ISO 3166-3
Current codes
Table:
Former country name

Former codes

Period of validity

ISO 3166-3 code

New country names and codes

British Antarctic Territory

BQ, ATB, -

1974–1979

BQAQ

Merged into Antarctica (AQ, ATA, 010)

Burma

BU, BUR, 104

1974–1989

BUMM

Name changed to Myanmar (MM, MMR, 104)

Byelorussian SSR

BY, BYS, 112

1974–1992

BYAA

Name changed to Belarus (BY, BLR, 112)

Canton and Enderbury Islands

CT, CTE, 128

1974–1984

CTKI

Merged into Kiribati (KI, KIR, 296)

Czechoslovakia

CS, CSK, 200

1974–1993

CSHH

Divided into:
Czech Republic (CZ, CZE, 203)
Slovakia (SK, SVK, 703)

Dahomey

DY, DHY, 204

1974–1977

DYBJ

Name changed to Benin (BJ, BEN, 204)

Dronning Maud Land

NQ, ATN, 216

1974–1983

NQAQ

Merged into Antarctica (AQ, ATA, 010)

East Timor [note 1]

TP, TMP, 626

1974–2002

TPTL

Name changed to Timor-Leste (TL, TLS, 626)

France, Metropolitan

FX, FXX, 249

1993–1997

FXFR

Merged into France (FR, FRA, 250)

French Afars and Issas

AI, AFI, 262

1974–1977

AIDJ

Name changed to Djibouti (DJ, DJI, 262)

French Southern and Antarctic Territories

FQ, ATF, -

1974–1979

FQHH

Divided into:
Part of Antarctica (AQ, ATA, 010) (i.e., Adélie Land)
French Southern Territories (TF, ATF, 260)

German Democratic Republic

DD, DDR, 278

1974–1990

DDDE

Merged into Germany (DE, DEU, 276)

Gilbert and Ellice Islands

GE, GEL, 296

1974–1979

GEHH

Divided into:
Kiribati (KI, KIR, 296)
Tuvalu (TV, TUV, 798)

Johnston Island

JT, JTN, 396

1974–1986

JTUM

Merged into United States Minor Outlying Islands (UM, UMI, 581)

Midway Islands

MI, MID, 488

1974–1986

MIUM

Merged into United States Minor Outlying Islands (UM, UMI, 581)

Netherlands Antilles

AN, ANT, 530
[note 2]

1974–2010 [note 3]

ANHH

Divided into:
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (BQ, BES, 535) [note 4]
Curaçao (CW, CUW, 531)
Sint Maarten (Dutch part) (SX, SXM, 534)

Neutral Zone

NT, NTZ, 536

1974–1993

NTHH

Divided into:
Part of Iraq (IQ, IRQ, 368)
Part of Saudi Arabia (SA, SAU, 682)

New Hebrides

NH, NHB, 548

1974–1980

NHVU

Name changed to Vanuatu (VU, VUT, 548)

Pacific Islands (Trust Territory)

PC, PCI, 582

1974–1986

PCHH

Divided into:
Marshall Islands (MH, MHL, 584)
Micronesia, Federated States of (FM, FSM, 583)
Northern Mariana Islands (MP, MNP, 580)
Palau (PW, PLW, 585)

Panama Canal Zone

PZ, PCZ, -

1974–1980

PZPA

Merged into Panama (PA, PAN, 591)

Based on the given table plus the relevant paragraphs provided.

