Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter defines a non-self-governing territory (NSGT) as a territory "whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government". Chapter XI of the UN Charter also includes a "Declaration on Non-Self-Governing Territories" that the interests of the occupants of dependent territories are paramount and requires member states of the United Nations in control of such territories to submit annual information reports concerning the development of those territories. Since 1946, the UNGA has maintained a list of non-self governing territories under member states' control. Since its inception, dozens of territories have been removed from the list, typically when they attained independence or internal self-government, while other territories have been added as new administering countries joined the United Nations or the UN General Assembly (UNGA) reassessed their status.
| UN General Assembly Resolution 66 (I) | |
|---|---|
 United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/66 (I) dated 14 January 1946 | |
| Date | 14 December 1946 |
| Meeting no. | Sixty fourth |
| Code | A/RES/66(1) (Document) |
| Subject | Transmission of information under Article 73e of the Charter [relating to non-self-governing territories] |
| Result | Adopted |
Since 1961 the list has been maintained by the Special Committee on Decolonization.
History
Chapter XI of the UN Charter contains a Declaration Concerning Non-Self-Governing Territories. Article 73(e) requires UN member states to report to the United Nations annually on the development of NSGTs under their control. From the initial reports provided by eight member states (Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States), a list was compiled in 1946 listing 72 NSGTs. In several instances, administering states were later allowed to remove dependent territories from the list, either unilaterally (as in the case of French overseas territories such as French Polynesia), or by a vote of the General Assembly (as in the cases of Puerto Rico, Greenland, the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname).
The list draws its origins from the period of colonialism and the Charter's concept of non-self-governing territories. As an increasing number of formerly colonized countries became UN members, the General Assembly increasingly asserted its authority to place additional territories on the list and repeatedly declared that only the General Assembly had the authority to authorize a territory's being removed from the list upon attainment of any status other than full independence. For example, when Portugal joined the United Nations it contended that it did not control any non-self-governing territory, claiming that areas such as Angola and Mozambique were an integral part of the Portuguese state, but the General Assembly rejected this position. Similarly, Western Sahara was added in 1963 when it was a Spanish colony. As with Namibia, which was seen, due to its former status as a League of Nations mandate territory, as a vestige of German colonial legacy in Africa, until it was removed in 1990 upon its independence. A set of criteria for determining whether a territory is to be considered "non-self-governing" was established in General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV) of 1960. Also in 1960, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 1514 (XV), promulgating the "Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples", which declared that all remaining non-self-governing territories and trust territories were entitled to self-determination and independence. The following year, the General Assembly established the Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (sometimes referred to as the Special Committee on Decolonization, or the "Committee of 24" because for much of its history the committee was composed of 24 members), which reviews the situation in non-self-governing territories each year and reports to the General Assembly. A revised list in 1963 listed 64 NSGTs.
Resolutions adopted
1946
- UNGA Resolution 64(I) regarding the Establishment of the Trusteeship Council.
- UNGA Resolution 66(I) regarding Transmission of information under Article 73 e of the Charter.
1947
- UNGA Resolution 142(II) regarding Standard form for the guidance of Members in the preparation of information to be transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter.
- UNGA Resolution 143(II) regarding Supplemental documents relating to information transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter.
- UNGA Resolution 144(II) regarding Voluntary transmission of information regarding the development of self-governing institutions in the Non-Self-Governing Territories.
- UNGA Resolution 145(II) regarding Collaboration of the specialized agencies in regard to Article 73 e of the Charter.
- UNGA Resolution 146(II) regarding Creation of a special committee on information transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter.
1960
- UNGA Resolution 1514 (XV) Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples.
- UNGA regarding Principles which should guide members in determining whether or an obligation exists to transmit the information called for under Article 73e of the Charter.
1961
- UNGA Resolution 1654 (XVI) regarding the situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples.
1966
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted by the UNGA on 16 December 1966.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted by the UNGA on 19 December 1966.
1990–2000
- UNGA Resolution A/RES/43/45 regarding Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
- UNGA Resolution A/RES/43/46 regarding Dissemination of information on decolonization.
- UNGA Resolution A/RES/43/47 regarding International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.
2001–2010
- UNGA Resolution 55/145 regarding Dissemination of information on decolonization.
- UNGA Resolution 55/146 regarding 2nd International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.
- UNGA Resolution 55/147 regarding Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
- United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Resolution 2007/25 regarding Support to Non-Self-Governing Territories by the specialized agencies and international institutions associated with the United Nations.
2011–present
- UNGA Resolution 65/116 regarding Dissemination of information on decolonization.
- UNGA Resolution 65/117 regarding Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
- UNGA Resolution 65/118 regarding Fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
- UNGA Resolution 65/119 regarding 3rd International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.
Criticism
The list remains controversial in some countries for various reasons:
Referendums
One reason for controversy is that the list includes some dependencies that have democratically chosen to maintain their current status, or have had a referendum in which local government requirements were not met regarding the number of votes required to support a change of status or the number of voters participating (e.g., in the United States Virgin Islands).
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands is a British Overseas Territory with a population of 4,000 people and an autonomous government, that is also claimed by Argentina due to an inherited historical colonial claim to the islands by Spain. In March 2013, the Falkland Islands government organised a referendum on the status of the territory. With a 92% turnout, 99.7% of Falkland Islands voters voted to maintain the status quo, with only three islanders (0.2%) favouring a change.
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is largely a self-governing British territory on the tip of the Iberian Peninsula with a population of about 30,000 people, whose territory is claimed by Spain. It continues to be listed as an NSGT though its residents expressed a preference in two referendums to retain the status quo. In 1967, they were asked whether to retain their current status or to become part of Spain. The status quo was favoured by 12,138 votes to 44. In 2002, a proposal for a joint British–Spanish administration of the territory was voted down by 17,900 votes to 187. (The "no" vote accounted for more than 85% of Gibraltar's entire electorate). The United Nations did not recognise either referendum, with the 1967 referendum being declared in contravention of previous UN resolutions. The Spanish government does not recognize any right of the current Gibraltar inhabitants to self-determination, on the grounds that they are not the original population of the territory, but residents transferred by the colonial power, the United Kingdom.
Tokelau
The territory of Tokelau divides political opinion in New Zealand. In response to attempts at decolonizing Tokelau, New Zealand journalist Michael Field wrote in 2004: "The UN ... is anxious to rid the world of the last remaining vestiges of colonialism by the end of the decade. It has a list of 16 territories around the world, virtually none of which wants to be independent to any degree." Field further notes that Patuki Isaako, who was head of Tokelau's government at the time of a UN seminar on decolonization in 2004, informed the United Nations that his country had no wish to be decolonized, and that Tokelauans had opposed the idea of decolonization ever since the first visit by UN officials in 1976.
In 2006, a UN-supervised referendum on decolonization was held in Tokelau, where 60.07% of voters supported the offer of self-government. However, the terms of the referendum required a two-thirds majority to vote in favor of self-government. A second referendum was held in 2007, in which 64.40% of Tokelauans supported self-government, falling short of the two-thirds majority by 16 votes. This led New Zealand politician and former diplomat John Hayes, on behalf of the National Party, to state that "Tokelau did the right thing to resist pressure from [the New Zealand government] and the United Nations to pursue self-government". In May 2008, the United Nations' Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged colonial powers "to complete the decolonization process in every one of the remaining 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories". This led the New Zealand Herald to comment that the United Nations was "apparently frustrated by two failed attempts to get Tokelau to vote for independence from New Zealand".
