List of island countries
This is a list of island countries. An island is a landmass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water. Many island countries are spread over an archipelago, as is the case with Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines—these countries consist of thousands of islands. Others consist of a single island, such as Barbados, Dominica, and Nauru; a main island and some smaller islands, such as Cuba, Iceland, and Sri Lanka; a part of an island, such as Brunei, the Dominican Republic, East Timor, and the Republic of Ireland; or one main island but also sharing borders in other islands, such as the United Kingdom (Great Britain and a part of Ireland).
The list also includes two states in free association with New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Niue, as well as two states with limited diplomatic recognition which have de facto control over territories entirely on the islands, Northern Cyprus and Taiwan.In total, 50 island countries have been included in the lists.
Australia is not included as it is considered a continental country, although it was historically referred to as an island country because of its lack of land borders.
Greenland is generally considered as the largest island on Earth and listed among the island territories.
Indonesia is the world's largest island country by area (1,904,569 km2), and by total number of islands (17,504 islands). It is also the world's most populous island country, with a population of over 270 million (the fourth most populous country in the world, after India, China, and the United States).
Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea is officially an unincorporated territory of the United States.
South America is the only inhabited continent without an island country.
Sovereign states
UN member states and states with limited recognition
Name | ISO code | Geographic configuration | Geologic location | Area (km2) | Population | Population density (per km2) |
Geographical location | Establishment/ Independence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UN member states | ||||||||
Antigua and Barbuda | AG ATG |
Two main islands (Antigua Island and Barbuda Island) | Continental shelf | 442 | 97,120 | 220 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles | 1981 November 1 |
Bahamas | BS BHS |
Archipelago | Continental shelf | 13,939 | 389,480 | 28 | Atlantic Ocean, Lucayan Archipelago | 1973 July 10 |
Bahrain | BH BHR |
Archipelago (centered around Bahrain Island) | Continental shelf | 778 | 1,641,170 | 2,109 | Persian Gulf | 1971 December 10 |
Barbados | BB BRB |
One island | Continental shelf | 430 | 287,020 | 667 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles | 1966 November 30 |
Brunei Darussalam | BN BRN |
Part of a larger island (Borneo) | Continental shelf | 5,765 | 433,290 | 75 | Maritime Southeast Asia | 1984 January 1 |
Cape Verde | CV CPV |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 4,033 | 549,930 | 136 | Atlantic Ocean, Macaronesia | 1975 July 5 |
Comoros | KM COM |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 1,861 | 850,890 | 457 | Indian Ocean, Africa, Comoros Islands | 1975 July 6 |
Cuba | CU CUB |
One main island, and several smaller islands (Isla de la Juventud, etc.) | Continental shelf | 109,884 | 11,346,346 | 103 | Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles | 1868 October 10 1902 May 20 |
Cyprus | CY CYP |
Part of a larger island, de jure sovereignty over entire island (Cyprus) | Continental shelf | 9,251 | 888,005 | 96 | Mediterranean Sea | 1960 August 16 |
Dominica | DM DMA |
One island | Continental shelf | 754 | 71,810 | 95 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles | 1978 November 3 |
Dominican Republic | DO DOM |
Part of a larger island (Hispaniola), and several smaller islands (Alto Velo, Catalina, Saona, Beata, etc.) | Continental shelf | 48,671 | 10,738,960 | 221 | Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles | 1821 December 1 1844 February 27 |
East Timor | TL TLS |
Part of a larger island (Timor) | Oceanic | 14,919 | 1,293,120 | 87 | Maritime Southeast Asia, Lesser Sunda Islands | 2002 May 20 |
Fiji | FJ FJI |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 18,274 | 889,950 | 49 | Pacific Ocean, Melanesia | 1970 October 10 |
Grenada | GD GRD |
One main island, two dependencies (Carriacou and Petite Martinique) | Continental shelf | 344 | 112,000 | 326 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles | 1974 February 7 |
