Do you know all the territories around the world? Though I have heard of most of them, with this list, I learned the countries that govern them. I was surprised though to learn that the Virgin Islands is still under the jurisdiction of both the United States and United Kingdom. There is the British V.I. and the American V.I.!

I was also not only surprised that the Netherlands had territories, but that the Aruba is under its jurisdiction!

Well, below is a list of the territories around the world, organized by their respective countries:

What is a Territory?

The National Greographic defines a Territory as “a geographical area (land) subject to the sovereignty, control, or jurisdiction of a state or other entity.” It further states that includes adjacent waters and associated airspace.

Australia

1. Ashmore and Cartier Islands
2. Christmas Island
3. Cocos (Keeling) Islands
4. Coral Sea Islands
5. Heard Island and McDonald Islands
6. Norfolk Island

Denmark

1. Faroe Islands
2. Greenland

France

1. French Guiana
2. French Polynesia
3. French Southern and Antarctic Lands
4. Guadeloupe
5. Martinique
6. Mayotte
7. New Caledonia
8. Réunion
9. Saint Barthélemy
10. Saint Martin
11. Saint Pierre and Miquelon
12. Tromelin Island
13. Wallis and Futuna
14. Bassas da India
15. Clipperton Island
16. Europa Island
17. Glorioso Islands
18. Juan de Nova Island

Netherlands

1. Aruba
2. Bonaire
3. Curaçao
4. Saba
5. Sint Eustatius
6. Sint Maarten

New Zealand

1. Cook Islands
2. Niue
3. Tokelau

Norway

1. Bouvet Island
2. Jan Mayen
3. Peter I Island
4. Svalbard

United Kingdom

1. Anguilla
2. Bermuda
3. British Antarctic Territory
4. British Indian Ocean Territory
5. British Virgin Islands
6. Cayman Islands
7. Falkland Islands
8. Gibraltar
9. Guernsey (Channel Island)
10. Isle of Man
11. Jersey (Channel Island)
12. Montserrat
13. Pitcairn Islands
14. Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
15. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
16. Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (in Cyprus)
17. Turks and Caicos Islands

Portugal

1. Azores
2. Madeira

United States

1. American Samoa
2. Baker Island
3. Guam
4. Howland Island
5. Jarvis Island
6. Johnston Atoll
7. Kingman Reef
8. Midway Atoll
9. Navassa Island
10. Northern Mariana Islands
11. Palmyra Atoll
12. Puerto Rico
13. U.S. Virgin Islands
14. Wake Island

Other Territories

1. Antarctica (various territorial claims by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom)
2. Taiwan (considered a territory by China)

This list includes territories that are dependent on, but not fully integrated into, their respective sovereign states. The status and names of territories can sometimes be subject to change due to political developments.

I hope you learned something new from the list. Are you surprised, as I was, by any of these territories?