This list of states with limited recognition gives an overview of contemporary geopolitical entities, that wish to be recognized as sovereign states but do not have complete worldwide diplomatic recognition.
These mostly fall into two categories. Firstly, there are entities with complete or partial control over their claimed territory which are de facto self-governing and have stated a desire for full independence: most times, the existence of these entities is seen by general international community as a consequence of violations of article 11 of the Montevideo Convention[1] and, more generally, of article 2.4 of the Charter of the United Nations which nowadays corresponds to customary international law.[2]
Secondly, there are entities which do not have complete control over their claimed territory, so contradicting article 1 of the cited Convention, but have been recognized as having a de jure claim to that territory by at least one other generally recognized nation. Some countries on this list, such as Cyprus and the Republic of Korea, are recognized by the large majority of other nations and are members of the United Nations, but appear here because a small number of nations have withheld recognition.
See list of historical unrecognized countries for similar entities, that have existed in the past. See list of governments in exile for unrecognized governments without control over the territory claimed. This list may include microstates, but does not include any entities considered to be micronations (such as the Principality of Sealand). For a complete list, see list of micronations.
There are 192 United Nations (UN) member states. The Holy See is generally recognized as sovereign in international law, but is not a member of the United Nations (it has, however, observer state status within the organization).[3]
Contents |
| Name | Disputed since | Recognition | Other claimants | Further information | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | No state regards Somaliland as de jure independent. | Foreign relations of Somaliland | [4] |
| Name | Disputed since | Recognition | Other claimants | Further information | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Nagorno-Karabakh is recognised by one UN non-member: Transnistria. | Foreign relations of Nagorno-Karabakh | [5][6][7][8] | ||
| 1990 | Transnistria's independence is recognized by two UN non-members: Abkhazia and South Ossetia. | Disputed status of Transnistria | [9] |
| Name | Disputed since | Recognition | Other claimants | Further information | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Abkhazia's independence is recognized by four UN member-states, Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru, and two UN non-member states, South Ossetia and Transnistria.[10] | Foreign relations of Abkhazia, International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia | [11][12][13][14] | ||
| 1949 | Both the Republic of China (ROC; commonly known as "Taiwan") and the People's Republic of China (PRC) claim sovereignty over the whole of China, stating China is de jure a single sovereign entity encompassing both the area currently controlled by the PRC and the area currently controlled by the ROC. The ROC is currently recognized as a state by 22 UN members and the Holy See. All other UN member states do not officially recognize the ROC as a state; some of them regard its controlled territory as de jure part of the PRC while some others have used careful diplomatic language to avoid taking a position as to whether the current territory of the ROC is part of the PRC. | Political status of Taiwan, Foreign relations of the Republic of China | [15] | ||
| 2008 | Kosovo's independence is recognized by 65 UN members and one UN non-member state, the Republic of China (Taiwan). The United Nations, as stipulated in Security Council Resolution 1244, has administered the territory since 1999 through the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, with cooperation from the European Union since 2008. | Foreign relations of Kosovo, International recognition of Kosovo | [16][17] | ||
| 1983 | Northern Cyprus's independence is recognized by one UN member, Turkey. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference has granted Northern Cyprus observer status under the name "Turkish Cypriot State". United Nations Security Council Resolution 541 defines the declaration of independence of Northern Cyprus as legally invalid [18]. | Foreign relations of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus | [19] | ||
| 1988 | The State of Palestine is currently recognised by 109 UN member states, the Holy See, the Arab League, and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, after the Palestinian Declaration of Independence made by the Palestine Liberation Organization. Israel does not recognize the State of Palestine and controls territory claimed by it. As a result of the Oslo Accords and the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement, however, the Israeli government has transferred certain powers and responsibilities of self-government to the Palestinian National Authority, which are in effect in the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. Palestine participates in the United Nations as a non-member entity with observer status. | Foreign relations of the Palestinian National Authority | [20][21][22][23][24][25][26] | ||
| 1976 | Both the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Morocco claim sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara. Sahrawi independence has been recognised by around 80 UN members and the African Union. Several states, however, have since retracted or suspended recognition, pending the outcome of a referendum on self-determination, with 49 retaining diplomatic ties.[27][28] Western Sahara is regarded as de jure part of Morocco by 25 UN members and the Arab League. It has been listed on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories since the 1960s. | Foreign relations of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | [29] | ||
| 1991 | South Ossetia's independence is recognized by four UN member-states, Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru, and two non-UN member states, Abkhazia and Transnistria.[10][30] | Foreign relations of South Ossetia, International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia | [12][13][31] |
| Name | Disputed since | Recognition | Other claimants | Further information | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Armenia is not recognized by one UN member, Pakistan, as this country has a position of supporting Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. | Foreign relations of Armenia | [32][33] | ||
| 1949 | The People's Republic of China (PRC) is not recognized by one UN non-member, the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as 'Taiwan'). The PRC does not accept diplomatic relations with states that recognize the ROC (currently 22 UN member states and the Holy See). None of these states officially recognize the PRC as a state, though certain governments have made statements expressing an interest in official relations with both the PRC and the ROC.[34] According to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, the PRC is the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations. | PRC's diplomatic relations, Foreign relations of the PRC | [35] | ||
| 1974 | Cyprus is not recognized by one UN member, Turkey[36] and one UN non-member, Northern Cyprus, as they do not accept that the Turkish military presence on Cyprus is an 'occupying force'. Both Turkey and Northern Cyprus refer to the Republic of Cyprus as "Güney Kıbrıs Rum Kesimi", Greek Part of Southern Cyprus. | Foreign relations of Cyprus | [37][38][39] | ||
| 1948 | Israel is not recognized by 19 UN members and one UN non-member, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, because of the Arab-Israeli conflict[40]. It is recognized by the Palestine Liberation Organization, which claims the right to set up a state in territory currently controlled by Israel. | Foreign relations of Israel | [41][42] | ||
| 1948 | North Korea is not recognized by two UN members: Japan and South Korea.[43] | Foreign relations of North Korea. | [43][44][45] | ||
| 1948 | South Korea is not recognized by one UN member, North Korea. | Foreign relations of South Korea | [46][47] |
Some states maintain informal (officially non-diplomatic) relations with states that do not officially recognize them. Republic of China (Taiwan) is one such, as it maintains unofficial relations with many other states through its Economic and Cultural Offices, which allow regular consular services. This allows the ROC to have economic relations even with states that do not formally recognise it. A total of 56 states, including Germany,[48] Italy,[49] the United States,[50] and the United Kingdom,[51] maintain some form of unofficial mission in the ROC.
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This is a list of unrecognized countries. These are countries that have no general international recognition, but they are de facto sovereign states.
United Nations member states that are only partially recognized by the totality of the other UN members are not listed here. (For example, 39 countries do not recognize Israel.)
Created by the Republic of South Africa from its own territory
These regimes had control over the territory of a country for which most other states recognized a different government as being the legitimate government:
krc:Танылмагъан кърал
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