The Countries Iceberg - Part VIII

Abyei is an area between Sudan and South Sudan that is administered as a condominium, simultaneously part of Sudan and South Sudan.

Continent: Africa

Bouvet Island is a dependency of Norway and an uninhabited island in the southern Atlantic Ocean, about 1,700 kilometers north of Queen Maud Land. It is the most remote island in the world, being 1,845 kilometers from the nearest inhabited land.

Continent: Antarctica

Peter I Island is an uninhabited island in the Bellingshausen Sea. Along with Queen Maud Land and Bouvet Island, it is a Norwegian dependent territory. It is named after Peter The Great.

Continent: Antarctica

Bajo Nuevo Bank is an uninhabited reef located in the western Caribbean Sea that is administered as part of San Andrés y Providencia by Colombia. It is subject to a dispute between Colombia and the United States. They are also claimed by Nicaragua and Jamaica. It is considered an insular area by the U.S. government.

Continent: North America

Bajo Nuevo Bank is an uninhabited reef located in the western Caribbean Sea that is administered as part of San Andrés y Providencia by Colombia. It is also claimed by Honduras, Jamaica, and the United States.

Continent: North America

The Coral Sea Islands is an external territory of Australia with a population of 4. The islands themselves constitute a mere 3 square kilometers, but the territory as a whole constitutes an area slightly smaller than the country of Turkey.

Continent: Oceania

Ashmore and Cartier Islands is an uninhabited external territory of Australia. It consists of two reefs which are comprised of four tropical islands.

Continent: Oceania

The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force is a peacekeeping mission that aims to maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Syria due to the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War. The force was reorganized after some contributor countries withdrew forces when clashes spilled into the buffer zone during the Syrian Civil War.

The Turkish Armed Forces and the Syrian National Army have been occupying northern Syria since 2016. It comprises a de facto proto-state under the dual jurisdiction of the Turkish military and local councils that have received more power due to increased decentralization.

Our 45,000th entry about Syria, the Northern Syria Buffer Zone was a temporary DMZ established to secure the border and to discourage Turkey from attempting to invade Rojava (see this blog).

The Southern Transitional Council is a secessionist group in Yemen that aims to once again secede South Yemen from the rest of the country. It is led by the former governor of Aden Governorate, who is also the vice president of Yemen.

New Afrika is a black nationalist organization founded in 1968 that aims to receive reparations from the U.S. government to African American slave descendants for slavery, Jim Crow, and modern systemic racism. They also aim to create a black-majority nation in the southeastern region of the United States.

Capital: Jackson

Continent: North America

The League of the South is a neo-Confederate white supremacist organization that aims to establish a "free and independent" Southern republic consisting of the states of the Confederacy. It also aims to return to a more conservative and Christianity-oriented culture. The group helped organize the neo-Nazi Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Continent: North America

Talossa is a micronation founded in 1979 by Robert Ben Madison who was just 14 when the micronation was established. It has contributed to the formation of many other internet micronations. It claims several differing areas of the Earth as its territory, including Madison's bedroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Marie Byrd Land, and the uninhabited island of Cézembre in Brittany, France. For more information, or to become a citizen of Talossa, here is the official website.

Continent: North America, Europe, Antarctica

Howland Island and Baker Island are two uninhabited atolls under the jurisdiction of the United States. They are wildlife refuges, and have a combined area of a mere 3.5 sq km, but have an exclusive economic zone larger than the country of Uzbekistan. Amelia Earhart was trying to reach Howland Island when she disappeared. They are the only areas in UTC-12:00, so for any given date, the latest place  where it would be valid is on these islands.

The Kurdistan Communities Union is a political organization that aims to implement democratic confederalism. This organization was one of the main reasons that Turkey opposed Finland's and Sweden's bids to ascend to NATO membership.

Continent: Asia

The United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces was a coalition of rebel groups in Ethiopia advocating for federalism and confederalism in the country's governance. The alliance claimed that its goal was to "dismantle [the] government by force or by negotiations, and then form a transitional authority."

A Volkstaat is a proposed homeland for the Afrikaner white population of South Africa, usually conceptualized as an independent Boer nation. The nation would include the English speaking white population if they accept Afrikaner culture, but would exclude all coloureds even if they already speak Afrikaans. None of the attempts to create a Volkstaat have developed beyond the initial stages.

Continent: Africa

The Sinai Peninsula is the only part of Egypt geographically located in Asia. Israel invaded and occupied the Sinai Peninsula during the Suez Crisis in 1956 and again in 1967 until Egypt launched the Yom Kippur war and the lands were negotiated back into Egyptian jurisdiction.

