Commons:Territorial division of the World
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- This page holds a draft policy to be discussed before it can become an official guideline.
This page explains, for categorization purpose, how unequivocally to assign a given location to a territorial division of the World, otherwise to a body of water (sea or ocean).
Definitions[edit]
- Territory: The land and waters under the jurisdiction of a government.
- Country: A geographical entity, a territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation[1]. This definition includes all sovereign states, but doesn't exclude autonomous dependencies of sovereign states and unrecognized de facto states. My suggestion is to include at least all sovereign states, unrecognized de facto countries and dependencies with self government.
- Sub-divisions: a division of a country or another territory[2]
- Dependency: a territory under sovereignity of a(nother) country without being considered (completely) part of that country.
- Neutral territory: A territory that is not an integral part of any country. Are there any examples except for Antarctica?
- Disputed territory: a geographical entity whose sovereignity is disputed
- Country: A geographical entity, a territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation[1]. This definition includes all sovereign states, but doesn't exclude autonomous dependencies of sovereign states and unrecognized de facto states. My suggestion is to include at least all sovereign states, unrecognized de facto countries and dependencies with self government.
- Non-territorial waters: Any sea area which is not part of internal waters or territorial waters of a country.
Entities can fall under various of these defintions.
Principles[edit]
- A location in non-territorial waters is assigned to a body of water (sea or ocean).
- Other locations:
- If possible, a location is assigned to the country which controls the matching area.
- If possible, a location is assigned to a neutral territory.
- Otherwise, the location is assigned to a named territory or area; this territory or area is conventionally assigned to an existing country, according to international consensus (with the English Wikipedia as a reference).
You may not categorize pages so that countries could be confused with other entities, as former states, cultural entities, ethnic areas, geographical regions, and so on. Therefore, current items, like cities or subdivisions of countries, are never categorized in such entities. More, categorize as follows:
- Former states => History of COUNTRY
- Cultural entities => Culture of COUNTRY.
- Ethnic areas => People of COUNTRY.
- Geographical regions => Geography of COUNTRY.
Don't directly categorize these entities in the COUNTRY category.
Current (or currently used) subdivisions of a country are expected in categories “Subdivisions of COUNTRY”. So, categorizing Gallia Aquitania, a ancient province of the Roman Empire, in Category:Subdivisions of France is not allowed, though presently this area is part of the French territory. That regards any types of contemporary country subdivisions, as listed subdivisions in w:Template:Types of country subdivision, therefore all assigned territories by application of the previous principles.
List of bodies of water[edit]
This is a non-exhaustive list of seas and oceans which can be used to categorize locations (non-territorial waters; therefore, no internal seas) :
- Bering Sea
- East China Sea
- South China
- Coral Sea
- Sea of Japan
- Sea of Okhotsk
- Philippine Sea
- Tasman Sea
- Yellow Sea
List of countries[edit]
This is the alphabetical and exhaustive list of the countries of the World for categorization purpose in Commons (Category:Categories by country).
- This list can be discussed. See talk page.
Contrary to the English Wikipedia list of countries, the Commons Wikimedia list treats the word "country" as synonymous with “sovereign state”: so, it matches the list of states in list of sovereign states; the list includes:
- 193 states with general international recognition:
- a state with some international recognition, and sovereignty over parts of claimed territories:
- Taiwan (see Is Taiwan a Country?, web page of http://geography.about.com)
Checkup 194 (A 11 - B 17 - C 18 - D 4 - E 8 - F 3 - G 11 - H 3 - I 8 - J 3 - K 7 - L 9 - M 19 - N 9 - O 1 - P 9 - Q 1 - R 3 - S 25 - T 11 - U 7 - V 4 - Y 1 - Z 2)
A[edit]
B[edit]
- Bahamas (the)
C[edit]
For the “Republic of China”, see Taiwan.
- Central African Republic (the)
- Republic of the Congo (the)
- Czech Republic (the)
D[edit]
- Dominican Republic (the)
E[edit]
F[edit]
G[edit]
- Gambia (The)
H[edit]
I[edit]
J[edit]
K[edit]
L[edit]
M[edit]
- Republic of Macedonia (the)
- Maldives (the)
- Marshall Islands (the)
N[edit]
- Netherlands (the)
O[edit]
P[edit]
- Philippines (the)
Q[edit]
R[edit]
S[edit]
- Solomon Islands (the)
T[edit]
- English Wikipedia article: Republic of China.