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The British Antarctic Territory ( BAT ) is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories , of which it is by far the largest by area . It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes 20°W and 80°W , forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole , overlapping the Antarctic claims of Argentina ( Argentine Antarctica ) and Chile ( Chilean Antarctic Territory ) . The Territory was formed on 3 March 1962 , although the UK 's claim to this portion of the Antarctic dates back to letters patent of 1908 and 1917 . The area now covered by the Territory includes three regions which , before 1962 , were administered by the British as separate dependencies of the Falkland Islands : Graham Land , the South Orkney Islands , and the South Shetland Islands . The United Kingdom 's claim to the region has been suspended since the Antarctic Treaty came into force in 1961 , Article 4 of which states No acts or activities taking place while the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting , supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica . No new claim , or enlargement of an existing claim , to territorial sovereignty , shall be asserted while the present Treaty is in force . Most countries do not recognise territorial claims in Antarctica . The United Kingdom has ratified the treaty . In 2012 , the southern part of the territory was named Queen Elizabeth Land in honour of Queen Elizabeth II . The territory is inhabited by the staff of research and support stations operated and maintained by the British Antarctic Survey and other organisations , and stations of Argentina , Chile and other countries . There are no native inhabitants .
Antarctica ( /ænˈtɑːrtɪkə/ or /æntˈɑːrktɪkə/ ( listen ) ) [ note 1 ] is Earth 's southernmost continent . It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere , almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle , and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean . At 14,200,000 square kilometres ( 5,500,000 square miles ) , it is the fifth-largest continent and nearly twice the size of Australia . At 0.00008 people per square kilometre , it is by far the least densely populated continent . About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages 1.9 km ( 1.2 mi ; 6,200 ft ) in thickness , which extends to all but the northernmost reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula . Antarctica , on average , is the coldest , driest , and windiest continent , and has the highest average elevation of all the continents . Most of Antarctica is a polar desert , with annual precipitation of 200 mm ( 7.9 in ) along the coast and far less inland ; there has been no rain there for almost 2 million years , yet 80% of the world freshwater reserves are stored there . The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89.2 °C ( −128.6 °F ) ( or even −94.7 °C ( −135.8 °F ) as measured from space ) , though the average for the third quarter ( the coldest part of the year ) is −63 °C ( −81 °F ) . Anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at research stations scattered across the continent . Organisms native to Antarctica include many types of algae , bacteria , fungi , plants , protista , and certain animals , such as mites , nematodes , penguins , seals and tardigrades . Vegetation , where it occurs , is tundra . Antarctica is noted as the last region on Earth in recorded history to be discovered , unseen until 1820 when the Russian expedition of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev on Vostok and Mirny sighted the Fimbul ice shelf .
Myanmar ( English pronunciation below ; Burmese : မြန်မာ , [ mjəmà ] ) [ nb 1 ] or Burma ( see §Etymology ) , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar [ nb 2 ] , is a country in Southeast Asia . Myanmar is bordered by Bangladesh and India to its northwest , China to its northeast , Laos and Thailand to its east and southeast , and the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal to its south and southwest . With a size of 676,578 square kilometres ( 261,228 square miles ) , Myanmar is the largest of the Mainland Southeast Asian states by area . As of 2017 , the population is about 54 million . Its capital city is Naypyidaw , and its largest city is Yangon ( Rangoon ) . Myanmar has been a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) since 1997 . Early civilisations in Myanmar included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Burma and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Burma . In the 9th century , the Bamar people entered the upper Irrawaddy valley and , following the establishment of the Pagan Kingdom in the 1050s , the Burmese language , culture and Theravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the country . The Pagan Kingdom fell due to the Mongol invasions and several warring states emerged . In the 16th century , reunified by the Taungoo dynasty , the country was for a brief period the largest empire in the history of Mainland Southeast Asia . The early 19th century Konbaung dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Myanmar and briefly controlled Manipur and Assam as well . The British East India Company seized control of the administration of Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony .
Myanmar ( English pronunciation below ; Burmese : မြန်မာ , [ mjəmà ] ) [ nb 1 ] or Burma ( see §Etymology ) , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar [ nb 2 ] , is a country in Southeast Asia . Myanmar is bordered by Bangladesh and India to its northwest , China to its northeast , Laos and Thailand to its east and southeast , and the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal to its south and southwest . With a size of 676,578 square kilometres ( 261,228 square miles ) , Myanmar is the largest of the Mainland Southeast Asian states by area . As of 2017 , the population is about 54 million . Its capital city is Naypyidaw , and its largest city is Yangon ( Rangoon ) . Myanmar has been a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) since 1997 . Early civilisations in Myanmar included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Burma and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Burma . In the 9th century , the Bamar people entered the upper Irrawaddy valley and , following the establishment of the Pagan Kingdom in the 1050s , the Burmese language , culture and Theravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the country . The Pagan Kingdom fell due to the Mongol invasions and several warring states emerged . In the 16th century , reunified by the Taungoo dynasty , the country was for a brief period the largest empire in the history of Mainland Southeast Asia . The early 19th century Konbaung dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Myanmar and briefly controlled Manipur and Assam as well . The British East India Company seized control of the administration of Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony .
The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic ( BSSR , or Byelorussian SSR ; Belarusian : Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка , romanized : Biełaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika ; Russian : Белорусская Советская Социалистическая Республика , romanized : Belorusskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika or Russian : Белорусская ССР , romanized : Belorusskaya SSR ) , also commonly referred to in English as Byelorussia , was a federal unit of the Soviet Union ( USSR ) . It existed between 1920 and 1922 , and from 1922 to 1991 as one of fifteen constituent republics of the USSR , with its own legislation from 1990 to 1991 . The republic was ruled by the Communist Party of Byelorussia and was also referred to as Soviet Byelorussia by a number of historians . To the west it bordered Poland . Within the Soviet Union , it bordered the Lithuanian SSR and the Latvian SSR to the north , the Russian SFSR to the east , and the Ukrainian SSR to the south . The Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia ( SSRB ) was declared by the Bolsheviks on 1 January 1919 following the declaration of independence by the Belarusian Democratic Republic in March 1918 . In 1922 , the BSSR was one of the four founding members of the Soviet Union , together with the Ukrainian SSR , the Transcaucasian SFSR , and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ( RSFSR ) . Byelorussia was one of several Soviet republics occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II . Towards the final years of the Soviet Union 's existence , the Supreme Soviet of Byelorussian SSR adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty on 27 July 1990 . On 15 August 1991 , Stanislaŭ Šuškievič was elected as the country 's first president . Ten days later on 25 August 1991 , Byelorussian SSR declared its independence and renamed to the Republic of Belarus . The Soviet Union was dissolved four months and one day later on 26 December 1991 .
