Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said the US needed “ownership” of Greenland to protect itself from adversaries such as China and Russia, but said he had “no intention” of using force to acquire the autonomous island, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Around the world, various countries maintain overseas territories that house strategic and military facilities, but also for historical, economic, and environmental reasons. Many are remnants of colonial empires. Many former colonies around the world gained independence in the 20th century, but many chose to remain connected for reasons of economic stability and security, or because they were too small to survive as fully independent states.
Ranging from British and French overseas territories to U.S.-owned territories in the Caribbean and Pacific, these territories exercise varying degrees of autonomy and autonomy.
Al Jazeera maps the 10 countries with the most overseas territories.
UK – 14 regions
The UK has 14 overseas territories spanning the Atlantic, Caribbean, Pacific and polar regions.
Areas of residence include Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, and Montserrat. They are self-governing and the UK is responsible for their defense and foreign affairs.
The UK also has jurisdiction over sparsely populated areas such as the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia Island, the South Sandwich Islands, and Akrotiri and Dhekelia bases in Cyprus. These are primarily used for military, scientific, and environmental purposes.
Britain recently returned sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, a British Indian Ocean territory, to Mauritius after decades of conflict. President Trump slammed the move this week, calling it “a very stupid thing.”
An official British government spokesperson said in a statement on Monday that the decision was taken because the Anglo-American military base at Diego Garcia is “under threat as the court’s decision undermines our position and prevents us from operating it as intended in the future.” Although the base is leased to the United States, it is operated as a joint Anglo-American base.
The United Kingdom also has three Crown Dependencies, which, unlike the British Overseas Territories, have never been colonies and are not part of the United Kingdom. They have their own tax system and courts. Britain is solely responsible for its own defense and foreign affairs. Crown dependencies are property of the British Crown and owe allegiance to the monarch rather than the British government.
They include the autonomous Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey near the French coast of Normandy. The Isle of Man, located in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, is also a Crown Dependency.
United States – 14 regions
The United States has five permanently resident territories and nine uninhabited islands, primarily in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.
The areas of residence are Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Puerto Rico is the most populous and autonomous federation. These regions have local governments but limited representation at the federal level.
The United States also controls a group of mostly uninhabited islands, commonly referred to as U.S. small islands, that are primarily used for military or strategic purposes. These are Baker Island, Howard Island, Jervis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island.
France – 13 regions
France has 13 overseas territories spanning the Atlantic, Caribbean, Indian, Pacific and South American territories. Unlike the British and American territories, some regions are fully integrated into France as administrative regions, while others are overseas “assemblages”.
Five regions are fully integrated into France: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Réunion. They have members in the French parliament and use the euro as their currency. French Guiana is home to the Guiana Space Center, where space launches are conducted by several European private companies and government agencies.
France governs French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna, Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, and Clipperton Island, all of which have varying degrees of autonomy.
France also claims southern France and Antarctica, which are uninhabited and primarily used for scientific research and environmental protection. However, some countries such as Mauritius, Madagascar and Comoros contest French sovereignty over these islands.
Australia – 7 regions
Australia has seven overseas territories, three of which are inhabited: Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The inhabitants of these islands are Australian citizens, and each territory has varying levels of governance.
The four mostly uninhabited territories administered by Australia are Heard and Macdonald Islands, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands Territory, and Australian Antarctic Territory. These are primarily used for scientific research, weather monitoring and the administration of Australia’s maritime jurisdiction.
Netherlands – 6 regions
The Netherlands has six territories in the Caribbean.
The three countries – Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten – have their own governments, parliaments and prime ministers and are known as the ‘constituent states’. Aruba achieved this status in 1986, and in 2010 Curaçao and Sint Maarten became member states.
The other three regions are Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. These are directly controlled by The Hague, but have regional governments and use the US dollar.
Norway – 5 regions
Norway has five territories in the North and South Poles.
The first Arctic territory was Svalbard, which was granted special legal status under the 1920 Treaty of Svalbard, allowing international settlement and restricting military activity. The second territory is Jan Mayen, an uninhabited volcanic island used for weather research, monitoring and defense.
Norway also claims three uninhabited territories in Antarctica: Bouvet Island, Peter I Island, and Queen Maud Land. Bouvet and Peter I islands are mostly covered by glaciers, while Queen Maud Land has very limited ice-free coastal land. It is home to the largest colony of seabirds known in Antarctica.
New Zealand – 4 regions
New Zealand has two autonomous regions that are part of it, one dependent territory and one Antarctic claim.
The Cook Islands in the South Pacific, located between New Zealand and Hawaii, and the Island of Niue in the South Pacific, located northeast of New Zealand and east of Tonga, are both self-governing in “free association” with New Zealand. It is an autonomous body in which countries such as the Cook Islands and Niue are responsible for their internal affairs, but defer to New Zealand when it comes to defense and foreign policy.
Tokelau came under New Zealand control in 1925 and is a non-self-governing territory. This means that the United Nations considers the region to be one where people “have not yet achieved full autonomy” but are encouraged to work towards it.
Like several countries, New Zealand also claims part of Antarctica. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty System is an international agreement that preserves Antarctica for peaceful purposes and scientific research while freezing all territorial claims. Since 1923, New Zealand has maintained sovereignty over the Ross Dependency in Antarctica for research purposes. It was originally part of the British claim.
Denmark – 2 regions
The Kingdom of Denmark has two autonomous regions: Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Despite having its own parliament and leadership, Greenland is at the center of a transatlantic conflict as US President Donald Trump insists on purchasing the resource-rich island in North America. Both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly said the island is not for sale.
The Faroe Islands are located in the North Atlantic Ocean between Iceland, Norway, and Scotland. Since 2005, the Faroe Islands have had an autonomous system in place.
China – two regions
Unlike Britain and France, China does not have overseas territories in the traditional sense. There are two Special Administrative Regions (SARs): Hong Kong and Macau. They are generally autonomous in terms of politics, economics, and legal systems and operate on the principle of “one country, two systems.”
Hong Kong, located in the South China Sea, was once a British colony but was returned to China in 1997. It has a population of approximately 7.5 million people and is one of the most important financial centers in the world. According to Hong Kong’s Ministry of Justice, Hong Kong’s legal system is different from China’s and is based on common law.
Nearby Macau is a former Portuguese colony that was returned to China in 1999. It has a population of approximately 680,000 people and is known for its financial services industry and casinos. The legal system is based on Portuguese civil law rather than Chinese civil law.
China has five autonomous regions within mainland China that have some degree of political and cultural autonomy.
Taiwan, which China considers a province, operates as an autonomous territory with its own government, economy and legal system, but China insists it is part of its sovereign territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under Beijing’s control.
Portugal – two regions
Portugal has two autonomous regions, the Azores and Madeira, both located in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Azores are an archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately 1,400 to 1,600 km (870 to 1,000 miles) west of mainland Portugal. Claimed by Portugal in 1439, these islands are now self-governing with their own local government and population of approximately 245,000 people.
In 2025, Portugal’s aviation regulator awarded the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC) a five-year license to operate a spaceport on Santa Maria Island in the Azores. The facility is Portugal’s first authorized spaceport. Its location in the mid-Atlantic is considered favorable for launching satellite activities.
Madeira is located approximately 1,000 km (600 miles) southwest of mainland Portugal and has a population of approximately 260,000. Madeira was officially discovered in July 1419 by two sailors who were thrown off course by a storm. Madeira gained autonomy in 1976 after the Carnation Revolution.