U[edit]
- United Arab Emirates (the)
- United Kingdom (the)
- United States of America (the)
V[edit]
- Vatican City (the)
Y[edit]
Z[edit]
Other territories[edit]
De facto independent states[edit]
These states have not enough international recognition and should be listed under countries and as a subdivision of the de jure country[3]
- legally part and subdivision of Georgia
- legally part and subdivision of Azerbaijan
- legally part of Cyprus
- Claim to control the Free Zone (region) in Western Sahara.
- legally part of Georgia
- legally part and subdivision of Somalia
- legally part and subdivision of Moldova
Dependent territories[edit]
Non-exhaustive list.
- dependency and subdivision of Australia
- occupied by Israel
Continents of the World[edit]
Lists of territories by continent (Number of continents|7 continents model), with regions according to United Nations geographical compositions.
Most of these >255 territories are listed in the English Wikipedia article List of countries. The extra territories are:
- Dependent territories without indigenous inhabitation (see w:Annex to the list of countries)
- Any major subdivision of a country which is located in a different continent than the mainland ot that country.
The green color for the region indicates that the United Nations didn't give a code area to this territory.
Africa[edit]
- 62 territories
- Countries: 54
- France territories: 2
- Portugal territories: 1
- Somalia territories: 1
- Spain territories: 3
- United Kingdom territories: 1
- Algeria Northern Africa
- Angola Middle Africa
- Benin Western Africa
- Botswana Southern Africa
- Burkina Faso Western Africa
- Burundi Eastern Africa
- Cameroon Middle Africa
- Canary Islands (subdivision of Spain) Northern Africa
- Cape Verde Western Africa
- Central African Republic Middle Africa
- Ceuta (subdivision of Spain) Northern Africa
- Chad Middle Africa
- Comoros Eastern Africa
- Democratic Republic of the Congo Middle Africa
- Republic of the Congo Middle Africa
- Côte d'Ivoire Western Africa
- Djibouti Eastern Africa
- Egypt Northern Africa
- Eritrea Eastern Africa
- Ethiopia Eastern Africa
- Equatorial Guinea Middle Africa
- Gabon Middle Africa
- Gambia Western Africa
- Ghana Western Africa
- Guinea Western Africa
- Guinea-Bissau Western Africa
- Kenya Eastern Africa
- Lesotho Southern Africa
- Liberia Western Africa
- Libya Northern Africa
- Madagascar Eastern Africa
- Madeira (subdivision of Portugal) Northern Africa
- Malawi Eastern Africa
- Mali Western Africa
- Mauritania Western Africa
- Mauritius Eastern Africa
- Mayotte (dependency of France) Eastern Africa
- Melilla (subdivision of Spain) Northern Africa
- Morocco Northern Africa
- Mozambique Eastern Africa
- Namibia Southern Africa
- Niger Western Africa
- Nigeria Western Africa
- Réunion (subdivision of France) Eastern Africa
- Rwanda Eastern Africa
- Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic for an area in Western Sahara (disputed territory with Morocco) Northern Africa
- Saint Helena (dependency of the United Kingdom) Western Africa
- São Tomé and Príncipe Middle Africa
- Senegal Western Africa
- Seychelles Eastern Africa
- Sierra Leone Western Africa
- Somalia Eastern Africa
- Somaliland (de facto independent, legally part of Somalia) Eastern Africa
- South Africa Southern Africa
- Sudan Northern Africa
- Swaziland Southern Africa
- Tunisia Northern Africa
- Uganda Eastern Africa
- Tanzania Eastern Africa
- Togo Western Africa
- Zambia Eastern Africa
- Zimbabwe Eastern Africa
North America[edit]
- 40 territories
- Countries: 23 (1 in 2 continents)
- Denmark territories: 1
- France territories: 5
- Netherlands territories: 2
- United Kingdom territories: 6
- United States territories: 3
- Anguilla (dependency of the United Kingdom) Caribbean
- Antigua and Barbuda Caribbean
- Aruba (dependency[4] of the Netherlands) Caribbean
- Bahamas Caribbean
- Barbados Caribbean
- Belize Central America
- Bermuda (dependency of the United Kingdom) Northern America
- British Virgin Islands (dependency of the United Kingdom) Caribbean
- Canada Northern America
- Cayman Islands (dependency of the United Kingdom) Caribbean
- Costa Rica Central America
- Cuba Caribbean
- Dominica Caribbean
- Dominican Republic Caribbean
- El Salvador Central America
- Greenland (dependency of Denmark) Northern America
- Grenada Caribbean
- Guadeloupe (subdivision of France) Caribbean
- Guatemala Central America
- Haiti Caribbean