Belarus ( /bɛləˈruːs/ ; Belarusian : Беларусь , IPA : [ bʲɛlaˈrusʲ ] ) , officially the Republic of Belarus ( Belarusian : Рэспубліка Беларусь , Russian : Республика Беларусь ) , formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia ( Russian : Белоруссия ) , is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast , Ukraine to the south , Poland to the west , and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest . Its capital and most populous city is Minsk . Over 40% of its 207,600 square kilometres ( 80,200 sq mi ) is forested . Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing . Until the 20th century , different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus , including the Principality of Polotsk ( 11th to 14th centuries ) , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , and the Russian Empire . In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution , Belarus declared independence as the Belarusian People 's Republic , which was conquered by Soviet Russia . The Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922 and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic ( Byelorussian SSR ) . Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland after the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921 . Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939 , when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland , and were finalized after World War II . During WWII , military operations devastated Belarus , which lost about a quarter of its population and half of its economic resources . The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years . In 1945 the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations , along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR .
The Canton and Enderbury Islands consist of the coral atolls of Canton ( now Kanton ) and Enderbury in the northeastern part of the Phoenix Islands , about 1,850 miles ( 3,000 km ) south of Hawaii in the central Pacific Ocean . The islands were vital naval and air bases on the route between the Americas and the Philippines and Australia and were claimed by both the United Kingdom and the United States . From 1939 to 1979 , they formed an Anglo-American condominium , with administration jointly exercised by the U.S. and the UK . This arrangement only covered Canton and Enderbury islands ; the remaining Phoenix Islands were still claimed by the U.S. under the Guano Islands Act , but aside from Hull Island were either abandoned or remained under exclusive British control until 1979 . The United States and the United Kingdom relinquished control over the islands to the government of newly independent Kiribati under the Treaty of Tarawa in 1979 and the Canton and Enderbury Islands Condominium ceased to exist . In this treaty , the U.S. acknowledged I-Kiribati sovereignty over fourteen islands , but reserved the right to military bases . Today the islands form part of the Phoenix Islands administrative group within the Republic of Kiribati . As of 2005 , the population of Canton Island was 41 , down from 61 in 2000 . In May 2010 the population was reportedly 24 , with 14 adults and 10 children . The island 's sole village is called Tebaronga . Enderbury is uninhabited . In 2006 , the government of Kiribati declared the islands , together with other Phoenix Islands , to be a marine protected area , to preserve the unique flora and fauna of the archipelago and its surrounding waters .
Kiribati ( /ˌkɪrɪˈbæs , -ˈbɑːti/ ) , officially the Republic of Kiribati ( Gilbertese : Ribaberiki Kiribati ) , is a country in the central Pacific Ocean . The permanent population is just over 110,000 ( 2015 ) , more than half of whom live on Tarawa atoll . The state comprises 32 atolls and one raised coral island , Banaba . They have a total land area of 800 square kilometres ( 310 sq mi ) and are dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres ( 1.3 million square miles ) . In terms with its Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific , it straddles all three primary geographic regions ; Banaba ( Melanesian-Micronesian Border ) , the Gilbert Islands ( Micronesia ) and the Line and Phoenix Islands ( Polynesia ) . Their spread straddles the equator and the 180th meridian , although the International Date Line goes round Kiribati and swings far to the east , almost reaching the 150°W meridian . This brings the Line Islands into the same day as the Kiribati Islands . Kiribati 's easternmost islands , the southern Line Islands , south of Hawaii , have the most advanced time on Earth : UTC+14 hours . Kiribati is the only country in the world to be situated in all four hemispheres . Kiribati gained its independence from the United Kingdom , becoming a sovereign state in 1979 . The capital , South Tarawa , now the most populated area , consists of a number of islets , connected by a series of causeways . These comprise about half the area of Tarawa Atoll .
Czechoslovakia , or Czecho-Slovakia ( /ˌtʃɛkoʊsloʊˈvækiə , -kə- , -slə- , -ˈvɑː-/ ; Czech and Slovak : Československo , Česko-Slovensko ) , was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918 , when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire , until its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993 . From 1939 to 1945 , following its forced division and partial incorporation into Nazi Germany , the state did not de facto exist but its government-in-exile continued to operate . From 1948 to 1990 , Czechoslovakia was part of the Eastern Bloc with a command economy . Its economic status was formalized in membership of Comecon from 1949 and its defense status in the Warsaw Pact of May 1955 . A period of political liberalization in 1968 , known as the Prague Spring , was forcibly ended when the Soviet Union , assisted by several other Warsaw Pact countries , invaded Czechoslovakia . In 1989 , as Marxist-Leninist governments and socialism were ending all over Europe , Czechoslovaks peacefully deposed their government in the Velvet Revolution ; state price controls were removed after a period of preparation . In 1993 , Czechoslovakia split into the two sovereign states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia .
The Czech Republic ( /ˈtʃɛk -/ ( listen ) ; Czech : Česká republika [ ˈtʃɛskaː ˈrɛpublɪka ] ( listen ) ) , also known by its short-form name , Czechia ( /ˈtʃɛkiə/ ( listen ) ; Czech : Česko [ ˈtʃɛsko ] ( listen ) ) , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Poland to the northeast , Slovakia to the southeast , Austria to the south , and Germany to the west . The Czech Republic is a landlocked country with a hilly landscape that covers an area of 78,866 square kilometers ( 30,450 sq mi ) with a mostly temperate continental climate and oceanic climate . It is a unitary parliamentary republic , with 10.7 million inhabitants . Its capital and largest city is Prague , with 1.3 million residents ; other major cities are Brno , Ostrava , Olomouc and Pilsen . The Czech Republic includes the historical territories of Bohemia , Moravia , and Czech Silesia . The Czech state was formed in the late ninth century as the Duchy of Bohemia under the Great Moravian Empire . In 1002 , the duchy was formally recognized as an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire along with the Kingdom of Germany , the Kingdom of Burgundy , the Kingdom of Italy ; and became the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198 , reaching its greatest territorial extent in the 14th century . Prague was the imperial seat in periods between the 14th and 17th century . The Protestant Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century led to the Hussite Wars , the first of many conflicts with the Catholic Church . Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526 , the whole Crown of Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg Monarchy . The Protestant Bohemian Revolt ( 1618-20 ) against the Catholic Habsburgs led to the Thirty Years ' War . After the Battle of the White Mountain , the Habsburgs consolidated their rule , eradicated Protestantism , reimposed Catholicism , and adopted a policy of gradual Germanization .