Viability
A lack of population and landmass is an issue for at least one territory included on the list: the British overseas territory Pitcairn Islands, which has a population of less than 50 descended primarily from indigenous Polynesians and mutineers from HMS Bounty. Regardless, the territory's colonial status was disputed during the 2004 sexual assault trial where the seven defendants – comprising a third of the adult male population – unsuccessfully argued that the islanders had rejected British control ever since the 1789 mutiny and, as a result, British criminal law did not apply to them. Four other territories – Tokelau, Montserrat, the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena – are also less populous than any current UN member state.
In addition, some territories are financially dependent on their administering state.
Completely autonomous dependencies
Another criticism is that a number of the listed territories, such as Bermuda (see Politics of Bermuda), the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar, consider themselves completely autonomous and self-governing, with the "administering power" retaining limited oversight over matters such as defence and diplomacy.[citation needed] In past years, there were ongoing disputes between some administering powers and the Decolonization Committee over whether territories such as pre-independence Brunei and the West Indies Associated States should still be considered "non-self-governing", particularly in instances where the administering country was prepared to grant full independence whenever the territory requested it. These disputes became moot as those territories eventually received full independence.
Removed under other circumstances
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2013) |
Territories that have achieved a status described by the administering countries as internally self-governing – such as Puerto Rico, the Netherlands Antilles, and the Cook Islands – have been removed from the list by vote of the General Assembly, often under pressure of the administering countries.
Some territories that have been annexed and incorporated into the legal framework of the controlling state (such as the overseas regions of France, and the US states of Alaska and Hawaii) are considered by the UN to have been decolonized, since they then no longer constitute "non-self-governing" entities; their populations are assumed to have agreed to merge with the former parent state. However, in 1961, the General Assembly voted to end this treatment for the "overseas provinces" of Portugal such as Angola and Mozambique, which were active focus of United Nations attention until they attained independence in the mid-1970s.
Territories have also been removed for other reasons. In 1972, for example, Hong Kong (then administered by the United Kingdom) and Macau (then administered by Portugal) were removed from the list at the request of the People's Republic of China, which had just been recognized as holding China's seat at the United Nations. This was due to the PRC's belief that their presence on the list implied eventual independence of the territory, instead of their status being handled by bilateral negotiations.
Change of status
On 2 December 1986, New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France, was reinstated on the list of non-self-governing territories, an action to which France objected. Within France it has had the status of a collectivité sui generis, or a one-of-a-kind community, since 1999. Under the 1998 Nouméa Accord, its Territorial Congress had the right to call for three referendums on independence between 2014 and 2018. The first referendum was held on 4 November 2018 (56.4% against independence), the second referendum on 4 October 2020 (53.26% against independence), and the third referendum on 12 December 2021 (96.50% against independence). While in all three the independence was rejected, the result of the third referendum stems from the boycott by the pro-independence Kanak community in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Caledonia.
French Polynesia was also reinstated on the list on 17 May 2013, in somewhat contentious circumstances. Having been re-elected President of French Polynesia in 2011 (leader of local government), Oscar Temaru asked for it to be re-inscribed on the list; it had been removed in 1947. (French Polynesia is categorised by France as an overseas country, in recognition of its self-governing status.) During the year 2012, Oscar Temaru engaged in intense lobbying with the micro-states of Oceania, many of which, the Solomon Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu, submitted to the UN General Assembly a draft of a resolution to affirm "the inalienable right of the population of French Polynesia to self-determination and independence".
On 5 May 2013, Temaru's party lost the legislative election to Gaston Flosse's pro-autonomy but anti-independence Tahoera'a Huiraatira party; obtaining only 11 seats against the party of Gaston Flosse, with 38 seats, and the autonomist party A Ti'a Porinetia with 8 seats.
At this stage, the United Nations General Assembly was due to discuss French Polynesia's re-inscription on the list twelve days later, in accordance with a motion tabled by Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Nauru. On 16 May, the Assembly of French Polynesia, with its new anti-independence majority, adopted a motion asking the United Nations not to restore the country to the list. On 17 May, despite French Polynesia's and France's opposition, the country was restored to the list of non-self-governing territories. Temaru was present for the vote, on the final day of his mandate as president. The United Nations affirmed "the inalienable right of the people of French Polynesia to self-determination and independence".
A few hours before the UN review of the resolution, during its first meeting, the new Territorial Assembly adopted by 46 votes to 10 a "resolution" expressing the desire of Polynesians to maintain their autonomy within the French Republic. In spite of this resolution adopted by the parties representing 70% of the Polynesian voters, the UN General Assembly inscribed French Polynesia on the list of the territories to be decolonized during its plenary assembly of 17 May 2013. France did not take part in this session while the United States, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom disassociated themselves from this resolution.
List not complete
Also controversial are the criteria set down in 1960 to 1961 by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV),United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV), Principle 12 of the Annex, and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1654 (XVI) which only focused on colonies of the Western world, namely Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This list of administering states was not expanded afterwards.
Nevertheless, some of the 111 members who joined the UN after 1960 gained independence from countries not covered by Resolution 1541 and were themselves not classified as "Non-Self-Governing Territories" by the UN. Of these that joined the UN between 1960 and 2008, 11 were independent before 1960 and 71 were included on the list (some as a group). Twenty new UN countries resulted from breakup of Second World states and of Yugoslavia: six were part of Yugoslavia, two were part of Czechoslovakia, and 12 were part of the Soviet Union (Ukraine and Belarus already had UN seats before the dissolution of the USSR, whose seat was reused by the Russian Federation without acceding anew). Out of the other ten, seven[which?] (mostly Arab) were colonies or protectorates of the "Western" countries, and one each was a non-self-governing part of Ethiopia (later independent Eritrea), Pakistan (East Pakistan, later independent Bangladesh) and Sudan (later independent South Sudan). Territories like Tibet, the Xinjiang Uygur Region (administered by China) and Siberia (or parts thereof; administered by the Soviet Union, later by Russia) have never been on the list. Also, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), which considered themselves illegally occupied by the Soviet Union, were not on the list either. Western New Guinea (also known as West Papua), which was ceded to Indonesia, is also not on the list as well as Sarawak and Sabah, which were handed to Malaya during its territorial expansion through the formation of Malaysia in 1963.[citation needed] In 2018, the government of Vanuatu started seeking international support to have West Papua added to the list in 2019.
After the revocation of Norfolk Island's self-governing status by the Australian government in 2015, an island community group requested the UN add the island to the list of non-self-governing territories.
Current entries
The following 17 territories are currently included in the list.
