List of island countries explained

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, Japan, and the Philippines—these countries consist of thousands of islands. Others consist of a single island, such as Barbados, Dominica, and Nauru; a main island and some smaller islands, such as Cuba, Iceland, and Sri Lanka; a part of an island, such as Brunei, the Dominican Republic, East Timor, and the Republic of Ireland; or one main island but also sharing borders in other islands, such as the United Kingdom (Great Britain and a part of Ireland).

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 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).

Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea is officially an unincorporated territory of the United States.

South America is the only inhabited continent without an island country.^{[5] [6]}

Sovereign states

UN member states and states with limited recognition

Name	ISO code	Geographic configuration	Geologic location	Area^[7]		Population ^[8]	Population density		Geographical location	Establishment/ Independence
					sq mi		per	per sq mi
<											--this line is a workaround to prevent the line below being treated as part of the table header-->
UN member states
Antigua and Barbuda	AG ATG	Two main islands (Antigua Island and Barbuda Island)	Continental shelf	442disp=tableNaNdisp=table	97,120	220disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1981 November 1
Bahamas	BS BHS	Archipelago	Continental shelf	13939disp=tableNaNdisp=table	389,480	28disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean, Lucayan Archipelago	1973 July 10
Bahrain	BH BHR	Archipelago (centered around Bahrain Island)	Continental shelf	778disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1,641,170	2109disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Persian Gulf	1971 December 10
Barbados	BB BRB	One island	Continental shelf^[9]	430disp=tableNaNdisp=table	287,020	667disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1966 November 30
	BN BRN	Part of a larger island (Borneo)	Continental shelf	5765disp=tableNaNdisp=table	433,290	75disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Maritime Southeast Asia	1984 January 1
Cape Verde	CV CPV	Archipelago	Oceanic	4033disp=tableNaNdisp=table	549,930	136disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean, Macaronesia	1975 July 5
Comoros	KM COM	Archipelago	Oceanic	1861disp=tableNaNdisp=table	850,890	457disp=tableNaNdisp=table	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	109884disp=tableNaNdisp=table	11,346,346	103disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles	1868 October 10 1902 May 20
Cyprus^[10]	CY CYP	Part of a larger island, de jure sovereignty over entire island (Cyprus)	Continental shelf	9251disp=tableNaNdisp=table	888,005	96disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Mediterranean Sea	1960 August 16
Dominica	DM DMA	One island	Continental shelf	754disp=tableNaNdisp=table	71,810	95disp=tableNaNdisp=table	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	48671disp=tableNaNdisp=table	10,738,960	221disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles	1821 December 1 1844 February 27
	TL TLS	Part of a larger island (Timor)	Oceanic	14919disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1,293,120	87disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Maritime Southeast Asia, Lesser Sunda Islands	2002 May 20
Fiji	FJ FJI	Archipelago	Oceanic	18274disp=tableNaNdisp=table	889,950	49disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia	1970 October 10
Grenada	GD GRD	One main island, two dependencies (Carriacou and Petite Martinique)	Continental shelf	344disp=tableNaNdisp=table	112,000	326disp=tableNaNdisp=table	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	27750disp=tableNaNdisp=table	11,743,017	423disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles	1804 January 1
Iceland	IS ISL	One main island	Oceanic^[11]	102775disp=tableNaNdisp=table	361,310	4disp=tableNaNdisp=table	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^[12]	1904569disp=tableNaNdisp=table	270,625,570	142disp=tableNaNdisp=table	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	70273disp=tableNaNdisp=table	4,977,400	71disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean, British Isles	1922 December 6
Jamaica	JM JAM	One main island, and several small islands (Port Royal Cays, etc.)	Continental shelf	10991disp=tableNaNdisp=table	2,734,092	249disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles	1962 August 6
Japan	JP JPN	Archipelago (Japanese Archipelago)	Continental shelf	377976disp=tableNaNdisp=table^[13]	126,264,930	334disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, East Asia	660 BC February 11^[14]
Kiribati	KI KIR	Archipelago	Oceanic	811disp=tableNaNdisp=table	117,610	145disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia	1979 July 12