Continent: Asia

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is a United Nations peacekeeping mission to ensure that Hezbollah was demilitarizing and confirm Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. It includes over 10,000 members from 46 countries.

Continent: Asia

Alo is one of the three chiefdoms of Wallis and Futuna.

Capital: Ono

Sigavé is one of the three chiefdoms of Wallis and Futuna. It is about 50 times larger than Vatican City.

Capital: Leava

Continent: Oceania

'Uvea, also known as Wallis Island, is a volcanic island in the Wallis and Futuna territory. 'Uvea also serves as the administrative center of the territory.

Capital: Mata Utu

Continent: Oceania

Rotuma is a self-governing "dependency" of Fiji that exists as a heptarchy. It is divided into seven districts, each district possessing its own chief. Politically, the island is part of Fiji, but Rotumans are Polynesians. 

Capital: Ahau

Continent: Oceania

Federal Territories are three territories governed by the Federal Government of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya. Kuala Lumpur is the national capital of Malaysia, Putrajaya is the administrative capital of Malaysia, and Labuan is a financial center.

Continent: Asia

Büsingen am Hochrhein is a German municipality and an exclave of Baden-Württemberg enclaved within Switzerland. There are no border controls between Büsingen am Hochrhein and Switzerland and it is part of the Swiss customs union.

Continent: Europe

Campione d'Italia is an Italian municipality and an exclave of Lombardy enclaved within Switzerland. It is only 1 km from the rest of Italy, but requires a journey by car of over 42 km due to the surrounding mountainous terrain.

Continent: Europe

Livigno is a town and special-administered territory within Lombardy, Italy. It is located near the Swiss border. Livigno has a special tax-free status, although it is not free from income tax and so is not technically a tax haven.

Galmudug is a Federal Member State of Somalia. It consists of the Galgaduud and Mudug regions, and its name is a conflation of the two.

Capital: Dusmareb

Continent: Africa

Hirshabelle is a Federal Member State of Somalia. The creation of Hirshabelle is controversial because the two regions that comprise Hirshabelle, Hiran and Middle Shabelle, want to form autonomous states of their own.

Capital: Jowhar

Continent: Africa

The Dominion of British West Florida is a micronation founded in 2005 that is based in the Gulf Coast of the United States. It claims the territory of the former colony of West Florida, which has been split and redistributed into the states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The founders of the micronation allege that the US annexation was illegal, because control of the region should have defaulted to the United Kingdom in 1808, upon the removal from office of King Charles IV of Spain, thus invalidating the Treaty of Paris and the US annexation to which it gave rise. No well-known historians support this claim.

Ambazonia is a political entity in Cameroon created by Anglophone separatists that seek independence. They claim the Northwest Region and Southwest Region. They have engaged in direct armed conflict with the Cameroonian military since 2017. They also have attempted to arrange governments-in-exile, although their independence claim is internationally unrecognized.

The Joint Regime Area was established in 1993 and put into effect in 1994 when Colombia and Jamaica agreed on a maritime delimitation treaty to effectively manage and distribute the resources between Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank (see entries for these two elsewhere in this blog), two banks which both countries claim and Colombia administrates.

The Romanov Empire is a micronation proposed as a recreation of the Russian Empire by Anton Bakov in 2011. Bakov ran for President of Russia in 2018 but then conceded because his lawyers allegedly said that he would never be able to be president if he was a dual citizenship of Russia and the Romanov Empire.

Continent: Europe, Asia

The Coordination Council for the Transfer of Power is an extragovernmental body created by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to provide a democratic transfer of power in Belarus. It was founded during the 2020 protests. It operates in exile due to the current dictatorship political situation in Belarus.

Continent: Europe

The Committee for the Five Northern Korean Provinces is a South Korean government body. It is "responsible" for the administration of the Korean "provinces" located above the 38th parallel, as the South Korean government claims to be the rightful owner of the entire peninsula. The President of South Korea regularly appoints a governor for each of these five provinces (though obviously this is merely a symbolic role, as South Korea has no control above the DMZ).

The Autonomous Municipality of San Juan Copala is a Native American entity that declared autonomy from Mexico in 2006 in response to repression by the Oaxacan government. It is inspired by the Zapatista movement.

The National Unity Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar is a government-in-exile formed by government members that were removed from office in the 2021 coup. The European Parliament recognizes this government as the legitimate government of Myanmar.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran is a political organization that is based in France and Albania. It is a coalition that aims to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is comprised of various subversive groups. This organization was the catalyst for concerns to arise about Iran's nuclear program. This organization was listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government from 1997 to 2012.

