List of sovereign states Totally Explained

Everything about List Of Sovereign States totally explained

This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged, gives an overview of states around the world with information on the extent of their sovereignty. It includes both states widely recognized (de jure) to be sovereign and entities that claim sovereignty while exercising de facto control over (part of) their claimed territory.

:	Criteria for inclusion Sovereign states: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Other states See also - Other listings - References and footnotes

Criteria for inclusion

This list derives its definition of a sovereign state from Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention of 1933. According to the Convention, a sovereign state should possess the following qualifications: (a) a permanent population, (b) a defined territory, (c) government, and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states. In respect of the last qualification, the role of recognition by other states can often be crucial since it implies acceptance into the international community. The list includes all states that satisfy these criteria and claim independence; however, the aforementioned qualifications are not absolute and permit variations.
On the basis of the above criteria, this list includes the following 203 entities:

193 sovereign states with general international recognition:
- 192 member states of the United Nations
- One state with general international recognition but not UN membership, governed by the Holy See (a UN permanent observer): Vatican City
10 sovereign states lacking general international recognition:
- Four entities lacking general international recognition, none of which are UN members, that may be defined as states in the body of customary international law: the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Kosovo, and the Palestinian territories.
- Six entities lacking general international recognition, none of which are UN members, that have declared independence and have limited or no international recognition: the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (only recognized by Turkey), Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, Somaliland, and South Ossetia.

Entities considered to be micronations that are not internationally recognized are not included. Unlisted are the following noteworthy entities that don't possess all the qualifications in the Montevideo Convention:

two states, in free association with New Zealand and represented in most matters by that country: Niue and the Cook Islands.

one entity, a UN observer member, recognized by 96 states, but with extraterritorial areas within Rome is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

one state, never a UN member, only ever briefly recognized by the Republic of Georgia, with all of its claimed territory under military occupation, the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

The European Union, a sui generis supranational organization which currently has 27 member countries. The member countries transferred part of their legislative, executive, and judicial powers to the institutions of the EU; therefore, it has some characteristics of a sovereign state, without generally being considered a sovereign state.

Parts of Antarctica are claimed by a few nations. The listing or placement of any entity in this article isn't meant to imply an official position in any naming dispute.

Internationally recognized sovereign states

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