Madagascar	MG MDG	One main island	Continental shelf^[15]	587041disp=tableNaNdisp=table	26,969,310	46disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean, Africa	1960 June 26
Maldives	MV MDV	Archipelago	Oceanic	298disp=tableNaNdisp=table	383,976	1289disp=tableNaNdisp=table		1965 July 26
Malta	MT MLT	Two main islands (Malta Island and Gozo) plus other smaller islands	Continental shelf	316disp=tableNaNdisp=table	502,650	1591disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Mediterranean Sea	1964 September 21
Marshall Islands^[16]	MH MHL	Archipelago	Oceanic	181disp=tableNaNdisp=table	58,790	325disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia	1979 May 1
Mauritius	MU MUS	Archipelago	Oceanic	2040disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1,265,710	620disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean, Africa, Mascarene Islands	1968 March 12
	FM FSM	Archipelago	Oceanic	702disp=tableNaNdisp=table	113,810	162disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia	1979 May 10
Nauru	NR NRU	One island	Oceanic	21disp=tableNaNdisp=table	12,580	599disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia	1968 January 31
New Zealand	NZ NZL	Two main islands (North Island and South Island) plus other smaller islands	Continental shelf^[17]	270467disp=tableNaNdisp=table	5,125,451	19disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia	1907 September 26
Palau	PW PLW	Archipelago	Oceanic	459disp=tableNaNdisp=table	18,010	39disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia	1981 January 1
Papua New Guinea	PG PNG	Part of a larger island (New Guinea), and several smaller islands	Continental shelf	462840disp=tableNaNdisp=table	8,776,110	19disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia	1975 September 16
Philippines	PH PHL	Archipelago	Continental shelf	300000disp=tableNaNdisp=table	108,116,620	360disp=tableNaNdisp=table	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	261disp=tableNaNdisp=table	52,830	202disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1983 September 19
Saint Lucia	LC LCA	One main island	Continental shelf	616disp=tableNaNdisp=table	182,790	297disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1979 February 22
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	VC VCT	Archipelago	Continental shelf	389disp=tableNaNdisp=table	110,590	284disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1979 October 27
Samoa	WS WSM	Archipelago	Oceanic	2842disp=tableNaNdisp=table	197,100	69disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia	1962 January 1
	ST STP	Two main islands (São Tomé Island and Príncipe Island)	Continental shelf	1001disp=tableNaNdisp=table	215,060	215disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Guinea, Africa	1975 July 12
Seychelles	SC SYC	Archipelago	Various^[18]	455disp=tableNaNdisp=table	97,630	215disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean, Africa	1976 June 29
Singapore	SG SGP	One main island, plus other smaller islands	Continental shelf	728disp=tableNaNdisp=table	5,703,570	7831disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Maritime Southeast Asia	1965 August 9
Solomon Islands	SB SLB	Archipelago	Oceanic	28400disp=tableNaNdisp=table	669,820	24disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia	1978 July 7
Sri Lanka	LK LKA	One main island, plus other small islands	Continental shelf	65610disp=tableNaNdisp=table	21,803,000	332disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean, South Asia	1948 February 4
Tonga	TO TON	Archipelago	Oceanic	748disp=tableNaNdisp=table	104,490	140disp=tableNaNdisp=table	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	5131disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1,394,970	272disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles	1962 August 31
Tuvalu	TV TUV	Archipelago	Oceanic	26disp=tableNaNdisp=table	11,650	448disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia	1978 October 1
United Kingdom^[19] ^[20]	GB or UK GBR	One main island, part of second island (Ireland), plus several minor islands	Continental shelf	244820disp=tableNaNdisp=table	67,886,004	277disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean, British Isles	1707 May 1
Vanuatu	VU VUT	Archipelago	Oceanic	12189disp=tableNaNdisp=table	299,880	25disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia	1980 July 30
States with limited recognition
^[21]	CY CYP	Part of a larger island (Cyprus)	Continental shelf	3355disp=tableNaNdisp=table	313,626^[22]	93disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Mediterranean Sea	1974 July 20
^[23]	TW TWN	One main island, and several smaller islands	Continental shelf	36193disp=tableNaNdisp=table	23,603,121	652disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, East Asia	1912 January 1 1949 December 7^[24]