Haiti | HT HTI |
Part of a larger island (Hispaniola), and several smaller islands (Gonâve, Tortuga, Les Cayemites, etc.) | Continental shelf | 27,750 | 11,743,017 | 423 | Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles | 1804 January 1 |
Iceland | IS ISL |
One main island | Oceanic | 102,775 | 361,310 | 4 | Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Circle | 1918 December 1 1944 June 17 |
Indonesia | ID IDN |
Archipelago, including parts of larger islands (Borneo, New Guinea, Sebatik, and Timor) | Various | 1,904,569 | 270,625,570 | 142 | Maritime Southeast Asia, Indian and Pacific oceans | 1945 August 17 |
Ireland | IE IRL |
Part of a larger island (Ireland), and several smaller islands | Continental shelf | 70,273 | 4,977,400 | 71 | Atlantic Ocean, British Isles | 1922 December 6 |
Jamaica | JM JAM |
One main island, and several small islands (Port Royal Cays, etc.) | Continental shelf | 10,991 | 2,734,092 | 249 | Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles | 1962 August 6 |
Japan | JP JPN |
Archipelago (Japanese Archipelago) | Continental shelf | 377,976 | 126,264,930 | 334 | Pacific Ocean, East Asia | 660 BC February 11 |
Kiribati | KI KIR |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 811 | 117,610 | 145 | Pacific Ocean, Micronesia | 1979 July 12 |
Madagascar | MG MDG |
One main island | Continental shelf | 587,041 | 26,969,310 | 46 | Indian Ocean, Africa | 1960 June 26 |
Maldives | MV MDV |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 298 | 383,976 | 1,289 | Indian Ocean, Laccadive Sea | 1965 July 26 |
Malta | MT MLT |
Two main islands (Malta Island and Gozo) plus other smaller islands | Continental shelf | 316 | 502,650 | 1,591 | Mediterranean Sea | 1964 September 21 |
Marshall Islands | MH MHL |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 181 | 58,790 | 325 | Pacific Ocean, Micronesia | 1979 May 1 |
Mauritius | MU MUS |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 2,040 | 1,265,710 | 620 | Indian Ocean, Africa, Mascarene Islands | 1968 March 12 |
Micronesia | FM FSM |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 702 | 113,810 | 162 | Pacific Ocean, Micronesia | 1979 May 10 |
Nauru | NR NRU |
One island | Oceanic | 21 | 12,580 | 599 | Pacific Ocean, Micronesia | 1968 January 31 |
New Zealand | NZ NZL |
Two main islands (North Island and South Island) plus other smaller islands | Continental shelf | 270,467 | 5,125,451 | 19 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia | 1907 September 26 |
Palau | PW PLW |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 459 | 18,010 | 39 | Pacific Ocean, Micronesia | 1981 January 1 |
Papua New Guinea | PG PNG |
Part of a larger island (New Guinea), and several smaller islands | Continental shelf | 462,840 | 8,776,110 | 19 | Pacific Ocean, Melanesia | 1975 September 16 |
Philippines | PH PHL |
Archipelago | Continental shelf | 300,000 | 108,116,620 | 360 | Maritime Southeast Asia | 1898 June 12 1946 July 4 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | KN KNA |
Two main islands (Saint Kitts Island and Nevis Island) | Continental shelf | 261 | 52,830 | 202 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles | 1983 September 19 |
Saint Lucia | LC LCA |
One main island | Continental shelf | 616 | 182,790 | 297 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles | 1979 February 22 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | VC VCT |
Archipelago | Continental shelf | 389 | 110,590 | 284 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles | 1979 October 27 |
Samoa | WS WSM |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 2,842 | 197,100 | 69 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia | 1962 January 1 |
São Tomé and Príncipe | ST STP |
Two main islands (São Tomé Island and Príncipe Island) | Continental shelf | 1,001 | 215,060 | 215 | Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Guinea, Africa | 1975 July 12 |
Seychelles | SC SYC |
Archipelago | Various | 455 | 97,630 | 215 | Indian Ocean, Africa | 1976 June 29 |
Singapore | SG SGP |
One main island, plus other smaller islands | Continental shelf | 728 | 5,703,570 | 7,831 | Maritime Southeast Asia | 1965 August 9 |
Solomon Islands | SB SLB |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 28,400 | 669,820 | 24 | Pacific Ocean, Melanesia | 1978 July 7 |
Sri Lanka | LK LKA |
One main island, plus other small islands | Continental shelf | 65,610 | 21,803,000 | 332 | Indian Ocean, South Asia | 1948 February 4 |