| Territory | Administering state | Domestic legal status | Other claimant(s) | Population | Area | Referendum(s) | See also | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | |||||||
 American Samoa |  United States | Unincorporated unorganized territory | None | 55,519 | 200 | 77 | No official referendum has been held. | Politics of American Samoa |
 Anguilla |  United Kingdom | Overseas territory | None | 14,108 | 96 | 37 | No official referendum has been held. | Politics of Anguilla |
 Bermuda | United Kingdom | Overseas territory | None | 62,000 | 57 | 22 | A 1995 Bermudian independence referendum was held. 74% of votes cast were against independence. | Politics of Bermuda |
 British Virgin Islands | United Kingdom | Overseas territory | None | 28,103 | 153 | 59 | No official referendum has been held. | Politics of the British Virgin Islands |
 Cayman Islands | United Kingdom | Overseas territory | None | 55,500 | 264 | 102 | No official referendum has been held. | Foreign relations of the Cayman Islands |
 Falkland Islands | United Kingdom | Overseas territory |  Argentina | 3,662 | 12,173 | 4,700 | Two referendums have been held in 1986 and 2013 on whether the Falklands should join Argentina. On both occasions, voters overwhelmingly chose continued British control. | Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute |
 French Polynesia |  France | Overseas country | None | 271,000 | 4,000 | 1,500 | No official referendum has been held. | Politics of French Polynesia |
 Gibraltar | United Kingdom | Overseas territory |  Spain | 29,752 | 6 | 2.3 | There were referendums in 1967 and in 2002, both returning an overwhelming victory for the pro-British side. | Status of Gibraltar |
 Guam | United States | Unincorporated organized territory | None | 159,358 | 540 | 210 | Three status referendums have been held, one in 1976 and two in 1982 (one in January and the other in September), with all three of them supporting an improved Commonwealth status under US control. | Politics of Guam |
 Montserrat | United Kingdom | Overseas territory | None | 5,000 | 103 | 40 | No official referendum has been held. | Government of Montserrat |
 New Caledonia | France | Sui generis collectivity | None | 252,000 | 18,575 | 7,172 | There were referendums in 1987,2018,2020, and 2021, all deciding against independence. | Politics of New Caledonia |
 Pitcairn | United Kingdom | Overseas territory | None | 50 | 36 | 14 | No official referendum has been held. | Politics of the Pitcairn Islands |
| Saint Helena | United Kingdom | Overseas territory | None | 5,396 | 310 | 120 | No official referendum has been held. | Politics of Saint Helena |
 Tokelau |  New Zealand | Territory | None | 1,411 | 12 | 4.6 | There were two referendums on self-determination in Tokelau in 2006 and 2007, with both coming just shy of the required two-thirds "yes" margin. | Politics of Tokelau |
 Turks and Caicos Islands | United Kingdom | Overseas territory | None | 31,458 | 948 | 366 | No official referendum has been held. | Politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands |
 US Virgin Islands | United States | Unincorporated organized territory | None | 106,405 | 352 | 136 | A 1993 United States Virgin Islands status referendum was held. The status quo was widely preferred among voters, but the result was invalidated because of the low turnout. | Politics of the United States Virgin Islands |
| Western Sahara | Spain (de jure, but not de facto) | Disputed |
| 619,060 | 266,000 | 103,000 | The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara has attempted to organize a referendum since 1991, but none has been held so far. | Political status of Western Sahara |
Notes
- On 18 May 2013, the United Nations General Assembly voted to place French Polynesia back on the list.
- On 2 December 1986, the United Nations General Assembly voted to place New Caledonia back on the list.
- Officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands.
- Officially Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
- A disputed territory with undetermined political status. Formerly Spanish Sahara up to 1976, administration is currently split between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, both of which claim the entire territory. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's administrative control is limited to approximately 30% of the territory, with the remaining 70% of the territory occupied by Morocco. The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara is the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the territory (see Western Sahara conflict).
Former entries
The following territories were originally listed by UN General Assembly Resolution 66 (I) of 14 December 1946 as Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territory. The dates show the year of independence or other change in a territory's status which led to their removal from the list, after which information was no longer submitted to the United Nations.
Change in status by administering state
| Trust / Territory | Change in status | Current status | Administering state | Population | Area / km2 | Area / mi2 | Year removed | See also |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Alaska | Granted statehood (full integration with the United States) | US state | United States | 683,478 | 1,700,130 | 656,424 | 1959 | Legal status of Alaska |
 British Hong Kong | Removed from the list on request of China | Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (since 1 July 1997):  Hong Kong | United Kingdom | 7,018,636 | 1,092 | 422 | 1972 | Politics of Hong Kong |
 Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Voted to integrate into Australia | External territory of Australia |  Australia | 596 | 14 | 5 | 1984 | Shire of Cocos |
 Cook Islands | Gained self-rule | State in free association with New Zealand | New Zealand | 12,271 | 237 | 92 | 1965 | Politics of the Cook Islands |
 Dutch Guiana | Granted more autonomy |  Suriname |  Netherlands | 475,996 | 163,270 | 63,039 | 1955 | Politics of Suriname |
 French Guiana | Became an overseas department (full integration with the French Republic) | Overseas department and region of France |  France | 209,000 | 83,534 | 32,253 | 1947 | Politics of French Guiana |
| French Polynesia (later reinstated) | Became an overseas territory (semi-autonomous collectivity of the French Republic) | Overseas country of France: French Polynesia Overseas state private property of France: Clipperton Island | France | 298,256 | 4,441 | 1,715 | 1947 | Politics of French Polynesia |
 Greenland | Incorporated into Denmark as Greenland County (1953). Gained home rule as a Country within the Kingdom of Denmark (1979). Increased autonomy (2009) | Autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark |  Denmark | 57,564 | 2,166,086 | 836,330 | 1954 | Politics of Greenland |
 Guadeloupe | Became an overseas department (full integration with the French Republic) | Overseas department and region of France: Guadeloupe Overseas collectivities of France:  Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin | France | 408,000 | 1,628 | 629 | 1947 | Politics of Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Martin |
 Hawaii | Granted statehood (full integration with the United States) | US state | United States | 1,283,388 | 28,311 | 10,931 | 1959 | Legal status of Hawaii |
 Martinique | Became an overseas department (full integration with the French Republic) | Overseas department and region of France | France | 401,000 | 1,128 | 436 | 1947 | Politics of Martinique |
 Netherlands Antilles | Granted more autonomy | Constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba Curaçao Sint MaartenSpecial municipalities of the Netherlands:  Bonaire Sint Eustatius Saba | Netherlands | 225,369 | 960 | 371 | 1955 | Politics of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Netherlands Antilles |
| New Caledonia (later reinstated) | Became an overseas territory (semi-autonomous collectivity of the French Republic) | Sui generis collectivity of France Overseas collectivity of France:  Wallis and Futuna | France | 224,824 | 19,060 | 7,359 | 1947 | Politics of New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna |
 Niue | Gained self-rule | State in free association with New Zealand | New Zealand | 1,444 | 260 | 100 | 1974 | Politics of Niue |
 Northern Mariana Islands | Became a Commonwealth | Unincorporated territory of the United States with Commonwealth status | United States | 53,883 | 168 | 65 | 1990 | Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands |
 Panama Canal Zone | Removed from the list on request of Panama[citation needed] | Part of Colón, Panamá, and Panamá Oeste provinces of Panama | United States | 1947 | Politics of Panama | |||
  Portuguese Macau | Removed from the list on request of China | Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (since 20 December 1999):  Macau |  Portugal | 545,674 | 28 | 11 | 1972 | Politics of Macau |
 Puerto Rico | Became a Commonwealth (semi-autonomous unincorporated territory of the United States) | Unincorporated territory of the United States with Commonwealth status | United States | 3,958,128 | 8,870 | 3,420 | 1952 | Political status of Puerto Rico |
 Réunion | Became an overseas department (full integration with the French Republic) | Overseas department and region of France | France | 868,000 | 2,512 | 970 | 1947 | Politics of Réunion |
 Saint Pierre and Miquelon | Became an overseas department and then an overseas territory (semi-autonomous collectivity of the French Republic) | Overseas collectivity of France | France | 7,044 | 242 | 93 | 1947 | Politics of Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
- The United Nations General Assembly voted to reinstate French Polynesia (former French Establishments in Oceania) to the list by General Assembly Resolution A/67/265 on 18 May 2013.