Associated states

Name	ISO code	Geographic configuration	Geologic location	Associated with	Area		Population	Density		Geographical location
						sq mi			per sq mi
Cook Islands^[25]	CK COK	Archipelago	Oceanic	New Zealand	236disp=tableNaNdisp=table	10,777	45.7disp=tableNaNdisp=table
Niue	NU NIU	One island	Oceanic	New Zealand	260disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1,269	4.9disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia

Dependencies and other territories

Name	Geographic configuration	Geologic location	Sovereign state	Area		Population	Density		Geographic location
				km^2	sq mi		per	per sq mi
	Archipelago^[26]	Continental shelf	Finland	1580disp=tableNaNdisp=table	28,355	17.9disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia
American Samoa^[27]	Archipelago	Oceanic	United States	199disp=tableNaNdisp=table	54,947	276disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	India	8249disp=tableNaNdisp=table	380,520	46disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea
Anguilla	One main island	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	91disp=tableNaNdisp=table	15,423	169disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Aruba	One main island	Continental shelf		180disp=tableNaNdisp=table	107,635	598disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Bermuda	Archipelago	Oceanic	United Kingdom	53.3disp=tableNaNdisp=table	62,500	1170disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean, North America
Bouvet Island	One island	Oceanic	Norway	49disp=tableNaNdisp=table	No permanent resident	0disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Southern Ocean
British Indian Ocean Territory	Archipelago	Oceanic	United Kingdom	60disp=tableNaNdisp=table	3,000	50disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean
	Archipelago	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	151disp=tableNaNdisp=table	31,148	206disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
	Three main islands	Continental shelf	Netherlands	127disp=tableNaNdisp=table	21,133	166disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea
Cayman Islands	Three islands	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	264disp=tableNaNdisp=table	52,560	199disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles
Christmas Island	One island	Oceanic	Australia	135disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1,496	11.1disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean, Australasia
Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Archipelago	Oceanic	Australia	14disp=tableNaNdisp=table	596	42.6disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean, Australasia
	One main island	Continental shelf		444disp=tableNaNdisp=table	145,834	328disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
	One Island	Oceanic	Chile	163.6disp=tableNaNdisp=table	6,148	37.5disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
	Two main islands	Continental shelf	United Kingdom^[28]	12173disp=tableNaNdisp=table	3,140	0.26disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean, South America
Faroe Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	Denmark	1393disp=tableNaNdisp=table	49,483	35.5disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean
French Polynesia	Archipelago	Oceanic	France	3827disp=tableNaNdisp=table	274,512	71.7disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
	Archipelago	Oceanic	France	7747disp=tableNaNdisp=table	150	49.4disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean
Galapagos Islands	Archipelago	Oceanic	Ecuador	8010disp=tableNaNdisp=table	33,042	4.1disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean
Greenland	One main island with archipelagos	Continental shelf	Denmark	2166086disp=tableNaNdisp=table	57,695	0.03disp=tableNaNdisp=table	North America
Guadeloupe	Archipelago	Continental Shelf	France	1628disp=tableNaNdisp=table	405,500	250disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Guam	One main island	Oceanic	United States	544disp=tableNaNdisp=table	159,914	293disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia
^[29] ^[30]	Three main islands	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	78disp=tableNaNdisp=table	65,849	844disp=tableNaNdisp=table	English Channel, Channel Islands
	Two main islands (Heard Island and McDonald Island)	Oceanic	Australia	412disp=tableNaNdisp=table	No permanent resident	0disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Southern Ocean