- Honduras Central America
- Jamaica Caribbean
- Martinique (subdivision of France) Caribbean
- Mexico North America
- Montserrat (dependency of the United Kingdom) Caribbean
- Navassa Island (possession of the United States) Caribbean
- Netherlands Antilles (country[5] of the Netherlands) Caribbean
- Nicaragua Central America
- Panama Central America, country of North America and South America
- Puerto Rico (dependency of the United States) Caribbean
- Saint-Barthélemy (dependency of France) Caribbean
- Saint Kitts and Nevis Caribbean
- Saint Lucia Caribbean
- Saint Martin (dependency of France) Caribbean
- Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (dependency of France) Northern America
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Caribbean
- Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean
- Turks and Caicos Islands (dependency of the United Kingdom) Caribbean
- United States Northern America
- United States Virgin Islands (dependency of the United States) Caribbean
South America[edit]
- 16 territories
- Countries: 13 (1 in 2 continents)
- France territories: 1
- United Kingdom territories: 2
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Falkland Islands (dependency of the United Kingdom)
- French Guiana (subdivision of France)
- Guyana
- Panama South America, country of North America and South America
- Paraguay
- Peru
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (dependency of the United Kingdom) South America
- Suriname
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Antarctica[edit]
The Antarctic Treaty defers or suspends any claims on Antarctica territories. The following Antarctic territories were claimed prior to the Treaty :
- Adélie Land (France)
- Antarctic Chilean Territory (Chile)
- Argentine Antarctica (Argentine)
- Australian Antarctic Territory (Australia)
- British Antarctic Territory (United Kingdom)
- Peter I Island (Norway)
- Queen Maud Land (Norway)
- Ross Dependency (New Zealand)
As these claimed territories overlap, they will be used only for some limited topics. Natural features will be categorized on a geographical basis.
Asia[edit]
- 57 territories
- Countries: 49 (3 in 2 continents)
- Azerbaijan territories: 1
- China territories: 2
- Cyprus territories: 1
- Georgia territories: 2
- Israel territories: 1
- United Kingdom territories: 1
- Abkhazia (de facto independent, legally part of Georgia) Western Asia
- Afghanistan Southern Asia
- Akrotiri and Dhekelia (dependency of the United Kingdom) Western Asia
- Armenia Western Asia
- Azerbaijan Western Asia
- Bangladesh Southern Asia
- Bahrain Western Asia
- Bhutan Southern Asia
- Brunei South-Eastern Asia
- Cambodia South-Eastern Asia
- China Eastern Asia
- Cyprus Western Asia
- Northern Cyprus de facto independent, legally part of Cyprus Western Asia
- Georgia Western Asia
- Hong Kong (subdivision of China) Eastern Asia
- India Southern Asia
- Iraq Western Asia
- Iran Southern Asia
- Israel Western Asia
- Indonesia South-Eastern Asia, country of Asia and Oceania
- Japan Eastern Asia
- Jordan Western Asia
- Kazakhstan Central Asia
- North Korea Eastern Asia
- South Korea Eastern Asia
- Kuwait Western Asia
- Kyrgyzstan Central Asia
- Laos South-Eastern Asia
- Lebanon Western Asia
- Macau (subdivision of China) Eastern Asia
- Malaysia South-Eastern Asia
- Maldives Southern Asia
- Mongolia Eastern Asia
- Myanmar South-Eastern Asia
- Nagorno-Karabakh (de facto independent, legally part of Azerbaijan) Western Asia
- Nepal Southern Asia
- Oman Western Asia
- South Ossetia (de facto independent, legally part of Georgia) Western Asia
- Pakistan Southern Asia
- Palestinian territories (occupied by Israel) Western Asia
- Philippines South-Eastern Asia
- Qatar Western Asia
- Russia, country of Asia and Europe
- Saudi Arabia Western Asia
- Singapore South-Eastern Asia
- Sri Lanka Southern Asia
- Syria Western Asia
- Taiwan disputed status Eastern Asia
- Tajikistan Central Asia
- Thailand South-Eastern Asia
- East Timor South-Eastern Asia
- Turkey Western Asia, country of Asia and Europe
- Turkmenistan Central Asia
- United Arab Emirates Western Asia
- Uzbekistan Central Asia
- Vietnam South-Eastern Asia
- Yemen Western Asia
Europe[edit]
- 54 territories[6]
- Countries: 45 (2 in 2 continents)
- Denmark territories: 1
- Finland territories: 1
- Moldova territories: 1
- Norway territories: 1
- Serbia territories: 1
- United Kingdom territories: 4
- Åland (subdivision of Finland) Northern Europe