- New Caledonia was reinstated on the list in 1986 by the General Assembly Resolution No. A/RES/41/41 of the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples
Joined another state
| Non-self-governing territory | State joined | Current status | Administering state | Population | Area | Year removed | See also | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | |||||||
 British Cameroons | Northern Cameroons joined Nigeria Southern Cameroons joined Cameroon | Adamawa, Borno and Taraba states of Nigeria, Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon | United Kingdom | 1961 | Politics of Nigeria Politics of Cameroon | |||
 Ifni | Integrated into Morocco | Sidi Ifni, Guelmim-Oued Noun, Morocco | Spain | 51,517 | 1,502 | 580 | 1969 | Politics of Morocco |
| Portuguese India | Annexed by India | The Indian state of Goa and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | Portugal | 1961 | Annexation of Goa | |||
| French India | Integrated into India | Puducherry union territory and Chandannagar of West Bengal state of India | France | 973,829 | 492 | 190 | 1947 | Coup d'état of Yanaon |
 Netherlands New Guinea | Integrated into Indonesia as Irian Jaya | Papua and West Papua provinces of Indonesia | Netherlands | 420,540 | 162,370 | 1963 | Act of Free Choice | |
 North Borneo | Joined with Malaya to form Malaysia | Malaysian state of Sabah and the federal territory of Labuan | United Kingdom | 285,000 | 76,115 | 29,388 | 1963 | Malaysia Agreement |
| São João Batista de Ajuda | Integrated into the Republic of Dahomey (now Benin) | Ouidah commune, Atlantique department, Benin | Portugal | 1961 | Politics of Benin | |||
 Colony of Sarawak | Joined with Malaya to form Malaysia | Malaysian state of Sarawak | United Kingdom | 546,385 | 124,450 | 48,050 | 1963 | Malaysia Agreement |
 British Togoland | Joined British Gold Coast colony | Volta, Northern and Upper East regions of Ghana | United Kingdom | 1957 | Foreign relations of Ghana | |||
Independence
| Non-self-governing territory | Sub-unit | Independent as | Administering state | Population | Area | Year removed | See also | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | |||||||
  Aden Protectorate |  South Yemen | United Kingdom | 285,192 | 110,113 | 1967 | Yemeni unification in 1990 | ||
| Portuguese Angola |  Angola | Portugal | 7,024,000 | 1,246,700 | 481,400 | 1975 | Including the enclave of Cabinda | |
 British Leeward Islands | Antigua |  Antigua and Barbuda | United Kingdom | 1981 | ||||
 Bahamas |  The Bahamas | United Kingdom | 13,878 | 5,358 | 1973 | |||
 Barbados |  Barbados | United Kingdom | 431 | 166 | 1966 | |||
 Basutoland |  Lesotho | United Kingdom | 30,355 | 11,720 | 1966 | |||
| Bechuanaland Protectorate |  Botswana | United Kingdom | 1966 | |||||
 Brunei | Brunei Darussalam | United Kingdom | 5,765 | 2,220 | 860 | 1984 | ||
| French Cameroun |  Cameroon | France | 1960 | Trust Territory | ||||
| Portuguese Cape Verde |  Cape Verde | Portugal | 4,033 | 1,557 | 1975 | |||
 Belgian Congo |   Congo Léopoldville |  Belgium | 16,610,000 | 2,344,858 | 905,355 | 1960 | ||
 British Cyprus |  Cyprus | United Kingdom | 9,251 | 3,572 | 1960 | |||
| Dutch East Indies |  Indonesia (excluding Western New Guinea) | Netherlands | 1950 | |||||
 East Timor |  East Timor | Indonesia | 688,711 | 15,007 | 5,794 | 2002 | Politics of East Timor | |
| Portuguese Timor | Indonesia | Portugal | 15,007 | 5,794 | 2002 | Indonesian occupation of East Timor | ||
| French Equatorial Africa | French Congo |  Republic of the Congo | France | 1960 | ||||
| French Gabon |  Gabon | France | 1960 | |||||
| Ubangi Shari |  Central African Republic | France | 1960 | |||||
| French Chad |  Chad | France | 1960 | |||||
 Fiji Islands |  Fiji | United Kingdom | 1970 | |||||
  Gambia Colony and Protectorate |  The Gambia | United Kingdom | 10,380 | 4,010 | 1965 | |||
 Gilbert and Ellice Islands |  Gilbert Islands |  Kiribati | United Kingdom | 1979 | ||||
| Tuvalu (Ellice Islands) |  Tuvalu | United Kingdom | 1978 | |||||
 Gold Coast |  Ghana | United Kingdom | 1957 | |||||
 British Guiana |  Guyana | United Kingdom | 1966 | |||||
| Portuguese Guinea |  Guinea-Bissau | Portugal | 36,125 | 13,948 | 1974 | |||
| Spanish Guinea |  Equatorial Guinea | Spain | 28,051 | 10,831 | 1968 | |||
 British Honduras |  Belize | United Kingdom | 145,000 | 22,966 | 8,867 | 1981 | ||
| French Indochina |  French protectorate of Cambodia |  Cambodia | France | 1953 | ||||
 French protectorate of Laos |  Kingdom of Laos | France | 1949 | |||||
 Tonkin (French protectorate) |   Democratic Republic of Vietnam | France | 1945 | Vietnamese unification in 1976 | ||||
 Annam (French protectorate) | ||||||||
 French Cochinchina |   State of Vietnam | France | 1949 | Vietnamese unification in 1976 | ||||
 Colony of Jamaica |  Jamaica | United Kingdom | 11,100 | 4,300 | 1962 | |||
 Colony of Kenya |  Kenya | United Kingdom | 1963 | Formed by the unification of the Colony of Kenya and the Kenya Protectorate | ||||
| British Leeward Islands |  Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla |  St. Kitts and Nevis | United Kingdom | 1983 | Separated from Anguilla, which is still a non-self-governing territory | |||
| French Madagascar |  Comoros | France | 1975 | |||||
| French Madagascar |  Madagascar | France | 1960 | |||||
 Malayan Union |  Federation of Malaya | United Kingdom | 132,364 | 51,106 | 19,732 | 1957 | Later became Malaysia | |
 Colony of Malta |  Malta | United Kingdom | 316 | 122 | 1964 | |||
 British Mauritius |  Mauritius | United Kingdom | 2,040 | 790 | 1968 | |||
 French protectorate of Morocco | Morocco | France | 1956 | |||||
| Portuguese Mozambique |  Mozambique | Portugal | 7,300,000 | 784,955 | 303,073 | 1975 | ||
  Trust Territory of Nauru |  Nauru | Australia | 21 | 8.1 | 1968 | |||
 New Hebrides |  Vanuatu | Anglo-French Condominium | 100,000 | 12,189 | 4,706 | 1980 | ||
 British Nigeria |  Nigeria | United Kingdom | 1960 | |||||
 Northern Rhodesia |  Zambia | United Kingdom | 3,545,200 | 752,618 | 290,587 | 1964 | ||
 Nyasaland |  Malawi | United Kingdom | 752,618 | 290,587 | 1964 | |||
 Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands |  Marshall Islands | United States | 68,000 | 180 | 69 | 1990 | Independent states in free association with the United States | |
| Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands |  Federated States of Micronesia | United States | 111,000 | 702 | 271 | 1990 | Independent states in free association with the United States | |
| Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands |  Palau | United States | 20,956 | 459 | 177 | 1994 | Independent states in free association with the United States | |
  Territory of Papua and New Guinea |  Papua New Guinea | Australia | 1975 | |||||
| Ruanda-Urundi |  Burundi | Belgium | 1962 | |||||
| Ruanda-Urundi |  Rwanda | Belgium | 1962 | |||||
| Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe |  São Tomé and Príncipe | Portugal | 1,001 | 386 | 1975 | |||
 Seychelles |  Seychelles | United Kingdom | 451 | 174 | 1976 | |||
  Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate |  Sierra Leone | United Kingdom | 71,740 | 27,700 | 1961 | |||
 Singapore | Federation of Malaya | United Kingdom | 4,608,167 | 693 | 268 | 1963 | Singapore first became a state of Malaysia in 1963, before becoming independent in 1965. | |
  British Solomon Islands |  Solomon Islands | United Kingdom | 28,896 | 11,157 | 1978 | |||
 British Somaliland |  State of Somaliland | United Kingdom | 1960 | Joined the Trust Territory of Somalia within a week to form the Somali Republic | ||||
| French Somaliland |  Djibouti | France | 200,000 | 23,200 | 9,000 | 1977 | ||
 Trust Territory of Somaliland | Somalia | Italy | 1960 | Joined the State of Somaliland to form the Somali Republic | ||||
  South West Africa |  Namibia | South Africa | 2,088,669 | 825,418 | 318,696 | 1990 | Foreign relations of Namibia | |
 Southern Rhodesia |  Zimbabwe | United Kingdom | 6,930,000 | 390,580 | 150,800 | 1980 | ||
| Swaziland |  Swaziland | United Kingdom | 17,364 | 6,704 | 1968 | |||
 Tanganyika |  Tanganyika | United Kingdom | 1961 | Trust Territory. Later joined with the People's Republic of Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, now Tanzania | ||||
 French Togoland |  Togo | France | 1960 | Trust Territory | ||||
 Trinidad and Tobago |  Trinidad and Tobago | United Kingdom | 5,128 | 1,980 | 1962 | |||
 French Tunisia |  Tunisia | France | 163,610 | 63,170 | 1956 | |||
 Uganda Protectorate |  Uganda | United Kingdom | 1962 | |||||
| French West Africa |  French Sudan |  Ivory Coast | France | 1960 | ||||
| French West Africa | French Sudan |  Mali | France | 1960 | ||||
| French West Africa | French Sudan |  Mauritania | France | 1960 | ||||
| French West Africa | French Guinea |  Guinea | France | 1958 | ||||
| French West Africa | French Dahomey |  Dahomey | France | 1960 | ||||
| French West Africa | Colony of Niger |  Niger | France | 1960 | ||||