Tonga | TO TON |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 748 | 104,490 | 140 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia | 1970 June 4 |
Trinidad and Tobago | TT TTO |
Two main islands (Trinidad Island and Tobago Island) plus other smaller islands | Continental shelf | 5,131 | 1,394,970 | 272 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles | 1962 August 31 |
Tuvalu | TV TUV |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 26 | 11,650 | 448 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia | 1978 October 1 |
United Kingdom[discuss] | GB or UK GBR |
One main island, part of second island (Ireland), plus several minor islands | Continental shelf | 244,820 | 67,886,004 | 277 | Atlantic Ocean, British Isles | 1707 May 1 |
Vanuatu | VU VUT |
Archipelago | Oceanic | 12,189 | 299,880 | 25 | Pacific Ocean, Melanesia | 1980 July 30 |
States with limited recognition | ||||||||
Northern Cyprus | CY CYP |
Part of a larger island (Cyprus) | Continental shelf | 3,355 | 313,626 | 93 | Mediterranean Sea | 1974 July 20 |
Taiwan | TW TWN |
One main island, and several smaller islands | Continental shelf | 36,193 | 23,603,121 | 652 | Pacific Ocean, East Asia | 1912 January 1 1949 December 7 |
Associated states
Name | ISO code | Geographic configuration | Geologic location | Associated with | Area (km2) | Population | Density (per km2) |
Geographical location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cook Islands | CK COK |
Archipelago | Oceanic | New Zealand | 236 | 10,777 | 45.7 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia |
Niue | NU NIU |
One island | Oceanic | New Zealand | 260 | 1,269 | 4.9 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia |
Dependencies and other territories
Name | Geographic configuration | Geologic location | Sovereign state | Area (km2) | Population | Density (per km2) |
Geographic location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Åland | Archipelago | Continental shelf | Finland | 1,580 | 28,355 | 17.9 | Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia |
American Samoa | Archipelago | Oceanic | United States | 199 | 54,947 | 276 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Archipelago | Continental shelf | India | 8,249 | 380,520 | 46 | Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea |
Anguilla | One main island | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 91 | 15,423 | 169 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
Aruba | One main island | Continental shelf | Netherlands | 180 | 107,635 | 598 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
Bermuda | Archipelago | Oceanic | United Kingdom | 53.3 | 62,500 | 1,170 | Atlantic Ocean, North America |
Bouvet Island | One island | Oceanic | Norway | 49 | No permanent resident | 0 | Southern Ocean |
British Indian Ocean Territory | Archipelago | Oceanic | United Kingdom | 60 | 3,000 | 50 | Indian Ocean |
British Virgin Islands | Archipelago | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 151 | 31,148 | 206 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
Caribbean Netherlands | Three main islands | Continental shelf | Netherlands | 127 | 21,133 | 166 | Caribbean Sea |
Cayman Islands | Three islands | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 264 | 52,560 | 199 | Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles |
Christmas Island | One island | Oceanic | Australia | 135 | 1,496 | 11.1 | Indian Ocean, Australasia |
Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Archipelago | Oceanic | Australia | 14 | 596 | 42.6 | Indian Ocean, Australasia |
Curaçao | One main island | Continental shelf | Netherlands | 444 | 145,834 | 328 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
Easter Island | One Island | Oceanic | Chile | 163.6 | 6,148 | 37.5 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia |
Falkland Islands | Two main islands | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 12,173 | 3,140 | 0.26 | Atlantic Ocean, South America |
Faroe Islands | Archipelago | Continental shelf | Denmark | 1,393 | 49,483 | 35.5 | Atlantic Ocean |
French Polynesia | Archipelago | Oceanic | France | 3,827 | 274,512 | 71.7 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia |
French Southern and Antarctic Lands | Archipelago | Oceanic | France | 7,747 | 150 | 49.4 | Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean |
Galapagos Islands | Archipelago | Oceanic | Ecuador | 8,010 | 33,042 | 4.1 | Pacific Ocean |
