | Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κύπρος – Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία () Turkish: Kıbrıs – Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti | Nicosia Greek, Modern (1453-);: Λευκωσία () Turkish: Lefkoşa | |||||
| East Timor Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste TLS | Portuguese: Timor-Leste – República Democrática de Timor-Leste Tetum Timor Lorosa'e – Repúblika Demokrátika Timor Lorosa'e | Dili Portuguese: Díli Tetum Díli | |||||
| Egypt Arab Republic of Egypt EGY | Arabic (Miṣr—Jumhūrīyat Miṣr al-ʿArabiyya) | Cairo Arabic (al-Qāhirah) | |||||
| Georgia GEO | Georgian: საქართველო () | Tbilisi / T'bilisi Georgian: თბილისი () | |||||
| India Republic of India IND | English: India – Republic of India Hindi: भारत – भारत गणराज्य () | New Delhi English: New Delhi Hindi: नई दिल्ली () | |||||
| Indonesia Republic of Indonesia IDN | Indonesian: Indonesia – Republik Indonesia | Jakarta Indonesian: Jakarta – DKI Jakarta | |||||
| Iran Islamic Republic of Iran IRN | Persian: {{line-height|2|{{Nastaliq|جمهوری اسلامی ایران – ایران () | Tehran Persian: {{Script/Nastaliq|تهران () | |||||
| Iraq Republic of Iraq IRQ | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|العراق – جمهورية العراق () | Baghdad Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|بغداد () | |||||
| Israel State of Israel ISR | Hebrew: יִשְרָאֵל – מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל () Arabic: إسرائيل – دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل () | Jerusalem (Claimed and de facto) Hebrew: ירושלים () Arabic: القُدس () | |||||
| Japan JPN | Japanese: 日本 – 日本国 () | Tokyo Japanese: 東京 () | |||||
| Jordan Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan JOR | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|اﻷرُدن – المملكة الأردنية الهاشميه () | Amman Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|عمان () | |||||
| Kazakhstan Republic of Kazakhstan KAZ | Kazakh: Қазақстан – Қазақстан Республикасы () Russian: Казахстан – Республика Казахстан () | Astana Kazakh: Астана () Russian: Астана () | |||||
| North Korea Democratic People's Republic of Korea PRK | Korean: 조선 – 조선민주주의인민공화국 () | Pyongyang Korean: 평양 () | |||||
| South Korea Republic of Korea KOR | Korean: 한국 – 대한민국 () | Seoul Korean: 서울 () | |||||
| Kuwait State of Kuwait KWT | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|دولة الكويت – اﻟﻜﻮﻳت () | Kuwait City Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|الكويت () | |||||
| Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyz Republic KGZ | Kirghiz; Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан – Кыргыз Республикасы () Russian: Кыргызстан – Кыргызская Республика () | Bishkek Kirghiz; Kyrgyz: Бишкек () Russian: Бишкек () | |||||
| Laos Lao People's Democratic Republic LAO | Lao: ປະເທດລາວ – ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ () | Vientiane Lao: ວຽງຈັນ () | |||||
| Lebanon Lebanese Republic LBN | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|لبنان – الجمهورية اللبنانية () | Beirut Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|بيروت () | |||||
| Malaysia MYS | Malay Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur Malay: Kuala Lumpur | |||||
| Maldives Republic of Maldives MDV | Divehi; Dhivehi; Maldivian: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ – ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ () | Malé / Male' Divehi; Dhivehi; Maldivian: މާލެ () | |||||
| Mongolia MNG | Mongolian: Монгол – Монгол улс () | Ulaanbaatar Mongolian: Улаанбаатар () | |||||
| Myanmar Republic of the Union of Myanmar MMR | Burmese: မြန်မာ – ပြည်ထောင်စု သမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော် () | Nay Pyi Taw Burmese: နေပြည်တော် () | |||||
| Nepal Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal NPL | Nepali: सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल () | Kathmandu Nepali: काठमाडौं () | |||||
| Oman Sultanate of Oman OMN | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|عُمان – سلطنة عُمان () | Muscat Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|مسقط () | |||||
| Pakistan Islamic Republic of Pakistan PAK | English: Pakistan – Islamic Republic of Pakistan Urdu: {{line-height|2|{{Nastaliq|پَاکِسْتَان – اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکستان () | Islamabad English: Islamabad Urdu: {{Script/Nastaliq|اسلام آباد () | |||||
| Philippines Republic of the Philippines PHL | English: Philippines – Republic of the Philippines Filipino; Pilipino: Pilipinas – Republika ng Pilipinas | Manila English: Manila Filipino; Pilipino: Maynila | |||||
| Qatar State of Qatar QAT | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|قطر – دولة قطر () | Doha Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|الدوحة () | |||||
| Russia[18] Russian Federation RUS | Russian: Росси́я – Российская Федерация () | Moscow[19] Russian: Москва () | (including Crimea) | ||||
| Saudi Arabia Kingdom of Saudi Arabia SAU | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|السعودية – المملكة العربية السعودية () | Riyadh Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|الرياض () | |||||
| Singapore Republic of Singapore SGP | English: Singapore – Republic of Singapore Malay: Singapura – Republik Singapura Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் – சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு () | Singapore English: Singapore Malay: Singapura Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் () | |||||
| Sri Lanka Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka LKA | Sinhala; Sinhalese: ශ්රී ලංකාව – ශ්රී ලංකා ප්රජාතාන්ත්රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජය () Tamil: இலங்கை – இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சமத்துவ குடியரசு () | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Sinhala; Sinhalese: ශ්රී ජයවර්ධනපුර කෝට්ටේ () Tamil: ஶ்ரீ ஜெயவர்த்தனபுர கோட்டை () | |||||
| Syria Syrian Arab Republic SYR | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|سورية / سوريا – الجمهورية العربية السورية () | Damascus Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|دمشق () | |||||