| French West Africa | Colony of Niger |  Senegal | France | 1960 | ||||
| French West Africa | Colony of Niger |  Upper Volta | France | 1960 | ||||
  Western Samoa Trust Territory |  Western Samoa | New Zealand | 1962 | |||||
Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter defines a non self governing territory NSGT as a territory whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self government Chapter XI of the UN Charter also includes a Declaration on Non Self Governing Territories that the interests of the occupants of dependent territories are paramount and requires member states of the United Nations in control of such territories to submit annual information reports concerning the development of those territories Since 1946 the UNGA has maintained a list of non self governing territories under member states control Since its inception dozens of territories have been removed from the list typically when they attained independence or internal self government while other territories have been added as new administering countries joined the United Nations or the UN General Assembly UNGA reassessed their status UN General Assembly Resolution 66 I United Nations General Assembly resolution A RES 66 I dated 14 January 1946Date14 December 1946Meeting no Sixty fourthCodeA RES 66 1 Document SubjectTransmission of information under Article 73e of the Charter relating to non self governing territories ResultAdopted Since 1961 the list has been maintained by the Special Committee on Decolonization HistoryChapter XI of the UN Charter contains a Declaration Concerning Non Self Governing Territories Article 73 e requires UN member states to report to the United Nations annually on the development of NSGTs under their control From the initial reports provided by eight member states Australia Belgium Denmark France the Netherlands New Zealand the United Kingdom and the United States a list was compiled in 1946 listing 72 NSGTs In several instances administering states were later allowed to remove dependent territories from the list either unilaterally as in the case of French overseas territories such as French Polynesia or by a vote of the General Assembly as in the cases of Puerto Rico Greenland the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname Map of territories on the United Nations list of non self governing territories The list draws its origins from the period of colonialism and the Charter s concept of non self governing territories As an increasing number of formerly colonized countries became UN members the General Assembly increasingly asserted its authority to place additional territories on the list and repeatedly declared that only the General Assembly had the authority to authorize a territory s being removed from the list upon attainment of any status other than full independence For example when Portugal joined the United Nations it contended that it did not control any non self governing territory claiming that areas such as Angola and Mozambique were an integral part of the Portuguese state but the General Assembly rejected this position Similarly Western Sahara was added in 1963 when it was a Spanish colony As with Namibia which was seen due to its former status as a League of Nations mandate territory as a vestige of German colonial legacy in Africa until it was removed in 1990 upon its independence A set of criteria for determining whether a territory is to be considered non self governing was established in General Assembly Resolution 1541 XV of 1960 Also in 1960 the General Assembly adopted Resolution 1514 XV promulgating the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples which declared that all remaining non self governing territories and trust territories were entitled to self determination and independence The following year the General Assembly established the Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples sometimes referred to as the Special Committee on Decolonization or the Committee of 24 because for much of its history the committee was composed of 24 members which reviews the situation in non self governing territories each year and reports to the General Assembly A revised list in 1963 listed 64 NSGTs Resolutions adopted1946 UNGA Resolution 64 I regarding the Establishment of the Trusteeship Council UNGA Resolution 66 I regarding Transmission of information under Article 73 e of the Charter 1947 UNGA Resolution 142 II regarding Standard form for the guidance of Members in the preparation of information to be transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter UNGA Resolution 143 II regarding Supplemental documents relating to information transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter UNGA Resolution 144 II regarding Voluntary transmission of information regarding the development of self governing institutions in the Non Self Governing Territories UNGA Resolution 145 II regarding Collaboration of the specialized agencies in regard to Article 73 e of the Charter UNGA Resolution 146 II regarding Creation of a special committee on information transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter 1960 UNGA Resolution 1514 XV Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples UNGA regarding Principles which should guide members in determining whether or an obligation exists to transmit the information called for under Article 73e of the Charter 1961 UNGA Resolution 1654 XVI regarding the situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples 1966 International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights adopted by the UNGA on 16 December 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted by the UNGA on 19 December 1966 1990 2000 UNGA Resolution A RES 43 45 regarding Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples UNGA Resolution A RES 43 46 regarding Dissemination of information on decolonization UNGA Resolution A RES 43 47 regarding International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism 2001 2010 UNGA Resolution 55 145 regarding Dissemination of information on decolonization UNGA Resolution 55 146 regarding 2nd International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism UNGA Resolution 55 147 regarding Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples United Nations Economic and Social Council ECOSOC Resolution 2007 25 regarding Support to Non Self Governing Territories by the specialized agencies and international institutions associated with the United Nations 2011 present UNGA Resolution 65 116 regarding Dissemination of information on decolonization UNGA Resolution 65 117 regarding Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples UNGA Resolution 65 118 regarding Fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples UNGA Resolution 65 119 regarding 3rd International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism CriticismThe list remains controversial in some countries for various reasons Referendums One reason for controversy is that the list includes some dependencies that have democratically chosen to maintain their current status or have had a referendum in which local government requirements were not met regarding the number of votes required to support a change of status or the number of voters participating e g in the United States Virgin Islands Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands is a British Overseas Territory with a population of 4 000 people and an autonomous government that is also claimed by Argentina due to an inherited historical colonial claim to the islands by Spain In March 2013 the Falkland Islands government organised a referendum on the status of the territory With a 92 turnout 99 7 of Falkland Islands voters voted to maintain the status quo with only three islanders 0 2 favouring a change Gibraltar Gibraltar is largely a self governing British territory on the tip of the Iberian Peninsula with a population of about 30 000 people whose territory is claimed by Spain It continues to be listed as an NSGT though its residents expressed a preference in two referendums to retain the status quo In 1967 they were asked whether to retain their current status or to become part of Spain The status quo was favoured by 12 138 votes to 44 In 2002 a proposal for a joint British Spanish administration of the territory was voted down by 17 900 votes to 187 The no vote accounted for more than 85 of Gibraltar s entire electorate The United Nations did not recognise either referendum with the 1967 referendum being declared in contravention of previous UN resolutions The Spanish government does not recognize any right of the current Gibraltar inhabitants to self determination on the grounds that they are not the original population of the territory but residents transferred by the colonial power the United Kingdom Tokelau The territory of Tokelau divides political opinion in New Zealand In response to attempts at decolonizing Tokelau New Zealand journalist Michael Field wrote