Greenland | One main island with archipelagos | Continental shelf | Denmark | 2,166,086 | 57,695 | 0.03 | North America |
Guadeloupe | Archipelago | Continental Shelf | France | 1,628 | 405,500 | 250 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
Guam | One main island | Oceanic | United States | 544 | 159,914 | 293 | Pacific Ocean, Micronesia |
Guernsey | Three main islands | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 78 | 65,849 | 844 | English Channel, Channel Islands |
Heard and McDonald Islands | Two main islands (Heard Island and McDonald Island) | Oceanic | Australia | 412 | No permanent resident | 0 | Southern Ocean |
Isle of Man | One main island | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 572 | 85,421 | 149 | Irish Sea, British Isles |
Jan Mayen | One island | Oceanic | Norway | 377 | No permanent resident | 0 | Arctic Ocean |
Jersey | One main island | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 116 | 94,949 | 819 | English Channel, Channel Islands |
Juan Fernandez Islands | Two main islands | Oceanic | Chile | 100 | 926 | 9.2 | Pacific Ocean |
Lakshadweep | Archipelago | Oceanic | India | 32.62 | 64,473 | 2000 | Indian Ocean |
Macao | One main island and a peninsula on a river island | Continental shelf | China | 32.9 | 680,000 | 20,668 | South China Sea, Pearl River Delta |
Martinique | One island | Continental shelf | France | 1,128 | 403,795 | 360 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
Mayotte | One main island | Oceanic | France | 374 | 194,000 | 498.5 | Indian Ocean, Africa, Comoros Islands |
Montserrat | One island | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 102 | 5,164 | 50.6 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
New Caledonia | One main island | Continental shelf | France | 18,275 | 260,166 | 14.2 | Pacific Ocean, Melanesia |
Norfolk Island | One main island | Continental shelf | Australia | 36 | 2,182 | 60.6 | Pacific Ocean, Melanesia |
Northern Mariana Islands | Archipelago | Oceanic | United States | 464 | 51,395 | 111 | Pacific Ocean, Micronesia |
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands | Archipelago | Oceanic | United Kingdom | 47 | 48 | 1.0 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia |
Puerto Rico | One main island, archipelago | Continental shelf | United States | 8,870 | 3,690,923 | 416 | Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles |
Réunion | One main island | Oceanic | France | 2,512 | 893,500 | 330 | Indian Ocean, Africa, Mascarene Islands |
San Andrés and Providencia | Archipelago | Oceanic | Colombia | 52,5 | 61,280 | 1,200 | Caribbean Sea |
Saint Barthélemy | One main island | Continental shelf | France | 21 | 7,332 | 349 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | Three main islands distant from each other | Oceanic | United Kingdom | 308 | 7,728 | 25.1 | Atlantic Ocean |
Saint Martin | Part of a larger island (Saint Martin) | Continental shelf | France | 54.4 | 30,959 | 569 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | Two main islands | Continental shelf | France | 242 | 5,831 | 24.1 | North America |
Sint Maarten | Part of a larger island (Saint Martin) | Continental shelf | Netherlands | 34 | 39,088 | 1,150 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Archipelago | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 3,903 | No permanent resident | 0 | Atlantic Ocean |
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia | Part of a larger island (Cyprus) | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 254 | 15,700 | 61.8 | Mediterranean Sea |
Svalbard | Archipelago | Continental shelf | Norway | 62,045 | 2,752 | 0.03 | Arctic Ocean |
Tokelau | Archipelago | Oceanic | New Zealand | 12 | 1,368 | 114 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia |
Turks and Caicos Islands | Archipelago | Continental shelf | United Kingdom | 948 | 46,335 | 48.9 | Atlantic Ocean, Lucayan Archipelago |
United States Minor Outlying Islands | Archipelago | Continental shelf | United States | 41 | 300 | 7.3 | Pacific Ocean, Micronesia, Polynesia |
U.S. Virgin Islands | Archipelago | Continental shelf | United States | 346 | 105,275 | 304 | Caribbean Sea, Lesser Antilles |
Wallis and Futuna | Three main islands | Oceanic | France | 264 | 15,289 | 57.9 | Pacific Ocean, Polynesia |
Former sovereign island nations and primarily island-based countries
Africa
- State of Anjouan (1997–2008)
- Sultanate of Bambao (Ngazidja, 1886–1908)
- Merina Kingdom