| Tajikistan Republic of Tajikistan TJK | Tajik: Тоҷикистон – Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон () | Dushanbe Tajik: Душанбе () | |||||
| Thailand Kingdom of Thailand THA | Thai: ไทย – ราชอาณาจักรไทย () | Bangkok Thai: กรุงเทพมหานคร () | |||||
| Turkey Republic of Turkey TUR | Turkish: Türkiye – Türkiye Cumhuriyeti | Ankara Turkish: Ankara | |||||
| Turkmenistan TKM | Turkmen: Türkmenistan | Ashgabat Turkmen: Aşgabat | |||||
| United Arab Emirates ARE | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|اﻹﻣﺎرات – دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة () | Abu Dhabi Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|أبوظبي () | |||||
| Uzbekistan Republic of Uzbekistan UZB | Uzbek: Ўзбекистон – Ўзбекистон Республикаси (O‘zbekiston – O‘zbekiston Respublikasi) | Tashkent Uzbek: Тошкент (Toshkent) | |||||
| Vietnam / Viet Nam Socialist Republic of Vietnam VNM | Vietnamese: Việt Nam – Cộng Hòa Xã Hội Chủ Nghĩa Việt Nam | Hanoi Vietnamese: Hà Nội | |||||
| Yemen Republic of Yemen YEM | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|اليمن – الجمهورية اليمنية () | Sana'a Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|صنعاء () |
In this list, Palestine is a state with substantial international recognition and UN General Assembly non-member observer state status but without practical control over tangible territory, while Taiwan is a de facto state with full practical sovereignty over its territory and unofficial ties with most of the international community but not widely recognized de jure. Although a founding member of the United Nations as the Republic of China, since 1971 Taiwan is no longer recognized by the United Nations.
| Flag | Map | English short, formal names, and ISO | Status | Domestic short and formal names | Capital | Population | Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palestine State of Palestine PSE | Recognized by . See International recognition of the State of Palestine. One of two United Nations General Assembly non-member observer states | Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|فلسطين – دولة فلسطين () | Ramallah (de facto) Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|رام الله () Jerusalem (declared) Arabic: {{Script/Arabic|القدس () | |||||
| Taiwan Republic of China TWN[20] | Claimed as part of the People's Republic of China. Officially recognized as sovereign by and the Holy See, which deem it to be the rightful government of all of China. In addition, Taiwan maintains unofficial relations with most other countries and is de facto recognized by most sovereign states. See Political status of Taiwan for more information about the situation. | Traditional Chinese 臺灣/台灣 – 中華民國 () | Taipei Traditional Chinese 台北 (Táiběi) | 359800NaN0[21] |
The three de facto states on this list have little or no international recognition and are not members of the United Nations. All are defined as states by the declarative theory.
| Flag | Map | English short and formal names | Status | Domestic short and formal names | Capital | Population (2011) | Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abkhazia Republic of Abkhazia[22] | Claimed as an autonomous republic of Georgia.[23] Recognised by 5 UN states.[24] [25] [26] | Abkhazian: Аҧсуа () | Sukhumi / Sukhum Abkhazian: Аҟəа () | 250,000[27] | 86600NaN0 | |||
| Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus[28] | Claimed as part of the Republic of Cyprus. Recognised only by Turkey. | Turkish: Kuzey Kıbrıs – Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti[29] | North Nicosia Turkish: Lefkoşa[30] | 285,356[31] | 33550NaN0 | |||
| South Ossetia Republic of South Ossetia - State of Alania | Claimed as part of Georgia.[32] Recognised by 5 UN states. | Ossetian; Ossetic: Хуссар Ирыстон – Республикӕ Хуссар Ирыстон () Russian: Южная Осетия – Республика Южная Осетия () | Tskhinvali Ossetian; Ossetic: Цхинвал or Чъреба () | 70,000 | 39000NaN0[33] |
The four territories in this list are controlled by a state of which they are not considered to be a part.
| Flag | Map | English short, formal names, and ISO | Status[34] | Domestic short and formal names | Capital | Population | Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia | British overseas territory | English: Akrotiri and Dhekelia – Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ακρωτήρι και Δεκέλεια – Περιοχές Κυρίαρχων Βάσεων Ακρωτηρίου και Δεκέλειας () | Episkopi Cantonment Greek, Modern (1453-);: Φρουρά Επισκοπής () | 15,700[35] | 2540NaN0 | |||
| British Indian Ocean Territory IOT | British overseas territory | English: British Indian Ocean Territory | Camp Justice | 4,000[36] | 544000NaN0 | |||
| Christmas Island Territory of Christmas Island CXR | Territory of Australia | English: Christmas Island – Territory of Christmas Island | Flying Fish Cove / The Settlement | 1,843[37] | 1350NaN0 | |||
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands Territory of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands CCK | Territory of Australia | English: Cocos (Keeling) Islands – Territory of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Pulu Kokos (Keeling) | West Island / Bantam | 544 | 140NaN0 |
See also: Special administrative regions of China.
The following two entities are integral areas of their controlling state, but have a political arrangement that was decided through an international agreement.
| Flag | Map | English short, formal names, and ISO | Status | Domestic short and formal names | Capital | Population | Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China HKG | Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China | Traditional English: Hong Kong – Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China | Hong Kong | 7,582,000 | 27550NaN0 | |||
| Macau / Macao Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China[38] MAC | Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China | Traditional Portuguese: Macau – Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China | Macau / Macao | 693,000 | 28.21NaN1 |