in 2004 The UN is anxious to rid the world of the last remaining vestiges of colonialism by the end of the decade It has a list of 16 territories around the world virtually none of which wants to be independent to any degree Field further notes that Patuki Isaako who was head of Tokelau s government at the time of a UN seminar on decolonization in 2004 informed the United Nations that his country had no wish to be decolonized and that Tokelauans had opposed the idea of decolonization ever since the first visit by UN officials in 1976 In 2006 a UN supervised referendum on decolonization was held in Tokelau where 60 07 of voters supported the offer of self government However the terms of the referendum required a two thirds majority to vote in favor of self government A second referendum was held in 2007 in which 64 40 of Tokelauans supported self government falling short of the two thirds majority by 16 votes This led New Zealand politician and former diplomat John Hayes on behalf of the National Party to state that Tokelau did the right thing to resist pressure from the New Zealand government and the United Nations to pursue self government In May 2008 the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki moon urged colonial powers to complete the decolonization process in every one of the remaining 16 Non Self Governing Territories This led the New Zealand Herald to comment that the United Nations was apparently frustrated by two failed attempts to get Tokelau to vote for independence from New Zealand Viability A lack of population and landmass is an issue for at least one territory included on the list the British overseas territory Pitcairn Islands which has a population of less than 50 descended primarily from indigenous Polynesians and mutineers from HMS Bounty Regardless the territory s colonial status was disputed during the 2004 sexual assault trial where the seven defendants comprising a third of the adult male population unsuccessfully argued that the islanders had rejected British control ever since the 1789 mutiny and as a result British criminal law did not apply to them Four other territories Tokelau Montserrat the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena are also less populous than any current UN member state In addition some territories are financially dependent on their administering state Completely autonomous dependencies Currently listed territories Formerly listed territories Another criticism is that a number of the listed territories such as Bermuda see Politics of Bermuda the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar consider themselves completely autonomous and self governing with the administering power retaining limited oversight over matters such as defence and diplomacy citation needed In past years there were ongoing disputes between some administering powers and the Decolonization Committee over whether territories such as pre independence Brunei and the West Indies Associated States should still be considered non self governing particularly in instances where the administering country was prepared to grant full independence whenever the territory requested it These disputes became moot as those territories eventually received full independence Removed under other circumstances This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2013 Learn how and when to remove this message Territories that have achieved a status described by the administering countries as internally self governing such as Puerto Rico the Netherlands Antilles and the Cook Islands have been removed from the list by vote of the General Assembly often under pressure of the administering countries Some territories that have been annexed and incorporated into the legal framework of the controlling state such as the overseas regions of France and the US states of Alaska and Hawaii are considered by the UN to have been decolonized since they then no longer constitute non self governing entities their populations are assumed to have agreed to merge with the former parent state However in 1961 the General Assembly voted to end this treatment for the overseas provinces of Portugal such as Angola and Mozambique which were active focus of United Nations attention until they attained independence in the mid 1970s Territories have also been removed for other reasons In 1972 for example Hong Kong then administered by the United Kingdom and Macau then administered by Portugal were removed from the list at the request of the People s Republic of China which had just been recognized as holding China s seat at the United Nations This was due to the PRC s belief that their presence on the list implied eventual independence of the territory instead of their status being handled by bilateral negotiations Change of status On 2 December 1986 New Caledonia an overseas territory of France was reinstated on the list of non self governing territories an action to which France objected Within France it has had the status of a collectivite sui generis or a one of a kind community since 1999 Under the 1998 Noumea Accord its Territorial Congress had the right to call for three referendums on independence between 2014 and 2018 The first referendum was held on 4 November 2018 56 4 against independence the second referendum on 4 October 2020 53 26 against independence and the third referendum on 12 December 2021 96 50 against independence While in all three the independence was rejected the result of the third referendum stems from the boycott by the pro independence Kanak community in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic in New Caledonia French Polynesia was also reinstated on the list on 17 May 2013 in somewhat contentious circumstances Having been re elected President of French Polynesia in 2011 leader of local government Oscar Temaru asked for it to be re inscribed on the list it had been removed in 1947 French Polynesia is categorised by France as an overseas country in recognition of its self governing status During the year 2012 Oscar Temaru engaged in intense lobbying with the micro states of Oceania many of which the Solomon Islands Nauru and Tuvalu submitted to the UN General Assembly a draft of a resolution to affirm the inalienable right of the population of French Polynesia to self determination and independence On 5 May 2013 Temaru s party lost the legislative election to Gaston Flosse s pro autonomy but anti independence Tahoera a Huiraatira party obtaining only 11 seats against the party of Gaston Flosse with 38 seats and the autonomist party A Ti a Porinetia with 8 seats At this stage the United Nations General Assembly was due to discuss French Polynesia s re inscription on the list twelve days later in accordance with a motion tabled by Solomon Islands Tuvalu and Nauru On 16 May the Assembly of French Polynesia with its new anti independence majority adopted a motion asking the United Nations not to restore the country to the list On 17 May despite French Polynesia s and France s opposition the country was restored to the list of non self governing territories Temaru was present for the vote on the final day of his mandate as president The United Nations affirmed the inalienable right of the people of French Polynesia to self determination and independence A few hours before the UN review of the resolution during its first meeting the new Territorial Assembly adopted by 46 votes to 10 a resolution expressing the desire of Polynesians to maintain their autonomy within the French Republic In spite of this resolution adopted by the parties representing 70 of the Polynesian voters the UN General Assembly inscribed French Polynesia on the list of the territories to be decolonized during its plenary assembly of 17 May 2013 France did not take part in this session while the United States Germany the Netherlands and the United Kingdom disassociated themselves from this resolution List not complete Also controversial are the criteria set down in 1960 to 1961 by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514 XV United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1541 XV Principle 12 of the Annex and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1654 XVI which only focused on colonies of the Western world namely Australia Belgium Denmark France Italy Netherlands New Zealand Portugal South Africa Spain the United Kingdom and the United States This list of administering states was not expanded afterwards Nevertheless some of the 111 members who joined the UN after 1960 gained independence from countries not covered by Resolution 1541 and were themselves not classified as Non Self Governing Territories by the UN Of these that joined the UN between 1960 and 2008 11 were independent before 1960 and 71 were included on the list some as a group Twenty new UN countries resulted from breakup of Second World states and of Yugoslavia six were part of Yugoslavia two were part of Czechoslovakia and 12 were part of the Soviet Union Ukraine and Belarus