Cherán is a municipality located in Michoacán, Mexico. It is notable because of its unique government; it is a self-ruling indigenous area with virtually no federal intervention.

North Dumpling is an island in Long Island Sound off the coast of Connecticut. Dean Kamen, inventor of the segway and owner of the island, "seceded" from the United States after local officials would not allow him to build a wind turbine on the island. He refers to the island as "Kingdom of North Dumpling" and refers to himself as "Lord Dumpling" although his secession is not recognized by the U.S. government or any foreign governments.

The Kingdom of Lovely was a micronation proclaimed by British comedian Danny Wallace. He proclaimed himself King and claimed as territory his flat in East London. Here is the official website.

The Hashid is the second or third largest tribal confederation in Yemen. It is generally recognized as the most influential of the tribal confederations in Yemen.

Continent: Asia

Akhzivland is an unrecognized micronation between the city of Nahariya, Israel, and the border with Lebanon. It is promoted as a tourist site by the Israel Ministry of Tourism. It consists of a campground, a guest house, and a museum. The smallest country in the world, Vatican City, is 35 times larger than this small "nation".

Continent: Asia

The Empire of Austenasia is a micronation in the United Kingdom founded in 2008. It claims to be a successor of the Roman Empire, and claims several properties around the world in various countries, including Poland, Algeria, Turkey, India, and more.

Continent: Europe

Liberland is a micronation that claims an uninhabited floodplain on the Danube in Croatia. It is not recognized by any country. The founder, Vít Jedlička, and others, have been arrested for attempting to enter "Liberland".

Continent: Europe

The Duchy of Cornwall is an estate of the British monarchy. The reigning monarch's eldest son gets possession of the duchy and the title of Duke of Cornwall. It is exempt from paying corporate taxes.

The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British monarchy. It was established in 1351 and contains a portfolio of assets held for the monarchy. It is intended to provide a stream of independent income. The yearly income of the duchy totals about £24 million per year and is paid to the reigning monarch. It is exempt from paying corporate taxes.

Patani was a Malaysian sultanate. It was absorbed by Siam in 1902 after Siam invaded in 1789.

Capital: Pattani

Continent: Asia

The Afro-Bolivian Royal House is a ceremonial monarchy that does not interfere with the presidential republic framework of the Bolivian government. The monarch is treated as the leader of the Afro-Bolivian community.

Continent: South America

The Sámi homeland is the northernmost portion of Lapland in Finland. It is inhabited by about half of the Sámi population of Finland. It is protected as an autonomous region by Finland's constitution. The Sámi are still outnumbered by Finns in this area.

Continent: Europe

Talysh-Mughan was an autonomous republic that was only autonomous for two months in 1993. It was proclaimed when a military commander seized power in southern Azerbaijan and proclaimed the independence of the republic, but it was suppressed quickly and did not gain significant support.

Continent: Asia

Gagauzia is an autonomous unit of Moldova intended for the Gagauz people, a Turkic people group. It declared independence in 1990 during the fall of the Soviet Union, but was reintegrated into Moldova. Gagauzia has held a referendum stating that they would prefer to be independent and enjoy close ties with Russia than to join the EU with Moldova.

Capital: Comrat

Continent: Europe

Gorno-Badakhshan is an autonomous region of Tajikistan that comprises almost half of the country's area but only two percent of the country's population. In recent years, it has had a major problem with insurgency, occurring majorly as recently as 2022, when the Tajik government killed 40 civilian protesters, and then jailed journalists and activists to cover it up.

Continent: Asia

The Congress of People's Deputies was the highest organ of state power from 1989 to 1991 in the Soviet Union. There was also a Congress of People's Deputies for Russia from 1990 to 1993, until it was dissolved by presidential decree when the Russian White House was attacked.

Continent: Europe, Asia

Center for a Free Cuba is an organization based in Washington, D.C. that is "dedicated to promoting human rights and a transition to democracy and the rule of law on the island." It became controversial when the former Chief of Staff, Felipe Sixto, was appointed as a government aide by George W. Bush, and was subsequently convicted for embezzlement of government funds after his resignation.

Continent: North America

Rabi Island is a volcanic island located in northern Fiji. It is located in Fiji, a Melanesian country, and yet is populated overwhelmingly by the Banabans, a Micronesian people group.

Continent: Oceania

Shennongjia Forestry District is a county-level area in the northwestern region of Hubei, China. It was made the fiftieth World Heritage Site in China due to its endangered species and biodiversity. It is the only county-level administrative unit that is designated as a "forestry district".

Continent: Asia