The CIA World Factbook Edition 2021 Government

Dependency status In 31 editions of 36.

Dependency status was published in 31 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 2021 edition carries it in 52 entries, in its Government section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.

entries in the 2021 edition
52
the first edition with it
1990
the latest edition with it
2025

Published as “Dependency status” (1997 to 2025), and under 1 other heading in a few entries, mostly where the source split this field into parts.

the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Dependency status, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.

Entries with Dependency status in each edition

19902000201020202025

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Africa

1 entry

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

Overseas Territory of the UK

Antarctic Region

4 entries

Bouvet Island

territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Oslo Police

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

overseas territory of France since 1955

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (Australian Antarctic Division)

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands now South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

  • overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina;
  • administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II

Arctic Region

3 entries

Greenland

part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979

Jan Mayen

  • territory of Norway;
  • since August 1994, administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland;
  • however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service;
  • in 2010, Norway designated the majority of Jan Mayen as a nature reserve

Svalbard

  • territory of Norway;
  • administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen;
  • by treaty (9 February 1920), sovereignty was awarded to Norway

Asia

1 entry

British Indian Ocean Territory

overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London

Central America and the Caribbean

13 entries

Anguilla

overseas territory of the UK

Aruba

  • constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands;
  • full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles;
  • Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

British Virgin Islands

Overseas Territory of the UK; internal self-governing

Cayman Islands

overseas territory of the UK

Curacao

  • constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands;
  • full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010;
  • Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

Montserrat

overseas territory of the UK

Navassa Island

  • unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US;
  • administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico;
  • in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of the Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island;
  • Haiti has claimed the island since the 19th century

Puerto Rico

unincorporated organized territory of the US; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President

Saint Barthelemy

overseas collectivity of France

Saint Martin

overseas collectivity of France

note: the only French overseas collectivity that is part of the EU

Sint Maarten

  • constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands;
  • full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010;
  • Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

Turks and Caicos Islands

overseas territory of the UK

Virgin Islands

unincorporated organized territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the federal government under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior

Europe

5 entries

Faroe Islands

part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948

Gibraltar

overseas territory of the UK

Guernsey

British crown dependency

Isle of Man

British crown dependency

Jersey

British crown dependency

Middle East

2 entries

Akrotiri

a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus

Dhekelia

a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus

North America

3 entries

Bermuda

overseas territory of the UK

Clipperton Island

possession of France; administered directly by the Minister of Overseas France

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

overseas collectivity of France

Oceania

14 entries

American Samoa

  • unincorporated,
  • unorganized Territory of the US;
  • administered by the Office of Insular Affairs,
  • US Department of the Interior

Cook Islands

  • self-governing in free association with New Zealand;
  • Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs;
  • New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense in consultation with the Cook Islands

Coral Sea Islands

  • territory of Australia;
  • administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia,
  • Local Government,
  • Arts and Sport

French Polynesia

  • overseas country of France;
  • note - overseas territory of France from 1946-2003;
  • overseas collectivity of France since 2003, though it is often referred to as an overseas country due to its degree of autonomy

Guam

unincorporated organized territory of the US with policy relations between Guam and the federal government under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior

New Caledonia

  • special collectivity (or a sui generis collectivity) of France since 1998;
  • note - independence referenda took place on 4 November 2018, 4 October 2020, and 12 December 2021 with a majority voting in each case to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo;
  • an 18-month transition period is now in place (ending 30 June 2023), during which a referendum on the new status of New Caledonia within France will take place

Niue

  • self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974;
  • Niue is fully responsible for internal affairs;
  • New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense;
  • however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue

Norfolk Island

  • self-governing territory of Australia;
  • administered from Canberra by the Department of Infrastructure,
  • Transport,
  • Cities & Regional Development

Northern Mariana Islands

  • commonwealth in political union with and under the sovereignty of the US;
  • federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs

Pitcairn Islands

overseas territory of the UK

Tokelau

  • self-administering territory of New Zealand;
  • note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand;
  • a UN-sponsored referendum on self governance in October 2007 did not meet the two-thirds majority vote necessary for changing the political status

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

  • with the exception of Palmyra Atoll, the constituent islands are unincorporated, unorganized territories of the US;
  • administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System

note: Palmyra Atoll is partly privately owned and partly federally owned; the federally owned portion is administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as an incorporated, unorganized territory of the US; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon

Wake Island

  • unincorporated unorganized territory of the US;
  • administered from Washington, DC, by the Department of the Interior;
  • activities in the atoll are currently conducted by the 11th US Air Force and managed from Pacific Air Force Support Center

Wallis and Futuna

overseas collectivity of France

South America

1 entry

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina

Southeast Asia

5 entries

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

  • territory of Australia;
  • administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia,
  • Local Government,
  • Arts and Sport

Christmas Island

  • non-self governing territory of Australia;
  • administered from Canberra by the Department of Infrastructure,
  • Transport,
  • Cities & Regional Development

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

  • non-self governing territory of Australia;
  • administered from Canberra by the Department of Infrastructure,
  • Transport,
  • Cities & Regional Development

Hong Kong

special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Macau

special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Cite this page

Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2021, “Dependency status”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/dependency-status/2021.

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