- Albania Southern Europe
- Andorra Southern Europe
- Austria Western Europe
- Belarus Eastern Europe
- Belgium Western Europe
- Bosnia and Herzegovina Southern Europe
- Bulgaria Eastern Europe
- Croatia Southern Europe
- Czech Republic Eastern Europe
- Denmark Northern Europe
- Estonia Northern Europe
- Faroe Islands (dependency of Denmark) Northern Europe
- Finland Northern Europe
- France Western Europe
- Germany Western Europe
- Gibraltar (dependency of the United Kingdom) Southern Europe
- Greece Southern Europe
- Guernsey (Crown dependency of the United Kingdom) Northern Europe
- Hungary Eastern Europe
- Iceland Northern Europe
- Ireland Northern Europe
- Italy Southern Europe
- Jersey (Crown dependency of the United Kingdom) Northern Europe
- Kosovo (territory under international administration, subdivision of Serbia) Southern Europe
- Latvia Northern Europe
- Liechtenstein Western Europe
- Lithuania Northern Europe
- Luxembourg Western Europe
- Republic of Macedonia Southern Europe
- Malta Southern Europe
- Isle of Man (Crown dependency of the United Kingdom) Northern Europe
- Moldova Eastern Europe
- Monaco Western Europe
- Montenegro Southern Europe
- Netherlands Western Europe
- Norway Northern Europe
- Poland Eastern Europe
- Portugal Southern Europe
- Romania Eastern Europe
- Russia Eastern Europe, country of Asia and Europe
- San Marino Southern Europe
- Serbia Southern Europe
- Slovakia Eastern Europe
- Slovenia Southern Europe
- Switzerland Western Europe
- Spain Southern Europe
- Svalbard (subdivision of Norway) Northern Europe
- Sweden Northern Europe
- Transnistria (de facto independent, legally part of Moldova) Eastern Europe
- Turkey Southern Europe, country of Asia and Europe
- Ukraine Eastern Europe
- United Kingdom Northern Europe
- Vatican City Southern Europe
Oceania[edit]
- 33 territories
- Countries: 15 (1 in 2 continents)
- Australia territories: 5
- France territories: 3
- New Zealand territories: 3
- United Kingdom territories: 1
- United States territories: 6
- American Samoa (dependency of the United States) Polynesia
- Ashmore and Cartier Islands (Australia) Australia and New Zealand
- Australia Australia and New Zealand
- Christmas Island (subdivision of Australia) Australia and New Zealand
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands (subdivision of Australia) Australia and New Zealand
- Cook Islands dependency of New Zealand[7] Polynesia
- Coral Sea Islands (Australia) Australia and New Zealand
- Fiji Melanesia
- Guam (dependency of the United States) Micronesia
- Hawaii (subdivision of United States) Polynesia
- Indonesia Micronesia, country of Asia and Oceania
- Kiribati Micronesia
- Northern Mariana Islands (dependency of the United States) Micronesia
- Marshall Islands Micronesia
- Federated States of Micronesia Micronesia
- Nauru Micronesia
- New Caledonia (dependency of France) Melanesia
- New Zealand Australia and New Zealand
- Niue dependency of the New Zealandref>Niue is sometimes considered to be a sovereign state</ref> Polynesia
- Norfolk Island (dependency of Australia) Australia and New Zealand
- Palau Micronesia
- Papua New Guinea Melanesia
- Pitcairn Islands (dependency of the United Kingdom) Polynesia
- French Polynesia (dependency of France) Polynesia
- Samoa Polynesia
- Solomon Islands Melanesia
- Tokelau (dependency of New Zealand) Polynesia
- Tonga Polynesia
- Tuvalu Polynesia
- United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges (United States) Polynesia
- Vanuatu Melanesia
- Wake Island (United States) Micronesia
- Wallis and Futuna (dependency of France) Polynesia
Oceanic islands[edit]
- 4 territories
- Australia territories: 1
- France territories: 1
- Norway territories: 1
- United Kingdom territories: 1
- Ascension Island (United Kingdom) Atlantic Ocean
- Bouvet Island (Norway) Atlantic Ocean
- Clipperton Island (France) Pacific Ocean
- Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Australia) Indian Ocean
Notes and references[edit]
- ↑ Source w:Country.
- ↑ E.g. states in a federation, provinces but also the overseas regions of France.
- ↑ Northern Cyprus and South Ossetia are no subdivisions.
- ↑ country)
- ↑ country
- ↑ Armenia, Azerbaijan (with Nagorno Karabakh), Georgia (with Abkhazia and South Ossetia) and Cyprus (with Northern Cyprus and Akrotiri and Dhekelia) can also be consiedered to be in Europe, but are only listed under Asia
- ↑ Cook Islands are sometimes considered to be a sovereign state