- Mohéli (1997-1998)
- Mwali Sultanate
- Sultanate of Ndzuwani
- Sultanate of Zanzibar
Asia
- East Asia
- Southeast Asia
- Aceh Sultanate
- Aru Kingdom
- Bali Kingdom
- Sultanate of Banjar
- Banten Sultanate
- Blambangan Kingdom
- Sultanate of Brunei
- Buton Sultanate
- Rajahnate of Butuan
- Sultanate of Cirebon
- Sultanate of Deli
- Demak Sultanate
- Galuh Kingdom
- Sultanate of Gowa
- Janggala
- Kediri Kingdom
- Lanfang Republic
- Sultanate of Maguindanao
- Ma-i
- Majapahit
- Mataram Kingdom
- Mataram Sultanate
- Maynila
- Melayu Kingdom
- Pagaruyung Kingdom
- First Philippine Republic
- Pontianak Sultanate
- Riau-Lingga Sultanate
- Sultanate of Sambas
- Raj of Sarawak
- Sultanate of Siak
- Kingdom of Singapura
- Singhasari
- Srivijaya
- Sugbu
- Sultanate of Sulu
- Sunda Kingdom
- Tarumanagara
- Sultanate of Ternate
- Sultanate of Tidore
- South Asia
- Western Asia
Europe
- Mediterranean Sea
- Archaic Greek city-states
- Lordship of Chios
- Kingdom of Corsica (1736)
- Corsican Republic
- Anglo-Corsican Kingdom
- Emirate of Crete
- Cretan State
- Kingdom of Cyprus
- Duchy of the Archipelago
- Principality of Elba
- Gozo (independent state)
- Hospitaller Malta
- Hospitaller Rhodes
- Kingdom of Majorca
- Triarchy of Negroponte
- Sardinian Judicati
- Republic of Sassari
- Emirate of Sicily
- Kingdom of Sicily, (1282-1816)
- North Europe & West Europe
- Dál Riata
- Commonwealth of England / Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
- Kingdom of England
- Kingdom of Great Britain
- Heptarchy (seven kingdoms before the unification of England )
- Kingdom of Mann and the Isles
- Commonwealth of Iceland
- Kingdom of Iceland
- Gaelic Ireland
- Norman Ireland
- Kingdom of Ireland
- Irish Free State
- Soviet Republic of Naissaar
- Kingdom of Scotland (Kingdom of Alba before the First War of Scottish Independence)
- Kingdom of Strathclyde
- Principality of Wales
North America
Oceania
Former colonies, possessions, protectorates, and other territories
- Annobón (1474-1778), now part of Equatorial Guinea
- Bay Islands, now a department of Honduras
- Cape Breton Island, now part of Nova Scotia, Canada
- Danish West Indies, now the United States Virgin Islands
- Elobey, Annobón and Corisco (1843–1926) unified with the rest of Spanish Guinea
- Fernando Po (1778-1926)
- The Territory of Hawaii, now Hawaii, a state of the United States
- Heligoland (1807–1890)
- Hong Kong Island (1841–1860), now a part of Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China
- United States of the Ionian Islands, protectorate of the United Kingdom.
- Septinsular Republic, protectorate in the Ionian Islands under nominal Russo-Ottoman joint sovereignty.
- Labuan, briefly part of British North Borneo, the Straits Settlements and Sabah, now a federal territory of Malaysia
- Mayotte, now an overseas department and region of France
- Minorca (1713–1802)
- Colony of Newfoundland (1583–1907)
- New Hebrides, now Vanuatu
- British North Borneo
- Padang
- Prince of Wales Island between 1786 and 1800, at that point joined by Province Wellesley (now Seberang Perai). Now as the state of Penang in the Malaysian federation.
- Prince Edward Island, now a province of Canada
- The Providence Island colony
- Queen Charlotte Islands
- Réunion, now an overseas department and region of France
- Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, former British overseas territory dissolved in 1983.
- Socotra Archipelago, now a governorate of Yemen
- Tasmania, now a state of Australia, shares a land boundary with Victoria on Boundary Islet
- Vancouver Island, now a part of British Columbia, Canada
- People's Republic of Zanzibar, now a member of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Island countries with man-made fixed links to continents
- Bahrain to Saudi Arabia via the King Fahd Causeway
- Singapore to Malaysia via the Johor–Singapore Causeway since 1924, with the Tuas Second Link added in 1998
- United Kingdom to France via the Channel Tunnel
See also
- Archipelagic state
- List of archipelagos
- List of Caribbean countries by population
- List of countries that border only one other country
- List of divided islands
- Lists of islands
- List of islands by area
- List of islands by population
- List of islands by population density
- List of Oceanian countries by population
- List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Oceania
- List of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Indian Ocean
- Small Island Developing States
- Thalassocracy