Slovakia ( /sloʊˈvækiə , -ˈvɑːk-/ ( listen ) ; Slovak : Slovensko [ ˈslɔʋɛnskɔ ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Slovak Republic ( Slovak : Slovenská republika , listen ( help·info ) ) , is a landlocked country in the eastern part of Central Europe . It is bordered by Poland to the north , Ukraine to the east , Hungary to the south , Austria to the southwest , and the Czech Republic to the northwest . Slovakia 's territory spans about 49,000 square kilometres ( 19,000 sq mi ) and is mostly mountainous . The population is over 5.6 million and consists mostly of Slovaks . The capital and largest city is Bratislava , and the second-largest city is Košice . The official language is Slovak . The Slavs arrived in the territory of present-day Slovakia in the 5th and 6th centuries . In the 7th century they played a significant role in the creation of Samo 's Empire and in the 9th century established the Principality of Nitra , which was later conquered by the Principality of Moravia to establish Great Moravia . In the 10th century , after the dissolution of Great Moravia , the territory was integrated into the Principality of Hungary , which would become the Kingdom of Hungary in 1000 . In 1241 and 1242 , much of the territory was destroyed by the Mongols during their invasion of Central and Eastern Europe . The area was recovered largely thanks to Béla IV of Hungary who also settled Germans who became an important ethnic group in the area , especially in what are today parts of central and eastern Slovakia . After World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , the Czechoslovak National Council established Czechoslovakia ( 1918-1939 ) .
The Republic of Dahomey ( French : République du Dahomey ; pronounced [ daɔmɛ ] ) was established on December 11 , 1958 , as a self-governing colony within the French Community . Prior to attaining autonomy it had been French Dahomey , part of the French Union . On August 1 , 1960 , it attained full independence from France . In 1975 , the country was renamed Benin after the Bight of Benin ( which was in turn named after the Benin Empire which had its seat of power in Benin City , modern-day Nigeria ) , since Benin was deemed politically neutral for all ethnic groups in the state , whereas Dahomey recalled the Fon-dominated Kingdom of Dahomey .
Benin ( /bɛˈniːn/ ( listen ) ben-EEN , /bɪˈniːn/ bin-EEN ; French : Bénin [ benɛ̃ ] ) , officially the Republic of Benin ( French : République du Bénin ) and formerly Dahomey , is a country in West Africa . It is bordered by Togo to the west , Nigeria to the east , Burkina Faso to the north-west , and Niger to the north-east . The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin , part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean . The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo , but the seat of government is in Cotonou , the country 's largest city and economic capital . Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres ( 44,310 sq mi ) and its population in 2018 was estimated to be approximately 11.49 million . Benin is a tropical nation , highly dependent on agriculture , and is a large exporter of cotton and palm oil . Substantial employment and income arise from subsistence farming . The official language of Benin is French , with several indigenous languages such as Fon , Bariba , Yoruba and Dendi also being commonly spoken . The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism , followed closely by Islam , Vodun ( commonly referred to as Voodoo outside the country ) and Protestantism . Benin is a member of the United Nations , the African Union , the Economic Community of West African States , the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone , La Francophonie , the Community of Sahel-Saharan States , the African Petroleum Producers Association and the Niger Basin Authority . Little is known of Benin 's early history . From the 17th to the 19th century , the main political entities in the area were the Kingdom of Dahomey , along with the city-state of Porto-Novo , and a large area with many different nations to the north .
Queen Maud Land ( Norwegian : Dronning Maud Land ) [ note 1 ] is a c. 2.7 million square kilometre ( 1.04 million sq mi ) region of Antarctica claimed as a dependent territory by Norway . The territory lies between 20° west and 45° east , between the claimed British Antarctic Territory to the west and the similarly claimed Australian Antarctic Territory to the east . On most maps there had been an unclaimed area between Queen Maud Land 's borders of 1939 and the South Pole until 12 June 2015 when Norway formally annexed that area . Positioned in East Antarctica , the territory comprises about one-fifth of the total area of Antarctica . The claim is named after the Norwegian queen Maud of Wales ( 1869-1938 ) . Norwegian Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen was the first person known to have set foot in the territory , in 1930 . On 14 January 1939 , the territory was claimed by Norway . On 23 June 1961 , Queen Maud Land became part of the Antarctic Treaty System , making it a demilitarised zone . It is one of two Antarctic claims made by Norway , the other being Peter I Island . They are administrated by the Polar Affairs Department of the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security in Oslo . Most of the territory is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet , and a tall ice wall stretches throughout its coast . In some areas further within the ice sheet , mountain ranges breach through the ice , allowing for birds to breed and the growth of a limited flora .
East Timor ( /-ˈtiːmɔːr/ ( listen ) ) or Timor-Leste ( /tiˈmɔːr ˈlɛʃteɪ/ ; Tetum : Timór Lorosa ' e ) , officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste ( Portuguese : República Democrática de Timor-Leste , Tetum : Repúblika Demokrátika Timór-Leste ) , is a country in Southeast Asia . It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor , the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco , and Oecusse , an exclave on the northwestern side of the island surrounded by Indonesian West Timor . Australia is the country 's southern neighbour , separated by the Timor Sea . The country 's size is about 15,007 km2 ( 5,794 sq mi ) . East Timor was colonised by Portugal in the 16th century , and was known as Portuguese Timor until 28 November 1975 , when the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor ( Fretilin ) declared the territory 's independence . Nine days later , it was invaded and occupied by the Indonesian military , and was declared as the country 's 27th province the following year . The Indonesian occupation of East Timor was characterised by a highly violent , decades-long conflict between separatist groups ( especially Fretilin ) and the Indonesian military . In 1999 , following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination , Indonesia relinquished control of the territory . East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on 20 May 2002 and joined the United Nations and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries . In 2011 , East Timor announced its intention to become the eleventh member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) . It is one of only two predominantly Christian nations in Southeast Asia , the other being the Philippines , as well as the only Asian country to be located completely in the Southern Hemisphere .
Metropolitan France ( French : France métropolitaine or la Métropole ) , also known as European France or Mainland France , is the area of the French Republic which is in Europe . It comprises mainland France and Corsica , as well as other islands in the Atlantic Ocean , the English Channel ( French : la Manche ) and the Mediterranean Sea . Overseas France ( la France d'outre-mer , l'Outre-mer or colloquially les DOM-TOM ) is the collective name for the part of France outside Europe : French overseas regions ( départements et régions d'outre-mer or DROM ) , territories ( territoires d'outre-mer or TOM ) , collectivities ( collectivités d'outre-mer or COM ) and the sui generis collectivity ( collectivité sui generis ) of New Caledonia . Metropolitan and Overseas France together form the French Republic . Metropolitan France accounts for 82.0% of the land territory , 3.3% of the exclusive economic zone ( EEZ ) , and 95.9% of the French Republic 's population . The five overseas regions ( departments ) - French Guiana , Martinique , Guadeloupe , Réunion , and Mayotte - have the same political status as metropolitan France 's regions . Metropolitan France and these five overseas regions together are sometimes called la France entière ( the whole of France ) by the French administration . But this France entière does not include the French overseas collectivities and territories that have more autonomy than do the overseas departments . In Overseas France , a person from metropolitan France is often called a métro , short for métropolitain .