	One main island	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	572disp=tableNaNdisp=table	85,421	149disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Irish Sea, British Isles
	One island	Oceanic	Norway	377disp=tableNaNdisp=table	No permanent resident	0disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Arctic Ocean
	One main island	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	116disp=tableNaNdisp=table	94,949	819disp=tableNaNdisp=table	English Channel, Channel Islands
Juan Fernandez Islands	Two main islands	Oceanic	Chile	100disp=tableNaNdisp=table	926	9.2disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean
Lakshadweep	Archipelago	Oceanic	India	32.62disp=tableNaNdisp=table	64,473	2000disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean
Macao	One main island and a peninsula on a river island	Continental shelf	China	32.9disp=tableNaNdisp=table	680,000	20668disp=tableNaNdisp=table	South China Sea, Pearl River Delta
Martinique	One island	Continental shelf	France	1128disp=tableNaNdisp=table	403,795	360disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Mayotte	One main island	Oceanic	France	374disp=tableNaNdisp=table	194,000	498.5disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean, Africa, Comoros Islands
Montserrat	One island	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	102disp=tableNaNdisp=table	5,164	50.6disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
New Caledonia	One main island	Continental shelf	France	18275disp=tableNaNdisp=table	260,166	14.2disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia
Norfolk Island	One main island	Continental shelf	Australia	36disp=tableNaNdisp=table	2,182	60.6disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Melanesia
Northern Mariana Islands	Archipelago	Oceanic	United States	464disp=tableNaNdisp=table	51,395	111disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia
	Archipelago	Oceanic	United Kingdom	47disp=tableNaNdisp=table	48	1disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
Puerto Rico	One main island, archipelago	Continental shelf	United States	8870disp=tableNaNdisp=table	3,690,923	416disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles
Reunion	One main island	Oceanic	France	2512disp=tableNaNdisp=table	893,500	330disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Indian Ocean, Africa, Mascarene Islands
San Andrés and Providencia	Archipelago	Oceanic	Colombia	525disp=tableNaNdisp=table	61,280	1200disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea
	One main island	Continental shelf	France	21disp=tableNaNdisp=table	7,332	349disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	Three main islands distant from each other	Oceanic	United Kingdom	308disp=tableNaNdisp=table	7,728	25.1disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean
Saint Martin	Part of a larger island (Saint Martin)	Continental shelf	France	54.4disp=tableNaNdisp=table	30,959	569disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Two main islands	Continental shelf	France	242disp=tableNaNdisp=table	5,831	24.1disp=tableNaNdisp=table	North America
	Part of a larger island (Saint Martin)	Continental shelf		34disp=tableNaNdisp=table	39,088	1150disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	3903disp=tableNaNdisp=table	No permanent resident	0disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean
	Part of a larger island (Cyprus)	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	254disp=tableNaNdisp=table	15,700	61.8disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Mediterranean Sea
^[31]	Archipelago	Continental shelf	Norway	62045disp=tableNaNdisp=table	2,752	0.03disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Arctic Ocean
Tokelau^[32]	Archipelago	Oceanic	New Zealand	12disp=tableNaNdisp=table	1,368	114disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia
Turks and Caicos Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	United Kingdom	948disp=tableNaNdisp=table	46,335	48.9disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Atlantic Ocean, Lucayan Archipelago
United States Minor Outlying Islands	Archipelago	Continental shelf	United States	41disp=tableNaNdisp=table	300	7.3disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Micronesia, Polynesia
	Archipelago	Continental shelf	United States	346disp=tableNaNdisp=table	105,275	304disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles
Wallis and Futuna	Three main islands	Oceanic	France	264disp=tableNaNdisp=table	15,289	57.9disp=tableNaNdisp=table	Pacific Ocean, Polynesia

