Borderless countries
This is a 'list of
island countries'. An "island country", also called a 'borderless country', is an insular territory over which a nation-state maintains
sovereignty under
international law, that does not share the land territory of any of its
islands with other nation-states which are sovereign under international law. For example, the
Republic of Ireland shares the island of
Ireland with the
United Kingdom (through
Northern Ireland) and thus is not borderless.
Madagascar, on the other hand, is defined as a borderless country because it controls an entire island. An island country does not have to be located on a single island and can spread over an
archipelago, such as the
Federated States of Micronesia and the
Philippines which consist of thousands of islands.
Current
By political status
Independent
★
Antigua and Barbuda
★
Bahamas
★
Bahrain
★
Barbados
★
Brunei
★
Cape Verde
★
Comoros
★
Cuba
★
Cyprus
★
Dominica
★
Dominican Republic
★
East Timor
★
Federated States of Micronesia
★
Fiji
★
Grenada
★
Haiti
★
Iceland
★
Indonesia
★
Jamaica
★
Japan
★
Kiribati
★
Madagascar
★
Maldives
★
Malta
★
Marshall Islands
★
Mauritius
★
Nauru
★
New Zealand
★
Palau
★
Papua New Guinea
★
Philippines
★
Saint Kitts and Nevis
★
Saint Lucia
★
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
★
Samoa
★
São Tomé and PrÃncipe
★
Seychelles
★
Singapore
★
Solomon Islands
★
Sri Lanka
★
Tonga
★
Trinidad and Tobago
★
Turks and Caicos
★
Tuvalu
★
Vanuatu
★
United Kingdom
Independence under dispute
★
Republic of China (Taiwan)
note 2
★
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (''de jure'' part of
Cyprus, recognized by only
Turkey)
★
Sri Lankan Government controlled Tamil Eelam (''de jure'' part of
Tamil Eelam, to be recognized)
Autonomous, colonies and semi-autonomous
★
Ã…land
★
Alderney
★
American Samoa²
★
Anguilla
★
Aruba
★
Bermuda
★
British Virgin Islands
★
Cayman Islands
★
Christmas Island
★
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
★
Cook Islands¹
★
Faroe Islands
★
Falkland Islands
★
Greenland
★
Guam²
★
Guernsey
★
Jersey
★
Isle of Man
★
Macau
★
Montserrat
★
New Caledonia
★
Niue¹
★
Norfolk Island
★
Northern Mariana Islands²
★
Pitcairn Islands
★
Puerto Rico²
★
Sark
★
Saint Helena
★
Tokelau¹
★
U.S. Virgin Islands²
By geographic configuration
Centered on one major island
★
Bahrain
★
Barbados
★
Christmas Island
★
Cuba
★
Cyprus
★
Dominica
★
East Timor
★
Iceland
★
Jamaica
★
Madagascar
★
Malta
★
Nauru
★
New Caledonia
★
Norfolk Island
★
Saint Lucia
★
Singapore
★
Sri Lanka &
Tamil Eelam
★
Taiwan
Spread over group of islands (including parts of
archipelagoes and
island arcs)
★
Antigua and Barbuda
★
Bahamas
★
Cayman Islands
★
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
★
Comoros
★
Federated States of Micronesia
★
Fiji
★
Grenada
★
Indonesia
★
Japan
★
Kiribati
★
Maldives
★
Marshall Islands
★
Mauritius
★
New Zealand
★
Philippines
★
Saint Kitts and Nevis
★
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
★
São Tomé and PrÃncipe
★
Seychelles
★
Solomon Islands
★
Trinidad and Tobago
★
Tokelau
Island shared between two or more states
''See
List of divided islands''
Continental shelf
★
Antigua and Barbuda
★
Bahamas
★
Bahrain
★
Barbados
★
Cuba
★
Cyprus
★
Dominica
★
Grenada
★
Jamaica
★
Japan
★
Madagascar
★
Malta
★
Philippines
★
Saint Kitts and Nevis
★
Saint Lucia
★
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
★
São Tomé and PrÃncipe
★
Singapore
★
Sri Lanka
★
Taiwan
★
United Kingdom
★
Trinidad and Tobago
Oceanic ridges or atolls
★
Cape Verde
★
Comoros
★
Federated States of Micronesia
★
Fiji
★
Iceland
★
Kiribati
★
Maldives
★
Marshall Islands
★
Mauritius
★
Nauru
★
New Zealand
★
Palau
★
Samoa
★
Seychelles
★
Solomon Islands
★
Tonga
★
Tuvalu
★
Vanuatu
Former nations
Historical
★
Andros
★
Delos
★
Dominion of Newfoundland -
³
★
Duchy of the Archipelago
★
Khios
★
Kingdom of Cyprus
★
Kingdom of Great Britain
★
Kingdom of Hawai‘i
★
Kingdom of Ireland
★
Kingdom of Majorca
★
Kingdom of Man
★
Irish Free State
★
Kediri
★
Lesbos
★
Majapahit Empire
★
Mataram Sultanate
★
Merina
★
Micronesian Empire
★
Milos
★
Minoans
★
Pholegandros
★
Rhodes
★
Republic of Formosa
★
Republic of Genoa
★
Republic of Hawai‘i
★
Ryūkyū Kingdom
★
Sailendra
★
Samos
★
Sese Islands
★
Srivijaya
★
Tu'i Tonga Empire
★
Venice
★
West Indies Federation, split up into
Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Barbuda,
Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica,
Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tobago, Trinidad, and the
Turks and Caicos Islands.