France ( French : [ fʁɑ̃s ] ( listen ) ) , officially the French Republic ( French : République française , pronounced [ ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz ] ( listen ) ) , is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . [ XIII ] The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . It is bordered by Belgium , Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast , Switzerland and Italy to the east , and Andorra and Spain to the south . The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . The country 's 18 integral regions ( five of which are situated overseas ) span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres ( 248,573 sq mi ) and a total population of 67.02 million ( as of July 2019 [ update ] ) . France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban areas include Lyon , Marseille , Toulouse , Bordeaux , Lille and Nice . France , including its overseas territories , has the most number of time zones of any country , with a total of 12 . During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . Rome annexed the area in 51 BC , holding it until the arrival of Germanic Franks in 476 , who formed the Kingdom of Francia . The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned Francia into East Francia , Middle Francia and West Francia . West Francia , which became the Kingdom of France in 987 , emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , following its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337-1453 ) .
The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas ( French : Territoire français des Afars et des Issas ) was the name given to present-day Djibouti between 1967 and 1977 , while it was still an overseas territory of France . The area was formerly known as French Somaliland ( Côte française des Somalis ) .
Djibouti ( /dʒɪˈbuːti/ ( listen ) jih-BOO-tee ; Afar : Yibuuti , Arabic : جيبوتي Jībūtī , French : Djibouti , Somali : Jabuuti , officially the Republic of Djibouti ) is a country located in the Horn of Africa . It is bordered by Somalia in the south , Ethiopia in the south and west , Eritrea in the north , and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the east . Across the Gulf of Aden lies Yemen , which does not share a land border with Djibouti . The country has a total area of 23,200 km2 ( 8,958 sq mi ) . The state of Djibouti is predominantly inhabited by two ethnic groups , the Somali and the Afar people , with the former comprising the majority of the population . In antiquity , the territory together with Somalia was part of the Land of Punt . Nearby Zeila , now in Somalia , was the seat of the medieval Adal and Ifat Sultanates . In the late 19th century , the colony of French Somaliland was established following treaties signed by the ruling Somali and Afar sultans with the French and its railroad to Dire Dawa ( and later Addis Ababa ) allowed it to quickly supersede Zeila as the port for southern Ethiopia and the Ogaden . It was subsequently renamed to the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas in 1967 . A decade later , the Djiboutian people voted for independence . This officially marked the establishment of the Republic of Djibouti , named after its capital city . The sovereign state joined the United Nations the same year , on 20 September 1977 In the early 1990s , tensions over government representation led to armed conflict , which ended in a power-sharing agreement in 2000 between the ruling party and the opposition .
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands ( French : Terres australes et antarctiques françaises , TAAF ) is an overseas territory ( French : Territoire d'outre-mer or TOM ) of France . It consists of :
Adélie Land ( French : Terre Adélie ) is a claimed territory on the continent of Antarctica . It stretches from a portion of the Southern Ocean coastline all the way inland to the South Pole . France has administered it as one of five districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands since 1955 and applied the Antarctic Treaty System rules since 1961 . Article 4 deals with territorial claims , and although it does not renounce or diminish any preexisting claims to sovereignty , it also does not prejudice the position of Contracting Parties in their recognition or non-recognition of territorial sovereignty . France has had a permanent station in Adélie Land since April 9 , 1950 . The current Dumont d'Urville Station has a winter population around 33 , but this goes up to about 78 during the Antarctic summer .
East Germany , officially the German Democratic Republic ( GDR ; German : Deutsche Demokratische Republik [ ˈdɔʏtʃə demoˈkʁaːtɪʃə ʁepuˈbliːk ] , DDR ) , was a state that existed from 1949 to 1990 , the period when the eastern portion of Germany was part of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War . Commonly described as a communist state in English usage , it described itself as a socialist workers ' and peasants ' state . It consisted of territory that was administered and occupied by Soviet forces following the end of World War II - the Soviet occupation zone of the Potsdam Agreement , bounded on the east by the Oder-Neisse line . The Soviet zone surrounded West Berlin but did not include it ; as a result , West Berlin remained outside the jurisdiction of the GDR . The German Democratic Republic was established in the Soviet zone , while the Federal Republic was established in the three western zones . East Germany was a satellite state of the Soviet Union . Soviet occupation authorities began transferring administrative responsibility to German communist leaders in 1948 , and the GDR began to function as a state on 7 October 1949 . However , Soviet forces remained in the country throughout the Cold War . Until 1989 , the GDR was governed by the Socialist Unity Party ( SED ) , though other parties nominally participated in its alliance organisation , the National Front . The SED made the teaching of Marxism-Leninism and the Russian language compulsory in schools . The economy was centrally planned and increasingly state-owned . Prices of housing , basic goods and services were set by central government planners rather than rising and falling through supply and demand ; and were heavily subsidised .
Germany ( German : Deutschland , German pronunciation : [ ˈdɔʏtʃlant ] ) , constitutionally the Federal Republic of Germany ( German : Bundesrepublik Deutschland , listen ( help·info ) ) , [ f ] is a country in Central and Western Europe . It borders Denmark to the north , Poland and the Czech Republic to the east , Austria and Switzerland to the south , France to the southwest , and Luxembourg , Belgium , and the Netherlands to the west . Germany includes 16 constituent states , covers an area of 357,386 square kilometres ( 137,988 sq mi ) , and has a largely temperate seasonal climate . With 83 million inhabitants , it is the second most populous state of Europe after Russia , the most populous state lying entirely in Europe , as well as the most populous member state of the European Union . Germany is a very decentralised country . Its capital and largest metropolis is Berlin , while Frankfurt serves as its financial capital and has the country 's busiest airport . Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity . A region named Germania was documented before AD 100 . Beginning in the 10th century , German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire . During the 16th century , northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation . After the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire , the German Confederation was formed in 1815 . The German revolutions of 1848-49 resulted in the Frankfurt Parliament establishing major democratic rights .
The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were a British protectorate from 1892 and colony from 1916 until 1 January 1976 , when the islands were divided into two colonies which became independent nations shortly after . A referendum was held in December 1974 to determine whether the Gilbert Islands and Ellice Islands should each have their own administration . As a consequence of the referendum , the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony ceased to exist on 1 January 1976 and the separate countries of Kiribati and Tuvalu came into existence .
