Overseas Territories

Of the four sections on this page, the first three are about overseas territories of three of Europe's greatest (former) colonial powers, and the fourth is about a place where seven countries have claims.

The United Kingdom

As of 2012, the UK has 14 Overseas Territories. From the end of the Empire until 1981 they were known as Crown Colonies; from 1981 to 2002 they were known as British Dependent Territories.

Flat, low–lying island in the Caribbean – one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands; its name is a 'latinised' form of the Spanish word for an eel, in reference to its shape		Anguilla
Group of islands in the North Atlantic, named after the Spanish sea captain who discovered them in 1505; nearest land is in North Carolina; 2010 population 64,237, far more than any of the other 13. Capital Hamilton		Bermuda
By far the largest of the 14 (area 660,000 square miles) but no permanent population		British Antarctic Territory
The seven atolls of the Chagos Archipelago – the largest of which is Diego Garcia – site of a US military base, with no native population since the forced removal of the indigenous population around 50 years ago		British Indian Ocean Territory
Over 50 Caribbean islands including Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke; 23,000 of the 27,800 population live on Tortola		British Virgin Islands
South of Cuba, 180 miles West of Jamaica: name derived from the local (native) word for an alligator		Cayman Islands
South Atlantic archipelago, capital Stanley		Falkland Islands
Britain's last European possession		Gibraltar
Island in the Leeward Islands, capital Plymouth; two–thirds of the population evacuated in 1995 after the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted		Montserrat
Four volcanic islands in the South Pacific (including Henderson, Ducie and Oeno); first settled by British citizens in 1790; capital Adamstown		Pitcairn Islands
Three widely–scattered islands in the South Atlantic; capital Jamestown		St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Principal settlement Grytviken; capital King Edward Point		South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia form a British Dependent Territory on		Cyprus
Two groups of islands in the West Indies, geographically part of the Bahamas; capital Cockburn Town		Turks and Caicos Islands

France

Regions and départements

As integral parts of France and the European Union, France's overseas departments are represented in the National Assembly, Senate, and Economic and Social Council. They vote to elect members of the European Parliament (MEP), and use the euro as their currency. Each overseas department is a region with only one département.

The only one on a continental mainland (South America); capital Cayenne		French Guiana
Caribbean island where Columbus is said to have discovered the pineapple; named by him after a monastery in Spain; capital Basse–Terre		Guadeloupe
Caribbean island: capital Fort–de–France		Martinique
Island in the Comoro group (between Madagascar and the African mainland –Mozambique)		Mayotte
Island in the Indian Ocean – east of Madagascar, 130 miles south–west of Mauritius; capital Saint–Denis		Réunion

Collectivities

The five French collectivités d'outre–mer (overseas collectivities) have a distinct status from the regions and départements, but are "first–order" administrative divisions of France with a "certain freedom of administration".

Group of Pacific islands, the most famous of which is Tahiti		French Polynesia
One of the Leeward Islands		Saint Bartélemy
One of the Leeward Islands: (northern half; southern half is one of the four countries that make up the Kingdom of the Netherlands)		Saint Martin
Islands off Newfoundland that form an "overseas collectivity" of France – the last remnant of New France, and the last French possession in North America		Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Three small islands in the Pacific		Wallis and Futuna

Special Status

An archipelago south of Vanuatu, about 750 miles off the north–coast of Australia; power is gradually being transferred to local govenrment, but the people voted in 2018 against independence

Netherlands

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is made up of four "countries":

An island in the Leeward Antilles, capital Oranjestad		Aruba
A larger island in the Leeward Antilles, capital Willemstad		Curaçao
The main bit! Includes three more Caribbean islands: Saba, St. Eustatius (both in the Leeward Islands, south of Saint Martin and north–west of St. Kitts) and Bonaire (another island in the Leeward Antilles)		The Netherlands
The southern half of one of the Leeward Islands, the other half of which belongs to France		Sint Maarten

Note: the Leeward Antilles are distinct from the Leeward Islands – they are a third main group that make up the Lesser Antilles. They are distributed off the coast of Venezuela.

Antarctica

Seven countries have claims to parts of Antarctica. Four of these claimed territories are named after the country that makes the claim:

The three countries with claims to parts of Antarctica that have more interesting names are:

Adélie Land		France
Ross Dependency		New Zealand
Peter I Island, Queen Maud Land		Norway

These claims have been recognized only between the countries making claims. The UK, France, Australia, New Zealand and Norway all recognise each other's claims. Part of the British Antarctica Territory is claimed by Argentina, and there has been speculation that Brazil may claim part of this disputed territory.

Most of these territories are bordered by lines of longitude; in other words, they radiate from the South Pole itself. The exception is Peter I Island, which is on the border between the Chilean zone and the neutral territory (see below).

The area that includes the South Shetland Islands is claimed by both Argentina and the UK. The area that includes the South Orkney Islands is claimed by Argentina, Chile and the UK.

For a map showing the South Shetland and South Orkney Islands – along with the Falklands, South Georgia and parts of the mainlands of Antarctica and South America (nicked from Bing Maps), please click here.

The section of Antarctica that's not claimed by any country

This name was originally given by the American Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, in honour of his wife, to the part of the area that was that was discovered and explored during his expedition in 1929. It was later applied to the whole of that sector of Antarctica.

Note that neither the USA nor Russia currently has any claim anywhere in Antarctica, but each has large research facilities in the sectors of other countries and has reserved the right to make claims.

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