★
Zakynthos
Former colonies, possessions, protectorates and territories
★
Cape Breton Island, now part of
Nova Scotia,
Canada
★
Danish West Indies, now the
United States Virgin Islands
★
Territory of Hawai‘i, a US territory from 1898 to 1959, now part of the United States.
★
Hong Kong (1841-1860), now a
special administrative region of the
People's Republic of China. -
note 3
★
Labuan, briefly part of
British North Borneo, the Strait settlements and
Sabah, now a federal territory of
Malaysia
★
Macau (1557-1999), now a
special administrative region of the
People's Republic of China.
★
Newfoundland (1583-1809), now Province of
Newfoundland and Labrador of
Canada -
³
★
New Hebrides, now
Vanuatu
★
Prince Edward Island, now a province of
Canada
★
Réunion, now an
overseas department of
France
★
Socotra, now part of
Yemen
★
Tasmania, now a part of
Australia
★
Vancouver Island, now a part of
British Columbia,
Canada
★
Zanzibar and
Pemba, now parts of
Tanzania
==
Micronations==
★
Conch Republic
★
Minerva
★
Rose Island
★
Sealand
★
Tavolara Island
★
Kingdom of Redonda
Alphabetical list of island countries
★
Antigua and Barbuda
★
Bahamas
★
Bahrain
★
Barbados
★
Cape Verde
★
Republic of China (Taiwan)
★
Comoros
★
Cuba
★
Dominica
★
Fiji
★
Grenada
★
Iceland
★
Jamaica
★
Japan
★
Kiribati
★
Madagascar
★
Maldives
★
Malta
★
Marshall Islands
★
Mauritius
★
Federated States of Micronesia
★
Nauru
★
New Zealand
★
Palau
★
Philippines
★
Saint Kitts and Nevis
★
Saint Lucia
★
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
★
Samoa
★
São Tomé and PrÃncipe
★
Seychelles
★
Singapore
★
Solomon Islands
★
Sri Lanka
★
Tonga
★
Trinidad and Tobago
★
Tuvalu
★
Vanuatu
List of borderless dependent territories
★
Ã…land
★
Aruba
★
American Samoa
★
Anguilla
★
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
★
Baker Island
★
Bermuda
★
Bouvet Island
★
Cayman Islands
★
Christmas Island
★
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
★
Cook Islands
★
Coral Sea Islands Territory
★
Falkland Islands
★
Faroe Islands
★
French Polynesia
★
French Southern and Antarctic Territories
★
Greenland
★
Guam
★
Guernsey
★
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
★
Howland Island
★
British Indian Ocean Territory
★
Isle of Man
★
Jan Mayen
★
Jarvis Island
★
Jersey
★
Johnston Atoll
★
Kingman Reef
★
Martinique
★
Mayotte
★
Midway Atoll
★
Montserrat
★
Navassa Island
★
New Caledonia
★
Niue
★
Norfolk Island
★
Northern Mariana Islands
★
Palmyra Atoll
★
Pitcairn Islands
★
Puerto Rico
★
Réunion
★
Saint Helena
★
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
★
Svalbard
★
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
★
Tokelau
★
Turks and Caicos Islands
★
British Virgin Islands
★
U.S. Virgin Islands
★
Wake Island
★
Wallis and Futuna
Notes
¹ The Cook Islands and Niue are in free association with New Zealand. See Niue Constitution Act 1974 (NZ). Tokelau is a territory of New Zealand.
² An associated state of or in association with the United States.
3 The Colony of Newfoundland covers the island of Newfoundland before 1808. In 1808, part of the peninsula of Labrador was transferred to Newfoundland from Lower Canada. In other words, before 1808, Newfoundland was an island colony. From 1808 onwards, the Colony of Newfoundland, and later the Dominion of Newfoundland, had been an island plus an area on the continent of North America.
4 The Crown Colony of Hong Kong covers 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.
5 See also Chinese Civil War, political status of Taiwan and legal status of Taiwan.
Footnotes
★ Guantanamo Bay in
Cuba is a U.S. lease.
★ The
Republic of China (often referred as "Taiwan") only controls the islands of
Taiwan,
Matsu,
Kinmen,
Penghu etc. after the
Chinese Civil War, but has not formally renounced claim on areas currently under control of
People's Republic of China,
Mongolia,
Tuva (a
Russian republic), etc. If those territories are taken into account, the Republic of China is not a borderless country. It is also claimed by the
People's Republic of China as part of its
One-China policy. See
Legal status of Taiwan and
Political status of Taiwan.
★ The north part of
Cyprus is not controlled by Republic of Cyprus, but due to Turkish invasion there is the
de facto state of
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by
Turkey.
★ New Zealand maintains claims to territory in
Antarctica, so can technically be regarded as having land borders there.
★
Market Reef defines the border between
Finland and
Sweden. The lighthouse on the reef is administered directly from Finland and is usually not considered a part of the autonomous
Ã…land Islands.
★ The Falkland Islands and South Georgia are contested by
Argentina
★ France claims territory in
Antarctica and as such can technically be regarded as having land borders there. Otherwise, islands administered in this
overseas territory have no land borders.
★ The
Minquiers off Jersey are claimed by France.
★ Administered by Norway under the
Svalbard Treaty.
See also
★
Island nation
★
List of countries that border only one other country
★
Thalassocracy
★
List of island countries by population
★
List of island countries by area
★
List of island countries by population density
External links
★
Small Island Developing States Network (UN)
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