already had UN seats before the dissolution of the USSR whose seat was reused by the Russian Federation without acceding anew Out of the other ten seven which mostly Arab were colonies or protectorates of the Western countries and one each was a non self governing part of Ethiopia later independent Eritrea Pakistan East Pakistan later independent Bangladesh and Sudan later independent South Sudan Territories like Tibet the Xinjiang Uygur Region administered by China and Siberia or parts thereof administered by the Soviet Union later by Russia have never been on the list Also the Baltic states Estonia Latvia and Lithuania which considered themselves illegally occupied by the Soviet Union were not on the list either Western New Guinea also known as West Papua which was ceded to Indonesia is also not on the list as well as Sarawak and Sabah which were handed to Malaya during its territorial expansion through the formation of Malaysia in 1963 citation needed In 2018 the government of Vanuatu started seeking international support to have West Papua added to the list in 2019 After the revocation of Norfolk Island s self governing status by the Australian government in 2015 an island community group requested the UN add the island to the list of non self governing territories Current entriesThe following 17 territories are currently included in the list Overview of non self governing territories Territory Administering state Domestic legal status Other claimant s Population Area Referendum s See alsokm2 sq mi American Samoa United States Unincorporated unorganized territory None 55 519 200 77 No official referendum has been held Politics of American Samoa Anguilla United Kingdom Overseas territory None 14 108 96 37 No official referendum has been held Politics of Anguilla Bermuda United Kingdom Overseas territory None 62 000 57 22 A 1995 Bermudian independence referendum was held 74 of votes cast were against independence Politics of Bermuda British Virgin Islands United Kingdom Overseas territory None 28 103 153 59 No official referendum has been held Politics of the British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands United Kingdom Overseas territory None 55 500 264 102 No official referendum has been held Foreign relations of the Cayman Islands Falkland Islands United Kingdom Overseas territory Argentina 3 662 12 173 4 700 Two referendums have been held in 1986 and 2013 on whether the Falklands should join Argentina On both occasions voters overwhelmingly chose continued British control Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute French Polynesia France Overseas country None 271 000 4 000 1 500 No official referendum has been held Politics of French Polynesia Gibraltar United Kingdom Overseas territory Spain 29 752 6 2 3 There were referendums in 1967 and in 2002 both returning an overwhelming victory for the pro British side Status of Gibraltar Guam United States Unincorporated organized territory None 159 358 540 210 Three status referendums have been held one in 1976 and two in 1982 one in January and the other in September with all three of them supporting an improved Commonwealth status under US control Politics of Guam Montserrat United Kingdom Overseas territory None 5 000 103 40 No official referendum has been held Government of Montserrat New Caledonia France Sui generis collectivity None 252 000 18 575 7 172 There were referendums in 1987 2018 2020 and 2021 all deciding against independence Politics of New Caledonia Pitcairn United Kingdom Overseas territory None 50 36 14 No official referendum has been held Politics of the Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena United Kingdom Overseas territory None 5 396 310 120 No official referendum has been held Politics of Saint Helena Tokelau New Zealand Territory None 1 411 12 4 6 There were two referendums on self determination in Tokelau in 2006 and 2007 with both coming just shy of the required two thirds yes margin Politics of Tokelau Turks and Caicos Islands United Kingdom Overseas territory None 31 458 948 366 No official referendum has been held Politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands US Virgin Islands United States Unincorporated organized territory None 106 405 352 136 A 1993 United States Virgin Islands status referendum was held The status quo was widely preferred among voters but the result was invalidated because of the low turnout Politics of the United States Virgin IslandsWestern Sahara Spain de jure but not de facto Disputed Morocco Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic 619 060 266 000 103 000 The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara has attempted to organize a referendum since 1991 but none has been held so far Political status of Western Sahara Notes On 18 May 2013 the United Nations General Assembly voted to place French Polynesia back on the list On 2 December 1986 the United Nations General Assembly voted to place New Caledonia back on the list Officially the Pitcairn Henderson Ducie and Oeno Islands Officially Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha A disputed territory with undetermined political status Formerly Spanish Sahara up to 1976 administration is currently split between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic both of which claim the entire territory The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic s administrative control is limited to approximately 30 of the territory with the remaining 70 of the territory occupied by Morocco The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara is the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the territory see Western Sahara conflict Former entriesThe following territories were originally listed by UN General Assembly Resolution 66 I of 14 December 1946 as Trust and Non Self Governing Territory The dates show the year of independence or other change in a territory s status which led to their removal from the list after which information was no longer submitted to the United Nations Change in status by administering state Overview of non self governing territories that had a change in status Trust Territory Change in status Current status Administering state Population Area km2 Area mi2 Year removed See also Alaska Granted statehood full integration with the United States US state United States 683 478 1 700 130 656 424 1959 Legal status of Alaska British Hong Kong Removed from the list on request of China Special Administrative Region of the People s Republic of China since 1 July 1997 Hong Kong United Kingdom 7 018 636 1 092 422 1972 Politics of Hong Kong Cocos Keeling Islands Voted to integrate into Australia External territory of Australia Australia 596 14 5 1984 Shire of Cocos Cook Islands Gained self rule State in free association with New Zealand New Zealand 12 271 237 92 1965 Politics of the Cook Islands Dutch Guiana Granted more autonomy Suriname Netherlands 475 996 163 270 63 039 1955 Politics of Suriname French Guiana Became an overseas department full integration with the French Republic Overseas department and region of France France 209 000 83 534 32 253 1947 Politics of French Guiana French Polynesia later reinstated Became an overseas territory semi autonomous collectivity of the French Republic Overseas country of France French Polynesia Overseas state private property of France Clipperton Island France 298 256 4 441 1 715 1947 Politics of French Polynesia Greenland Incorporated into Denmark as Greenland County 1953 Gained home rule as a Country within the Kingdom of Denmark 1979 Increased autonomy 2009 Autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark Denmark 57 564 2 166 086 836 330 1954 Politics of Greenland Guadeloupe Became an overseas department full integration with the French Republic Overseas department and region of France Guadeloupe Overseas collectivities of France Saint Barthelemy Saint Martin France 408 000 1 628 629 1947 Politics of Guadeloupe Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin Hawaii Granted statehood full integration with the United States US state United States 1 283 388 28 311 10 931 1959 Legal status of Hawaii Martinique Became an overseas department full integration with the French Republic Overseas department and region of France France 401 000 1 128 436 1947 Politics of Martinique Netherlands Antilles Granted more autonomy Constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Aruba Curacao Sint Maarten Special municipalities of the Netherlands Bonaire Sint Eustatius Saba Netherlands 225 369 960 371 1955 Politics of Aruba Curacao Sint Maarten and the Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia later reinstated Became an overseas territory semi autonomous collectivity of the French Republic Sui generis collectivity of France Overseas collectivity of France Wallis and Futuna France 224 824 19 060 7 359 1947 Politics of New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna Niue Gained self rule State in free association with New