Tuvalu ( /tuːˈvɑːluː/ too-VAH-loo ) ( formerly known as the Ellice Islands ) , is a country in Polynesia , located in the Pacific Ocean , situated in Oceania and about midway between Hawaii and Australia . The island country lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands ( which belong to the Solomon Islands ) , southeast of Nauru , south of Kiribati , west of Tokelau , northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna , and north of Fiji . It is composed of three reef islands and six true atolls spread out between the latitude of 5° to 10° south and longitude of 176° to 180° , west of the International Date Line . Tuvalu has a population of 11,192 ( 2017 census ) . The total land area of the islands of Tuvalu is 26 square kilometres ( 10 sq mi ) . The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesians . The origins of the people of Tuvalu are addressed in the theories regarding migration into the Pacific that began about three thousand years ago . During pre-European-contact times there was frequent canoe voyaging between the islands as Polynesian navigation skills are recognised to have allowed deliberate journeys on double-hull sailing canoes or outrigger canoes . The pattern of settlement that is believed to have occurred is that the Polynesians spread out from Samoa and Tonga into the Tuvaluan atolls , with Tuvalu providing a stepping stone to further migration into the Polynesian outliers in Melanesia and Micronesia . In 1568 , Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña was the first European to sail through the archipelago , sighting the island of Nui during his expedition in search of Terra Australis . The island of Funafuti was named Ellice 's Island in 1819 ; the name Ellice was applied to all of the nine islands after the work of English hydrographer Alexander George Findlay . The Ellice Islands came into Great Britain 's sphere of influence in the late 19th century , as the result of a treaty between Great Britain and Germany relating to the demarcation of the spheres of influence in the Pacific Ocean .
Johnston Atoll , also known as Kalama Atoll to Native Hawaiians , is an unincorporated territory of the United States currently administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service . Johnston Atoll is a National Wildlife Refuge and is closed to public entry . Limited access for management needs is only by Letter of Authorization from the U.S. Air Force and Special Use Permit from the U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service . For nearly 70 years , the atoll was under the control of the U.S. military . During that time , it was variously used as a naval refueling depot , an airbase , a nuclear and biological weapons testing site , a secret missile base , and a chemical weapon and Agent Orange storage and disposal site . These activities left the area environmentally contaminated and remediation and monitoring continue . Johnston Atoll is one of the world 's most isolated atolls . It has been the most visited of the U.S. Pacific Marine Monuments as J.A . Continental Airlines previously made stopovers at Johnston . The island was annexed under the name Kalama by King Kamehameha IV of Hawai ' i .
The United States Minor Outlying Islands are a statistical designation defined by the International Organization for Standardization 's ISO 3166-1 code . The entry code is ISO 3166-2 : UM . The minor outlying islands and groups of islands consist of eight United States insular areas in the Pacific Ocean ( Baker Island , Howland Island , Jarvis Island , Johnston Atoll , Kingman Reef , Midway Atoll , Palmyra Atoll , and Wake Island ) and one in the Caribbean Sea ( Navassa Island ) . The United States has a related territorial dispute with Colombia over administration of the Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank . These islands are not included in the ISO designation .
Midway Atoll ( colloquial : Midway Islands ; Hawaiian : Pihemanu Kauihelani ) is a 2.4-square-mile ( 6.2 km2 ) atoll in the North Pacific Ocean at 28°12′N 177°21′W / 28.200°N 177.350°W / 28.200 ; -177.350 . Midway is roughly equidistant between North America and Asia . Midway Atoll is an unorganized , unincorporated territory of the United States . Midway continues to be the only island in the Hawaiian archipelago that is not part of the state of Hawaii . Unlike the other Hawaiian islands , Midway observes Samoa Time ( UTC−11:00 , i.e. , eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time ) , which is one hour behind the time in the state of Hawaii . For statistical purposes , Midway is grouped as one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands . The Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge , encompassing 590,991.50 acres ( 239,165.77 ha ) of land and water in the surrounding area , is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service ( FWS ) . The refuge and most of its surrounding area are part of the larger Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument . Until 1993 , the atoll was the home of the Naval Air Facility Midway Island . The Battle of Midway , which was fought from June 4 until June 6 , 1942 , was a critical Allied victory of the Pacific campaign of World War II . The United States Navy successfully defended the atoll from a Japanese invasion , defeating a Japanese battle group , marking a turning point in the war in the Pacific Theater . USAAF aircraft based at the original Henderson Field on Eastern Island joined the attack against the Japanese fleet , which suffered losses of four carriers and one heavy cruiser .
The Netherlands Antilles ( Dutch : Nederlandse Antillen , pronounced [ ˌneːdərlɑntsə ʔɑnˈtɪlə ( n ) ] ( listen ) ; Papiamentu : Antia Hulandes ) was a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The country consisted of several island territories located in the Caribbean Sea . The islands were also informally known as the Dutch Antilles . The country came into being in 1954 as the autonomous successor of the Dutch colony of Curaçao and Dependencies , and was dissolved in 2010 . The Dutch colony of Surinam , although it was relatively close by on the continent of South America , did not become part of the Netherlands Antilles but became a separate autonomous country in 1954 . All the island territories that belonged to the Netherlands Antilles remain part of the kingdom today , although the legal status of each differs . As a group they are still commonly called the Dutch Caribbean , regardless of their legal status .
The Caribbean Netherlands ( Dutch : Caribisch Nederland , pronounced [ kaːˌribis ˈneːdərlɑnt ] ) are the three special municipalities of the Netherlands that are located in the Caribbean Sea . They consist of the islands of Bonaire , Sint Eustatius and Saba , [ nb 1 ] although the term Caribbean Netherlands is sometimes used to refer to all of the islands in the Dutch Caribbean . In legislation , the three islands are also known as the BES islands ( an acronym of their names ) . The islands are currently classified as public bodies in the Netherlands and as overseas countries and territories of the European Union ; thus , EU law does not automatically apply . Bonaire ( including the islet of Klein Bonaire ) is one of the Leeward Antilles and is located close to the coast of Venezuela . Sint Eustatius and Saba are in the main Lesser Antilles group and are located south of Sint Maarten and northwest of Saint Kitts and Nevis . The Caribbean Netherlands has a population of 25,157 as of January 2019 .
Curaçao ( /ˈkjʊərəsoʊ , -saʊ , ˌkjʊərəˈsoʊ , -ˈsaʊ/ KEWR-əss-oh , -⁠ow , -⁠OH , -⁠OW , Dutch : [ kyraːˈsʌu , kur- ] ( listen ) ; Papiamento : Kòrsou [ ˈkɔrsɔu̯ ] ) is a Lesser Antilles island in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region , about 65 km ( 40 mi ) north of the Venezuelan coast . It is a constituent country ( Dutch : land ) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . Together with Aruba and Bonaire it forms the ABC islands . Collectively , Curaçao and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean . The country was formerly part of the Curaçao and Dependencies colony in 1815-1954 and later the Netherlands Antilles in 1954-2010 , as Island Territory of Curaçao ( Dutch : Eilandgebied Curaçao , Papiamento : Teritorio Insular di Kòrsou ) and is now formally called the Country of Curaçao ( Dutch : Land Curaçao , Papiamento : Pais Kòrsou ) . It includes the main island of Curaçao and the much smaller , uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ( Little Curaçao ) . Curaçao has a population of 158,665 ( January 2019 est . ) and an area of 444 km2 ( 171 sq mi ) ; its capital is Willemstad .
Sint Maarten ( Dutch pronunciation : [ sɪnt ˈmaːrtə ( n ) ] ) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean . With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of 34 km2 ( 13 sq mi ) , it encompasses the southern 40% of the divided island of Saint Martin , while the northern 60% of the island constitutes the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Martin . Sint Maarten 's capital is Philipsburg . Collectively , Sint Maarten and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean . Before 10 October 2010 , Sint Maarten was known as the Island Territory of Sint Maarten ( Dutch : Eilandgebied Sint Maarten ) , and was one of five island territories ( eilandgebieden ) that constituted the Netherlands Antilles.Sint Maarten has the status of an overseas country and territory ( OCT ) and is not part of the EU . On 6 and 7 September 2017 , the island was hit by Category 5+ Hurricane Irma , which caused widespread and significant damage to buildings and infrastructure . As of 2018 , Sint Maarten has the 14th largest GDP per capita in the world ( including territories ) when measured by purchasing power parity , over three times as high as its French counterpart .
The Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone was an area of 7,044 km2 ( 2,720 sq mi ) on the border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq within which the border between the two countries had not been settled . The neutral zone came into existence following the Uqair Protocol of 1922 which defined the border between Iraq and the Sultanate of Nejd ( Saudi Arabia 's predecessor state ) . The neutral zone ended on 26 December 1981 , when Iraq and Saudi Arabia agreed on the partition of the zone , but this was n't filed with the United Nations until June 1991 .
Iraq ( /ɪˈræk/ , /ɪˈrɑːk/ ( listen ) or /aɪˈræk/ ; Arabic : اَلْعِرَاق , al-ʿirāq ; Kurdish : عێراق Êraq ) , officially the Republic of Iraq ( Arabic : جُمْهُورِيَّة ٱلْعِرَاقِ Jumhūriyyah al-ʿIrāq ; Kurdish : کۆماری عێراق Komarî Êraq ) , is a country in Western Asia , bordered by Turkey to the north , Iran to the east , Kuwait to the southeast , Saudi Arabia to the south , Jordan to the southwest and Syria to the west . The capital , and largest city , is Baghdad . Iraq is home to diverse ethnic groups including Arabs , Kurds , Assyrians , Turkmen , Shabakis , Yazidis , Armenians , Mandeans , Circassians and Kawliya . Around 99% of the country 's 38 million citizens are Muslims , with tiny minorities of Christians , Yarsans , Yezidis and Mandeans also present . The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish . Iraq has a coastline measuring 58 km ( 36 miles ) on the northern Persian Gulf and encompasses the Mesopotamian Alluvial Plain , the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range and the eastern part of the Syrian Desert . Two major rivers , the Tigris and Euphrates , run south through Iraq and into the Shatt al-Arab near the Persian Gulf . These rivers provide Iraq with significant amounts of fertile land . The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers , historically known as Mesopotamia , is often referred to as the cradle of civilisation . It was here that mankind first began to read , write , create laws and live in cities under an organised government - notably Uruk , from which Iraq is derived . The area has been home to successive civilisations since the 6th millennium BC . Iraq was the centre of the Akkadian , Sumerian , Assyrian and Babylonian empires .
Saudi Arabia , [ c ] officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , [ d ] is a country in Western Asia constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula . With a land area of approximately 2,150,000 km2 ( 830,000 sq mi ) , Saudi Arabia is geographically the largest sovereign state in Western Asia , the second-largest in the Arab world ( after Algeria ) , the fifth-largest in Asia , and the 12th-largest in the world . Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north , Kuwait to the northeast , Qatar , Bahrain , and the United Arab Emirates to the east , Oman to the southeast and Yemen to the south ; it is separated from Israel and Egypt by the Gulf of Aqaba . It is the only nation with both a Red Sea coast and a Persian Gulf coast , and most of its terrain consists of arid desert , lowland and mountains . As of October 2018 , the Saudi economy was the largest in the Middle East and the 18th largest in the world . Saudi Arabia also has one of the world 's youngest populations ; 50 percent of its 33.4 million people are under 25 years old . The territory that now constitutes Saudi Arabia was the site of several ancient cultures and civilizations . The prehistory of Saudi Arabia shows some of the earliest traces of human activity in the world . The world 's second-largest religion , Islam , emerged in modern-day Saudi Arabia . In the early 7th century , the Islamic prophet Muhammad united the population of Arabia and created a single Islamic religious polity . Following his death in 632 , his followers rapidly expanded the territory under Muslim rule beyond Arabia , conquering huge and unprecedented swathes of territory ( from the Iberian Peninsula in the West to modern-day Pakistan in the East ) in a matter of decades . Arab dynasties originating from modern-day Saudi Arabia founded the Rashidun ( 632-661 ) , Umayyad ( 661-750 ) , Abbasid ( 750-1517 ) and Fatimid ( 909-1171 ) caliphates as well as numerous other dynasties in Asia , Africa and Europe .
New Hebrides , officially the New Hebrides Condominium ( French : Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides , lit . Condominium of the New Hebrides ) and named for the Hebrides Scottish archipelago , was the colonial name for the island group in the South Pacific Ocean that is now Vanuatu . Native people had inhabited the islands for three thousand years before the first Europeans arrived in 1606 from a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós . The islands were colonised by both the British and French in the 18th century , shortly after Captain James Cook visited . The two countries eventually signed an agreement making the islands an Anglo-French condominium that divided the New Hebrides into two separate communities : one Anglophone and one Francophone . This divide continues even after independence , with schools teaching in either one language or the other , and with different political parties . The condominium lasted from 1906 until 1980 , when the New Hebrides gained their independence as the Republic of Vanuatu .
Vanuatu ( English : /ˌvɑːnuˈɑːtuː/ ( listen ) VAH-noo-AH-too or /vænˈwɑːtuː/ van-WAH-too ; Bislama and French pronunciation [ vanuatu ] ) , officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French : République de Vanuatu , Bislama : Ripablik blong Vanuatu ) , is a Pacific island country located in the South Pacific Ocean . The archipelago , which is of volcanic origin , is 1,750 kilometres ( 1,090 mi ) east of northern Australia , 540 kilometres ( 340 mi ) northeast of New Caledonia , east of New Guinea , southeast of the Solomon Islands , and west of Fiji . Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian people . The first Europeans to visit the islands were a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Fernandes de Queirós , who arrived on the largest island , Espíritu Santo , in 1606 . Since the Portuguese and Spanish monarchies had been unified under the king of Spain in 1580 ( following the vacancy of the Portuguese throne , which lasted for sixty years , until 1640 , when the Portuguese monarchy was restored ) , Queirós claimed the archipelago for Spain , as part of the colonial Spanish East Indies , and named it La Austrialia del Espíritu Santo . In the 1880s , France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the archipelago , and in 1906 , they agreed on a framework for jointly managing the archipelago as the New Hebrides through an Anglo-French condominium . An independence movement arose in the 1970s , and the Republic of Vanuatu was founded in 1980 . Since independence , the country has become a member of the United Nations , Commonwealth of Nations , Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the Pacific Islands Forum .
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands ( TTPI ) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994 .
The Marshall Islands , officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( Marshallese : Aolepān Aorōkin M̧ajeļ ) , [ note 1 ] is an island country and a United States associated state near the equator in the Pacific Ocean , slightly west of the International Date Line . Geographically , the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia . The country 's population of 58,413 people ( at the 2018 World Bank Census ) is spread out over 29 coral atolls , comprising 1,156 individual islands and islets . The capital and largest city is Majuro . The islands share maritime boundaries with the Wake Island to the north , [ note 2 ] Kiribati to the southeast , Nauru to the south , and Federated States of Micronesia to the west . About 52.3% of Marshall Islanders ( 27,797 at the 2011 Census ) live on Majuro . Data from the United Nations indicates an estimated population in 2018 of 58,413 . In 2016 , 73.3% of the population were defined as being urban . The UN also indicates a population density of 295 per km2 ( 765 people per mi2 ) and its projected 2020 population is 59,190 . Micronesian colonists reached the Marshall Islands using canoes circa 2nd millennium BC , with interisland navigation made possible using traditional stick charts . They eventually settled here . Islands in the archipelago were first explored by Europeans in the 1520s , starting with Ferdinand Magellan , a Portuguese explorer in the service of Spain , Juan Sebastián Elcano and Miguel de Saavedra .