Former sovereign island nations and primarily island-based countries

Oceania

Former colonies, possessions, protectorates, and other territories

• Annobón (1474–1778), now part of Equatorial Guinea
• Bay Islands, now a department of Honduras
• Cape Breton Island, now part of Nova Scotia, Canada
• Danish West Indies, now the United States Virgin Islands
• Elobey, Annobón and Corisco (1843–1926) unified with the rest of Spanish Guinea
• Fernando Po (1778-1926)
• The Territory of Hawaii, now Hawaii, a state of the United States
• Heligoland (1807–1890)
• Hong Kong Island (1841–1860), now a part of Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China^[33]
• United States of the Ionian Islands, protectorate of the United Kingdom.
• Septinsular Republic, protectorate in the Ionian Islands under nominal Russo-Ottoman joint sovereignty.
• Labuan, briefly part of British North Borneo, the Straits Settlements and Sabah, now a federal territory of Malaysia
• Mayotte, now an overseas department and region of France
• Minorca (1713–1802)
• Colony of Newfoundland (1583–1907)^[34]
• New Hebrides, now Vanuatu
• British North Borneo
• Padang
• Prince of Wales Island between 1786 and 1800, at that point joined by Province Wellesley (now Seberang Perai). Now as the state of Penang in the Malaysian federation.
• Prince Edward Island, now a province of Canada
• The Providence Island colony
• Queen Charlotte Islands
• Réunion, now an overseas department and region of France
• , former British overseas territory dissolved in 1983.
• Socotra Archipelago, now a governorate of Yemen
• Tasmania, now a state of Australia, shares a land boundary with Victoria on Boundary Islet
• Vancouver Island, now a part of British Columbia, Canada
• People's Republic of Zanzibar, now a member of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Island countries with man-made fixed links to continents

• Bahrain to Saudi Arabia via the King Fahd Causeway
• Singapore to Malaysia via the Johor–Singapore Causeway since 1924, with the Tuas Second Link added in 1998
• United Kingdom to France via the Channel Tunnel

See also

• Archipelagic state
• List of archipelagos
• List of Caribbean countries by population
• List of countries that border only one other country
• List of divided islands
• Lists of islands
• List of islands by area
• List of islands by population
• List of islands by population density
• List of Oceanian countries by population
• List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Oceania
• List of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Indian Ocean
• Small Island Developing States
• Thalassocracy

External links

• Island superlatives

Notes and References

1. Web site: Definition of island. https://web.archive.org/web/20120719094034/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Island. dead. July 19, 2012. Oxford University Press.
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. Book: Löffler, Ernst. A.J. Rose, Anneliese Löffler & Denis Warner. Australia:Portrait of a Continent. 1983. Hutchinson Group. Richmond, Victoria. 17. 0-09-130460-1.
4. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-countries-have-the-most-islands.html Which Countries Have The Most Islands?
5. 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.
6. https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/island-countries.htm Island Countries
7. Web site: Island Countries Of The World . WorldAtlas.com . 2019-08-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171207094959/http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-are-the-island-countries-of-the-world.html . 2017-12-07.
8. Web site: Total Population Estimates 2015-2019. data.worldbank.org. The World Bank . 21 April 2021 .
9. A microcontinent on continental crust.
10. 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.
11. The largest oceanic island in the world.
12. 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.
13. Web site: 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 . . 3 January 2021 . ja . 25 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210101044323/https://www.gsi.go.jp/KOKUJYOHO/MENCHO-title.htm . January 1, 2021.
14. In Japanese tradition, 11 February 660 BC is regarded as the accession date of the first Emperor of Japan in legendary, Emperor Jimmu, marking the establishment of the imperial 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
15. The largest microcontinent in the world.
16. 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.
17. A part of the submerged continent of Zealandia.
18. The Granitic Seychelles is a part of the Seychelles microcontinent. The Coralline Seychelles consists of oceanic islands.
19. 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.
20. Web site: The Overseas Territories . Foreign and Commonwealth Office . June 2012 . 29 November 2020.
21. 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.
22. https://web.archive.org/web/20160108225108/http://www.devplan.org/Ecosos/BOOK/SEG-2014.pdf TRNC
23. 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.
24. 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.

25. 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.
26. 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.
27. An insular area of the United States. See Territories of the United States.
28. The Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are also claimed by Argentina.
29. 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.
30. Web site: Channel Islands . dead . 22 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120921052748/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandCrowndependencies/ChannelIslands.aspx . 21 September 2012 .
31. Administered by Norway under the Svalbard Treaty.
32. Tokelau is a dependent territory of New Zealand.
33. 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.
34. 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).