List of countries and territories by the United Nations geoschemeThis is a list of countries and territories by the United Nations geoscheme, including 193 UN member states, two UN observer states (the Holy See and Palestine), two states in free association with New Zealand (the Cook Islands and Niue), and 49 non-sovereign dependencies or territories, as well as Western Sahara (a disputed territory whose sovereignty is contested) and Antarctica. In total, 248 countries and territories have been listed.
Small Island Developing StatesThe Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a grouping of developing countries which are small island countries and small states that tend to share similar sustainable development challenges. These include small but growing populations, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks, excessive dependence on international trade, and fragile environments.United Nations Statistics DivisionThe United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), formerly the United Nations Statistical Office, serves under the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) as the central mechanism within the Secretariat of the United Nations to supply the statistical needs and coordinating activities of the global statistical system.
UN M49UN M49 or the Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use (Series M, No. 49) is a standard for area codes used by the United Nations for statistical purposes, developed and maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division. Each area code is a 3-digit number which can refer to a wide variety of geographical and political regions, like a continent and a country.
United Nations SystemThe United Nations System consists of the United Nations' six principal bodies (the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the Secretariat), and the specialized agencies and related organizations. The UN System includes subsidiary bodies such as the separately administered funds and programmes, research and training institutes, and other subsidiary entities.
RegionIn geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography) or the interaction of humanity and the environment (environmental geography).List of specialized agencies of the United NationsUnited Nations specialized agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations (UN) and each other through the structure of the United Nations Economic and Social Council at the intergovernmental level, and through the Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) at the intersecretariat level. One of the principal objectives of the UN is to solve economic, social, cultural and humanitarian issues through international cooperation.
ContinentLarge geographical region identified by conventionAnimated, colour-coded map showing four to seven continents – depending on the convention and model, some continents may be consolidated or subdivided.A continent is any of several large terrestrial geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria.
Landlocked developing countriesThe landlocked developing countries (LLDC) are developing countries that are landlocked. Due to the economic and other disadvantages suffered by such countries, the majority of landlocked countries are least developed countries (LDCs), with inhabitants of these countries occupying the bottom billion tier of the world's population in terms of poverty.
Least developed countriesThe least developed countries (LDCs) are developing countries listed by the United Nations that exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development. The concept of LDCs originated in the late 1960s and the first group of LDCs was listed by the UN in its resolution 2768 (XXVI) on 18 November 1971.
SubregionA subregion is a part of a larger geographical region or continent. Cardinal directions are commonly used to define subregions. There are many criteria for creating systems of subregions; this article is focusing on the United Nations geoscheme, which is a changing, constantly updated, UN tool based on specific political geography and demography considerations relevant in UN statistics.
AntarcticaAntarctica ( ) is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14,200,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi). Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of 1.9 km (1.2 mi).*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.