List of island countries

Map depicts sovereign states and a de facto state (Taiwan) (tw) fully located on islands: those with land borders shaded green, and those without shaded dark blue (Bahrain (bh) should be shaded green as it shares a small land border with Saudi Arabia on Passport Island).

Countries/territories not shown on the map: Australia (au) (continental country), the Cook Islands (ck) (free association with New Zealand), Greenland (gl) (dependent territory of the Kingdom of Denmark), Niue (nu) (free association with New Zealand), Northern Cyprus (ct.tr and nc.tr) (unrecognized country), and Puerto Rico (pr) (unincorporated U.S. territory).

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

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania

Former colonies, possessions, protectorates, and other territories

Island countries with man-made fixed links to continents

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-03-15 00:27 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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