The Federated States of Micronesia ( /ˌmaɪkroʊˈniːʒə/ ( listen ) ; abbreviated FSM and also known simply as Micronesia ) is an independent republic associated with the United States . It consists of four states - from west to east , Yap , Chuuk , Pohnpei and Kosrae - that are spread across the Western Pacific Ocean . Together , the states comprise around 607 islands ( a combined land area of approximately 702 km2 or 271 sq mi ) that cover a longitudinal distance of almost 2,700 km ( 1,678 mi ) just north of the equator . They lie northeast of New Guinea , south of Guam and the Marianas , west of Nauru and the Marshall Islands , east of Palau and the Philippines , about 2,900 km ( 1,802 mi ) north of eastern Australia and some 4,000 km ( 2,485 mi ) southwest of the main islands of Hawaii . While the FSM 's total land area is quite small , it occupies more than 2,600,000 km2 ( 1,000,000 sq mi ) of the Pacific Ocean , giving the country the 14th-largest exclusive economic zone in the world . The sovereign island nation 's capital is Palikir , located on Pohnpei Island , while the largest city is Weno , located in the Chuuk Atoll . Each of its four states is centered on one or more main high islands , and all but Kosrae include numerous outlying atolls . The Federated States of Micronesia is spread across part of the Caroline Islands in the wider region of Micronesia , which consists of thousands of small islands divided among several countries . The term Micronesia may refer to the Federated States or to the region as a whole . The FSM was formerly a part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands ( TTPI ) , a United Nations Trust Territory under U.S. administration , but it formed its own constitutional government on May 10 , 1979 , becoming a sovereign state after independence was attained on November 3 , 1986 , under a Compact of Free Association with the United States . Other neighboring island entities , and also former members of the TTPI , formulated their own constitutional governments and became the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( RMI ) and the Republic of Palau ( ROP ) . The FSM has a seat in the United Nations and has been a member of the Pacific Community since 1983 .
The Northern Mariana Islands , officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ; Chamorro : Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas ; Refaluwasch or Carolinian : Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas ; formerly in Spanish : Islas Marianas del Norte , in German : Nördliche Marianen , and in Japanese : 北マリアナ諸島 ) , is an insular area and commonwealth of the United States consisting of 14 islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean . The CNMI includes the 14 northernmost islands in the Mariana Archipelago except the southernmost island of the chain , Guam , which is a separate U.S. territory . The CNMI and Guam are the westernmost territories of the United States . The United States Department of the Interior cites a landmass of 183.5 square miles ( 475.26 km2 ) . According to the 2010 United States Census , 53,883 people were living in the CNMI at that time . The vast majority of the population resides on Saipan , Tinian , and Rota . The other islands of the Northern Marianas are sparsely inhabited ; the most notable among these is Pågan , which for various reasons over the centuries has experienced major population flux , but formerly had residents numbering in the thousands . The administrative center is Capitol Hill , a village in northwestern Saipan . However , most publications consider Saipan to be the capital because the island is governed as a single municipality .
Palau ( /pəˈlaʊ/ ( listen ) , historically Belau , Palaos , or Pelew ) , officially the Republic of Palau ( Palauan : Beluu er a Belau ) , is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean . The country contains approximately 340 islands , and together with parts of the Federated States of Micronesia , forms the western chain of the Caroline Islands . Its area is 466 square kilometers ( 180 sq mi ) . The most populous island is Koror . The capital Ngerulmud is located on the nearby island of Babeldaob , in Melekeok State . Palau shares maritime boundaries with the Philippines , Indonesia , and Micronesia . The country was originally settled approximately 3,000 years ago by migrants from Insular Southeast Asia . The islands were first explored by Europeans in the 16th century , and were made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1574 . Following Spain 's defeat in the Spanish-American War in 1898 , the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German-Spanish Treaty , where they were administered as part of German New Guinea . After World War I , the islands were made a part of the Japanese-ruled South Seas Mandate by the League of Nations . During World War II , skirmishes , including the major Battle of Peleliu , were fought between American and Japanese troops as part of the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign . Along with other Pacific Islands , Palau was made a part of the United States-governed Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947 .
The Panama Canal Zone ( Spanish : Zona del Canal de Panamá ) was an unincorporated territory of the United States from 1903 to 1979 , centered on the Panama Canal and surrounded by the Republic of Panama . The zone consisted of the canal and an area generally extending five miles ( 8.0 km ) on each side of the centerline , excluding Panama City and Colón , which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of the Zone . Its border spanned three of Panama 's provinces . When reservoirs were created to assure a steady supply of water for the locks , those lakes were included within the Zone . In 1904 , the Isthmian Canal Convention was proclaimed . In it , the Republic of Panama granted to the United States in perpetuity the use , occupation , and control of a zone of land and land under water for the construction , maintenance , operation , sanitation , and protection of the canal . From 1903 to 1979 , the territory was controlled by the United States , which had purchased the land from the private and public owners , built the canal and financed its construction . The Canal Zone was abolished in 1979 , as a term of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties two years earlier ; the canal itself was later under joint U.S.-Panamanian control until it was fully turned over to Panama in 1999 .
Panama ( /ˈpænəmɑː/ ( listen ) PAN-ə-mah , /pænəˈmɑː/ pan-ə-MAH ; Spanish : Panamá IPA : [ panaˈma ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Republic of Panama ( Spanish : República de Panamá ) , is a transcontinental country in Central America and South America , bordered by Costa Rica to the west , Colombia to the southeast , the Caribbean Sea to the north , and the Pacific Ocean to the south . The capital and largest city is Panama City , whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half the country 's 4 million people . Panama was inhabited by indigenous tribes before Spanish colonists arrived in the 16th century . It broke away from Spain in 1821 and joined the Republic of Gran Colombia , a union of Nueva Granada , Ecuador , and Venezuela . After Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831 , Panama and Nueva Granada eventually became the Republic of Colombia . With the backing of the United States , Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 , allowing the construction of the Panama Canal to be completed by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914 . The 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties led to the transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama on December 31 , 1999 . Revenue from canal tolls continues to represent a significant portion of Panama 's GDP , although commerce , banking , and tourism are major and growing sectors . It is regarded as a high-income country . In 2018 Panama ranked 66th in the world in terms of the Human Development Index . In 2018 , Panama was ranked seventh-most competitive economy in Latin America , according to the World Economic Forum 's Global Competitiveness Index . Covering around 40 percent of its land area , Panama 's jungles are home to an abundance of tropical plants and animals - some of them found nowhere else on earth .