United Nations list of non-self-governing territories

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A non-self-governing territory (NSGT) as a territory without a full self-government. In practice, a NSGT is a territory considered by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to be "non-self-governing".

Current entries on the list of non-self-governing territories[change | change source]

The following 17 territories are currently included on the list.[1]

Territory Administering state Domestic legal status Other claimant(s) Population Area Referendums See also
 American Samoa  United States Unincorporated unorganized territory None 55,519 200 km2 (77 mi2) No official referendum has been held. Politics of American Samoa
 Anguilla United Kingdom Overseas Territory None 14,108 96 km2 (37 mi2) No official referendum has been held. Politics of Anguilla
 Bermuda United Kingdom Overseas Territory None 62,000 57 km2 (22 mi2) A 1995 Bermudian independence referendum was held. 74% of votes cast were against independence. Politics of Bermuda
 British Virgin Islands United Kingdom Overseas Territory None 28,103 153 km2 (59 mi2) No official referendum has been held. Politics of the British Virgin Islands
 Cayman Islands United Kingdom Overseas Territory None 55,500 264 km2 (102 mi2) No official referendum has been held. Foreign relations of the Cayman Islands
 Falkland Islands United Kingdom Disputed  Argentina 2,500 12,173 km2 (4,700 mi2) Two referendums have been held in 1986 and 2013 on whether the Falklands should join Argentina. On both occasions, voters chose overwhelmingly for continued British control. Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute
 French Polynesia[A]  France Overseas country None 271,000 4,000 km2 (1,544 mi2) No official referendum has been held. Politics of French Polynesia
 Gibraltar United Kingdom Disputed  Spain 29,752 6 km2 (2 mi2) There were referendums in 1967 and in 2002, both returning an overwhelming victory for the pro-British side. Status of Gibraltar
 Guam  United States Unincorporated organized territory None 159,358 540 km2 (208 mi2) Three status referendums have been held, one in 1976 and two in 1982 (one in January and the other in September), with all three of them supporting an improved Commonwealth status under U.S. control. Politics of Guam
 Montserrat United Kingdom Overseas Territory None 5,000 103 km2 (40 mi2) No official referendum has been held. Government of Montserrat
 New Caledonia  France Sui generis collectivity None 252,000 18,575 km2 (7,172 mi2) There were referendums in 1987, 2018, 2020, and 2021, all deciding against independence. Politics of New Caledonia
 Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands United Kingdom Overseas Territory None 50 36 km2 (14 mi2) No official referendum has been held. Politics of the Pitcairn Islands
 Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha United Kingdom Overseas Territory None 5,396 310 km2 (120 mi2) No official referendum has been held. Politics of Saint Helena
 Tokelau New Zealand Territory None 1,411 12 km2 (5 mi2) There were two referendums on self-determination in Tokelau in 2006 and 2007, with both coming just shy of the required two-thirds "yes" margin. Politics of Tokelau
 Turks and Caicos Islands United Kingdom Overseas Territory None 31,458 948 km2 (366 mi2) No official referendum has been held. Politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands
Western Sahara  Spain
(formerly)
Disputed  Morocco
 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
619,060 266,000 km2 (102,703 mi2) The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara has attempted to organize a referendum since 1991, but none has been held so far. Political status of Western Sahara
 United States Virgin Islands  United States Unincorporated organized territory None 106,405 352 km2 (136 mi2) A 1993 United States Virgin Islands status referendum was held. The status quo was widely preferred among voters, but the result was invalidated because of the low turnout.[3] Politics of the United States Virgin Islands

References[change | change source]

  1. On 18 May 2013, the United Nations General Assembly voted to place French Polynesia back on the list.[2]
  1. "Non-Self-Governing Territories". United Nations.
  2. General Assembly adds French Polynesia to UN decolonization list
  3. United States Virgin Islands, 11 October 1993: Status Direct Democracy (in German)