Dependent territory

A dependent territory is a territory that is not fully independent or sovereign. They belong to a sovereign state, and are dependent on that state to some degree. There are varying degrees and forms of such a dependence. They are commonly distinguished from subnational entities in that they are not considered to be part of the state. A subnational entity typically represents a division of the country proper, while a dependent territory is a legally separate territory that enjoys a greater degree of autonomy.

As an example, Greenland is a dependent territory of Denmark, and Saint Helena is a dependent territory of the United Kingdom.

Lists of dependent territories

World map of dependent territories

AUS

CHI

DAN

FRA

NZL

NOR

GBR

USA

Dependency claims without general international recognition, including all claims in Antarctica, are listed in italics. The list includes several territories that are not included in the list of non-self-governing territories listed by the General Assembly of the United Nations, as well as those that are not legally classified as dependencies by their respective sovereign government.

Australia

See also: States and territories of Australia

Although all territories of Australia are considered to be fully integrated in its federative system, and the official status of an external territory does not differ largely from that of a mainland territory, debate remains as to whether the external territories are integral parts of Australia, due to their not being part of Australia in 1901, when its constituent states federated. They are often listed separately for statistical purposes.

Territory	Administration
Christmas Island	Administered from Canberra by the Attorney-General's Department.
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Norfolk Island	Commonwealth responsibilities administered from Canberra through the Attorney-General's Department.
Territory	Administration
Ashmore and Cartier Islands	Administered from Canberra by the Attorney-General's Department.
Coral Sea Islands
Australian Antarctic Territory	Administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage.
Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Denmark

See also: Rigsfællesskabet

Division	Administration
Faroe Islands	Self-governing overseas administrative division since 1948. Part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but not of the European Union.
Greenland	Self-governing overseas administrative division since 1979. Part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Withdrew from the European Union in 1986.

France

See also: Overseas departments and territories of France

Overseas France consists of 5 overseas departments (Départements d'outre-mer) and all overseas territories (Territoires d'outre-mer). Overseas departments, along with those of Metropolitan France, are constituent units of the French Republic. Overseas territories are listed below.

Territory	Administration
French Polynesia	Overseas collectivity since 2003; Overseas country since 2004.
& New Caledonia	"Sui generis" collectivity since 1999; appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Saint Barthélemy	Overseas collectivities since 2007.
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Territorial collectivity since 1985; overseas collectivity since 2003.
Wallis and Futuna Mayotte French Guiana	Overseas territory since 1961; overseas collectivity since 2003. Overseas department since 31 March 2011. Overseas region of France.
Territory	Administration
Clipperton Island	Island administered by the Minister for Overseas Territories.
French Southern and Antarctic Lands	The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (called TAAF for Terres australes et antartiques françaises) is an Overseas territory since 1955, administered from Paris by an Administrateur Supérieur. Includes the French territorial claim in Antarctica: Adelie Land.

New Zealand

See also: New Zealand

In free association	Administration
Cook Islands	Self-governing state in free association with New Zealand since 1965. The Cook Islands are fully responsible for their internal affairs; New Zealand, in consultation, retains some responsibility for external affairs and defence. As of 2005, the Cook Islands have diplomatic relations in their own name with eighteen countries.
Niue	Self-governing state in free association with New Zealand since 1974. Niue is fully responsible for its internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defence. New Zealand's responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue.
Territory	Administration
Tokelau	Territory of New Zealand. As it moves toward free association with New Zealand, Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution. A UN-sponsored referendum on self-governance in February 2006 did not produce the two-thirds supermajority necessary for changing the current political status. Another one was in October 2007, which failed to reach the 2/3 margin.
Ross Dependency	New Zealand's Antarctic claim.

Norway

See also: Possessions of Norway

Dependency	Administration
Bouvet Island	Dependency administered from Oslo by the Polar Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice and the Police.
Peter I Island	Dependencies (subject to the Antarctic Treaty System) administered from Oslo by the Polar Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice and the Police.
Queen Maud Land

In contrast, Svalbard is fully a part of Norway. Svalbard is subject to several special laws, but its government is not independent and does not decide laws on its own.

Spain

See also: Western Sahara

Overseas territories

Administration

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

Previously the Spanish colony of Spanish Sahara, now called Western Sahara. 85% of the territory is now occupied and administered by Morocco. The rest of the territory is under the control of the Polisario Front and administerd by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The UN however still considers Spain as the country in charge of the whole territory, until the end of the ongoing Manhasset negotiations and resulting election to be overseen by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.

United Kingdom

See also: British overseas territories, Crown dependency, and Sovereign Base Areas

Overseas territories	Administration
Anguilla	British overseas territories.
Cayman Islands
Montserrat
Pitcairn Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	British oversea territory, administered by the Falkland Islands
Saint Helena	British overseas territory which administers Ascension and Tristan da Cunha as dependencies of itself
Bermuda	British overseas territory or self-governing territory as defined by the UK.
British Antarctic Territory	The UK's Antarctic claim.
British Indian Ocean Territory	British overseas territory administered by a commissioner resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London.
British Virgin Islands	British overseas territory with internal self-government.
Falkland Islands	British overseas territory. Falkland Islands also administers South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands through the Governor of the Falkland Islands as representative of the British monarch.
Gibraltar	British overseas territory.
Sovereign Base Areas	Administration
Akrotiri and Dhekelia	British overseas territory administered by the Commander of British Forces, Cyprus. Note SBAs are primarily required as military bases and not ordinary dependent territories.
Crown dependencies	Administration
Guernsey	Fully internal self governing territories, allegiance is to the Monarch of the United Kingdom, not the UK government, which has no control, except for defence and international representation for which the islands make a financial contribution.
Jersey
Isle of Man

United States

See also: Insular area and Territories of the United States

Territory	Administration
American Samoa	Unincorporated and unorganized territory administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Guam	Unincorporated organized territory; policy relations between Guam and the U.S. conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Northern Mariana Islands	Commonwealth in political union with the U.S.; federal funding administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Puerto Rico	Unincorporated organized territory of the U.S. with commonwealth status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the U.S. conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President.
U.S. Virgin Islands	Unincorporated organized territory; policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the U.S. conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior. Appears on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Territory	Administration
Baker Island	Unorganized and unincorporated territory administered from Washington, D.C. by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States Department of the Interior.
Bajo Nuevo Bank	Unincorporated territory of the U.S. administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Also claimed by Colombia, Jamaica and Nicaragua.
Howard Island	Unorganized and unincorporated territories administered from Washington, D.C. by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States Department of the Interior.
Jarvis Island
Johnston Atoll
Kingman Reef
Midway Island
Navassa Island	Unincorporated territory of the U.S. administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boquerón, Puerto Rico. Claimed by Haiti and privately via the Guano Islands Act.
Serranilla Bank	Unincorporated territory of the U.S. administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Also claimed by Colombia and Nicaragua. Beacon Cay is occupied by Colombia.
Wake Island	Supervised by the U.S. Air Force, administered from Washington, D.C. by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and is claimed by the Marshall Islands.