This is a list of leaders of dependent territories. A

dependent territory A dependent territory, dependent area, or dependency (sometimes referred as an external territory) is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a sovereign state, yet remains politically outside the controlli ...

is a

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

that does not possess full political

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

as a

sovereign state A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a polity, political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defin ...

yet remains politically outside of the controlling state's integral area. This latter condition distinguishes a dependent territory from an

autonomous region An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree of autonomy� ...

administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

, which forms an integral part of the 'parent' state. The majority of the world's dependent territories are legacies of nineteenth and twentieth century

colonial empires A colonial empire is a collective of territories (often called colonies), either contiguous with the imperial center or located overseas, settled by the population of a certain state and governed by that state. Before the expansion of early mode ...

.Armstrong, H. W., and R. Read. 2000. "Comparing the Economic Performance of Dependent Territories and Sovereign Microstates". ''Economic Development and Cultural Change'' 48 (2). 285–306. doi:10.1086/452459. This list divides the world's inhabited dependent territories roughly into half: those which are dependencies of

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

nations, formerly members of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

and all of which have King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

as head of state; and the remainder. Governors, managers or wardens of uninhabited dependent territories are excluded.

Current dependent territory leaders

Seven sovereign states possess one or more dependent territories: the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

Current leaders of autonomous or insular regions

Leaders of dependent Commonwealth territories

Leaders of dependent non-Commonwealth territories

List of current Indian lieutenant governors and administrators In the Republic of India, a lieutenant governor is the constitutional head of five of the eight union territories. The lieutenant governor is appointed by the President of India for a term of five years, and holds office at the President's pleas ...

List of current Indian chief ministers In the Republic of India, a chief minister is the head of government of each of the twenty-eight states and three of the eight union territories. According to the Constitution of India The Constitution of India (IAST: ) is the suprem ...

List of governors of Japan The governor is the highest ranking executive of a prefecture in Japan. See also * Lists of governors of prefectures of Japan Notes References * * {{JapanGovernors Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonko ...

* List of leaders of Malaysian states *

List of Mexican state governors 390px, The United Mexican States, commonly known as States._The_List_of_heads_of_government_of_Mexico_City.html" "title="Political_divisions_of_Mexico.html" ;"title="federation.html" ;"title="Mexico, is a Mexico,_is_a_federation_com ...

List of Nigerian state governors The following table presents a list of Nigeria's state governors. Governors are elected for a term of four years (maximum of two terms). A minister appointed by the president oversees affairs in the Federal Capital Territory. Eligibility Citizen ...

List of Governors of Pakistan A governor in Pakistan is the appointed head of state of a province, appointed by the President of Pakistan on the advice of the Prime Minister. Articles 101 to 105 of the Constitution of Pakistan deal with the appointment, conditions, and dutie ...

List of Chief Ministers in Pakistan A chief minister in Pakistan is the elected head of government of one of Pakistan's four provinces or the two non-provincial sub-national territories that have assemblies. The chief minister is elected through elections and the majority party is ...

* List of Palau states governors *

List of current Philippine provincial governors Incumbent provincial Governor#Philippines, governors of the Philippines were elected on May 9, 2022, and took oath of office on June 30, 2022. The current term will expire on June 30, 2025, as mandated by the Local Government Code. Luzon Ilocos ...

List of heads of federal subjects of Russia The following is a list of heads of the federal subjects of the Russian Federation. Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol were annexed by Russia in 2014 and, according to its constitution, are Federal subjects. However, internationally th ...

List of Spanish regional legislatures Since its transition to democracy in the late 1970s, Spain has been organized in a quasi-federal system called the "State of Autonomies". Each Autonomous Community is required by the Constitution to have its own three-branched system of governme ...

governments A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

List of state leaders by year This is a list of heads of state, government leaders, and other rulers in any given century. 3rd millennium :''List of state leaders in the 21st century'' :: Current state leaders ::: '22 – '21 – '20 – '19 – '18 – '17 – '16 � ...

List of Sudan states governors The following table presents a listing of Sudan's States of Sudan, state governors. Governors Autonomous governments, regional authorities and other areas See also *List of current heads of state and government *List of South Sudanese state g ...

List of current United States governors The following is a list of current governors (or mayor) of U.S. states, territories, and the federal district. In the United States, a governor is the chief executive officer of a state or a territory. As of November 2022, there are 28&nb ...

References

External links

''Rulers.org''''Worldstatesmen.org/''
{{Leaders of dependent territories by year * Dependent territories, leaders *