Zealand New Zealand 1 444 260 100 1974 Politics of Niue Northern Mariana Islands Became a Commonwealth Unincorporated territory of the United States with Commonwealth status United States 53 883 168 65 1990 Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands Panama Canal Zone Removed from the list on request of Panama citation needed Part of Colon Panama and Panama Oeste provinces of Panama United States 1947 Politics of PanamaPortuguese Macau Removed from the list on request of China Special Administrative Region of the People s Republic of China since 20 December 1999 Macau Portugal 545 674 28 11 1972 Politics of Macau Puerto Rico Became a Commonwealth semi autonomous unincorporated territory of the United States Unincorporated territory of the United States with Commonwealth status United States 3 958 128 8 870 3 420 1952 Political status of Puerto Rico Reunion Became an overseas department full integration with the French Republic Overseas department and region of France France 868 000 2 512 970 1947 Politics of Reunion Saint Pierre and Miquelon Became an overseas department and then an overseas territory semi autonomous collectivity of the French Republic Overseas collectivity of France France 7 044 242 93 1947 Politics of Saint Pierre and MiquelonThe United Nations General Assembly voted to reinstate French Polynesia former French Establishments in Oceania to the list by General Assembly Resolution A 67 265 on 18 May 2013 New Caledonia was reinstated on the list in 1986 by the General Assembly Resolution No A RES 41 41 of the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples Joined another state Overview of non self governing territories that joined another state Non self governing territory State joined Current status Administering state Population Area Year removed See alsokm2 sq miBritish Cameroons Northern Cameroons joined Nigeria Southern Cameroons joined Cameroon Adamawa Borno and Taraba states of Nigeria Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon United Kingdom 1961 Politics of Nigeria Politics of CameroonIfni Integrated into Morocco Sidi Ifni Guelmim Oued Noun Morocco Spain 51 517 1 502 580 1969 Politics of Morocco Portuguese India Annexed by India The Indian state of Goa and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Portugal 1961 Annexation of GoaFrench India Integrated into India Puducherry union territory and Chandannagar of West Bengal state of India France 973 829 492 190 1947 Coup d etat of Yanaon Netherlands New Guinea Integrated into Indonesia as Irian Jaya Papua and West Papua provinces of Indonesia Netherlands 420 540 162 370 1963 Act of Free ChoiceNorth Borneo Joined with Malaya to form Malaysia Malaysian state of Sabah and the federal territory of Labuan United Kingdom 285 000 76 115 29 388 1963 Malaysia AgreementSao Joao Batista de Ajuda Integrated into the Republic of Dahomey now Benin Ouidah commune Atlantique department Benin Portugal 1961 Politics of BeninColony of Sarawak Joined with Malaya to form Malaysia Malaysian state of Sarawak United Kingdom 546 385 124 450 48 050 1963 Malaysia AgreementBritish Togoland Joined British Gold Coast colony Volta Northern and Upper East regions of Ghana United Kingdom 1957 Foreign relations of GhanaIndependence Overview of non self governing territories that gained independence Non self governing territory Sub unit Independent as Administering state Population Area Year removed See alsokm2 sq miAden Protectorate South Yemen United Kingdom 285 192 110 113 1967 Yemeni unification in 1990 Portuguese Angola Angola Portugal 7 024 000 1 246 700 481 400 1975 Including the enclave of Cabinda British Leeward Islands Antigua Antigua and Barbuda United Kingdom 1981 Bahamas The Bahamas United Kingdom 13 878 5 358 1973 Barbados Barbados United Kingdom 431 166 1966Basutoland Lesotho United Kingdom 30 355 11 720 1966 Bechuanaland Protectorate Botswana United Kingdom 1966 Brunei Brunei Darussalam United Kingdom 5 765 2 220 860 1984French Cameroun Cameroon France 1960 Trust Territory Portuguese Cape Verde Cape Verde Portugal 4 033 1 557 1975 Belgian Congo Congo Leopoldville Belgium 16 610 000 2 344 858 905 355 1960British Cyprus Cyprus United Kingdom 9 251 3 572 1960 Dutch East Indies Indonesia excluding Western New Guinea Netherlands 1950East Timor East Timor Indonesia 688 711 15 007 5 794 2002 Politics of East TimorPortuguese Timor Indonesia Portugal 15 007 5 794 2002 Indonesian occupation of East Timor French Equatorial Africa French Congo Republic of the Congo France 1960French Gabon Gabon France 1960Ubangi Shari Central African Republic France 1960French Chad Chad France 1960Fiji Islands Fiji United Kingdom 1970Gambia Colony and Protectorate The Gambia United Kingdom 10 380 4 010 1965 Gilbert and Ellice Islands Gilbert Islands Kiribati United Kingdom 1979Tuvalu Ellice Islands Tuvalu United Kingdom 1978 Gold Coast Ghana United Kingdom 1957 British Guiana Guyana United Kingdom 1966 Portuguese Guinea Guinea Bissau Portugal 36 125 13 948 1974 Spanish Guinea Equatorial Guinea Spain 28 051 10 831 1968 British Honduras Belize United Kingdom 145 000 22 966 8 867 1981 French Indochina French protectorate of Cambodia Cambodia France 1953French protectorate of Laos Kingdom of Laos France 1949 Tonkin French protectorate Democratic Republic of Vietnam France 1945 Vietnamese unification in 1976 Annam French protectorate French Cochinchina State of Vietnam France 1949 Vietnamese unification in 1976Colony of Jamaica Jamaica United Kingdom 11 100 4 300 1962Colony of Kenya Kenya United Kingdom 1963 Formed by the unification of the Colony of Kenya and the Kenya Protectorate British Leeward Islands Saint Christopher Nevis Anguilla St Kitts and Nevis United Kingdom 1983 Separated from Anguilla which is still a non self governing territoryFrench Madagascar Comoros France 1975French Madagascar Madagascar France 1960 Malayan Union Federation of Malaya United Kingdom 132 364 51 106 19 732 1957 Later became MalaysiaColony of Malta Malta United Kingdom 316 122 1964British Mauritius Mauritius United Kingdom 2 040 790 1968French protectorate of Morocco Morocco France 1956 Portuguese Mozambique Mozambique Portugal 7 300 000 784 955 303 073 1975Trust Territory of Nauru Nauru Australia 21 8 1 1968 New Hebrides Vanuatu Anglo French Condominium 100 000 12 189 4 706 1980British Nigeria Nigeria United Kingdom 1960 Northern Rhodesia Zambia United Kingdom 3 545 200 752 618 290 587 1964 Nyasaland Malawi United Kingdom 752 618 290 587 1964 Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Marshall Islands United States 68 000 180 69 1990 Independent states in free association with the United States Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Federated States of Micronesia United States 111 000 702 271 1990 Independent states in free association with the United States Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Palau United States 20 956 459 177 1994 Independent states in free association with the United StatesTerritory of Papua and New Guinea Papua New Guinea Australia 1975Ruanda Urundi Burundi Belgium 1962Ruanda Urundi Rwanda Belgium 1962Portuguese Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome and Principe Portugal 1 001 386 1975 Seychelles Seychelles United Kingdom 451 174 1976Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate Sierra Leone United Kingdom 71 740 27 700 1961Singapore Federation of Malaya United Kingdom 4 608 167 693 268 1963 Singapore first became a state of Malaysia in 1963 before becoming independent in 1965 British Solomon Islands Solomon Islands United Kingdom 28 896 11 157 1978 British Somaliland State of Somaliland United Kingdom 1960 Joined the Trust Territory of Somalia within a week to form the Somali Republic French Somaliland Djibouti France 200 000 23 200 9 000 1977Trust Territory of Somaliland Somalia Italy 1960 Joined the State of Somaliland to form the Somali RepublicSouth West Africa Namibia South Africa 2 088 669 825 418 318 696 1990 Foreign relations of Namibia Southern Rhodesia Zimbabwe United Kingdom 6 930 000 390 580 150 800 1980 Swaziland Swaziland United Kingdom 17 364 6 704 1968 Tanganyika Tanganyika United Kingdom 1961 Trust Territory Later joined with the People s Republic of Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar now TanzaniaFrench Togoland Togo France 1960 Trust Territory Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago United Kingdom 5 128 1 980 1962French Tunisia Tunisia France 163 610 63 170 1956Uganda Protectorate Uganda United Kingdom 1962 French West Africa French Sudan Ivory Coast France 1960 French West Africa French Sudan Mali France 1960 French West Africa French Sudan Mauritania France 1960 French West Africa French Guinea Guinea France 1958 French West Africa French Dahomey Dahomey France 1960 French West Africa Colony of Niger Niger France 1960 French West Africa Colony of Niger Senegal France 1960 French West Africa Colony of Niger Upper Volta France 1960Western Samoa Trust Territory Western Samoa New Zealand 1962 img
