| (sort) | SORTED BY | |||
| NATION-STATE | current legal STATUS | "parent" independent nation-state | Date status achieved | status previous to current status |
| GUERNSEY | Crown DEPENDENCY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITIAN] | 25 December 1066 | part of the Duchy of NORMANDY (Duke Guillaume II of Normandy- as William I "the Conqueror"- became King of ENGLAND in 1066) |
| JERSEY | Crown DEPENDENCY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 25 December 1066 | part of the Duchy of NORMANDY (Duke Guillaume II of Normandy- as William I "the Conqueror"- became King of England in 1066) |
| [ISLE OF] MAN | Crown DEPENDENCY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 1346 | a period of dispute between ENGLAND and SCOTLAND (after NORWAY had ceded suzerainty to SCOTLAND, 1266) |
| BERMUDA | overseas TERRITORY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 1684 | English "plantation" of the SOMERS' ISLANDS since 1609 |
| GIBRALTAR | overseas TERRITORY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 13 July 1713 [Treaty of Utrecht] | part of SPAIN since its taking from the Moors, 1462 (BRITISH conquest, 1704) |
| SAINT HELENA [the 'Dependencies' are Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha] | overseas TERRITORY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 1833 | administration by the East India Company since 1659 |
| the FALKLANDS | autonomous TERRITORY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] (also claimed by ARGENTINA) | 1833 | settlements by FRANCE: 1764 (bought out by SPAIN, 1770) and GREAT BRITAIN: 1765 (ARGENTINA's claim to the islands as "Islas Malvinas" is based on both lineal succession to SPAIN and its own settlement: 1829) |
| PITCAIRN | overseas TERRITORY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 1838 | first settled by mutineers from H.M.S. 'Bounty' in 1790 |
| GUAM | unincorporated TERRITORY | UNITED STATES [of AMERICA] | 10 December 1898 | colony of SPAIN since 1688 |
| AMERICAN [=EASTERN] SAMOA | unincorporated TERRITORY | UNITED STATES [of AMERICA] | 14 November 1899 [effectively, 13 February 1900] | protectorate as "condominium" held jointly by GERMANY, the UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] and the UNITED STATES [of AMERICA] since 14 June 1889 |
| NORFOLK ISLAND | external TERRITORY | AUSTRALIA | 1 July 1914 | colony of the BRITISH EMPIRE from 24 June 1856 |
| the U S VIRGIN ISLANDS | unincorporated TERRITORY | UNITED STATES [of AMERICA] | 31 March 1917 | the DANISH WEST INDIES since 1754 |
| TOKELAU | dependent TERRITORY | NEW ZEALAND | 11 February 1926 [formally, 1 January 1949] | part of U.K. colony of GILBERT and ELLICE ISLANDS (now independent KIRIBATI and TUVALU) since 1916 (had been under BRITISH protection since 1889) |
| NEW CALEDONIA | overseas TERRITORY | FRANCE | 1946 | a colony of FRANCE since 1853 |
| FRENCH GUIANA | overseas DEPARTMENT | FRANCE | 19 March 1946 | colony of FRANCE as early as 1674: undisputed since 1814 |
| GUADELOUPE | overseas DEPARTMENT | FRANCE | 19 March 1946 | colony of FRANCE since 28 June 1635 |
| MARTINIQUE | overseas DEPARTMENT | FRANCE | 19 March 1946 | colony of FRANCE since 1635 (formally, 1664) |
| REUNION | overseas DEPARTMENT | FRANCE | 19 March 1946 | a colony of FRANCE since 1638 |
| the FAROES | autonomous TERRITORY | DENMARK | 27 March 1948 | INTEGRAL PART of the Danish Realm |
| PUERTO RICO | freely-associated COMMONWEALTH | UNITED STATES [of AMERICA] | 25 July 1952 [known as PORTO RICO to 17 May 1932] | unincorporated TERRITORY of the UNITED STATES [of AMERICA] since 10 December 1898 (cession by SPAIN) |
| the NETHERLANDS ANTILLES | INTEGRAL PART of the Dutch Realm | the NETHERLANDS | 29 December 1954 | a united Dutch colony since 1845 (part of the larger DUTCH WEST INDIES 1828-1845) of islands taken by the Dutch between 1632 and 1648 |
| the COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS | external TERRITORY | AUSTRALIA | 23 November 1955 | governed from the then-U.K. colony of SINGAPORE since 1903 |
| the BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS | overseas TERRITORY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 1 July 1956 | part of the U.K. LEEWARD ISLANDS Federation since 1871 |
| CHRISTMAS ISLAND | external TERRITORY | AUSTRALIA | 1 October 1958 | governed from the then-U.K. colony of SINGAPORE since 1900 |
| FRENCH POLYNESIA | overseas TERRITORY | FRANCE | November 1958 | FRENCH OCEANIA: scattered colonies united in 1903 (name changed to FRENCH POLYNESIA: 26 July 1957) |
| the CAYMAN ISLANDS | overseas TERRITORY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 4 July 1959 | part of the then-U.K. colony of JAMAICA since 1670 (cession by SPAIN) |
| TURKS and CAICOS | overseas TERRITORY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 4 July 1959 | part of the then-U.K. colony of JAMAICA since 1874 (previously, part of the then-British colony of the BAHAMAS since 1799) |
| WALLIS and FUTUNA | overseas TERRITORY | FRANCE | 29 July 1961 | under FRENCH protection since 1888 |
| MONTSERRAT | overseas TERRITORY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 31 May 1962 [upon dissolution of the U.K. WEST INDIES Federation [formed, 3 January 1958]] | also was part of the U.K. LEEWARD ISLANDS Federation from 1871 to 1956 (undisputed BRITISH colony since 1783) |
| the COOK ISLANDS | autonomous TERRITORY | NEW ZEALAND | 4 August 1965 | dependency of NEW ZEALAND from 11 June 1901 (had been under BRITISH protection since 1888) |
| NIUE | autonomous TERRITORY | NEW ZEALAND | 19 October 1974 | dependency of NEW ZEALAND from 11 June 1901 (had been under BRITISH protection since 1900) |
| ANGUILLA | overseas TERRITORY | UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN] | 10 February 1976 [effectively, 19 December 1980] | part of the U.K. 'Associated State' of SAINT KITTS-NEVIS-ANGUILLA (declared independence of ANGUILLA, 11 July 1967, revoked by British occupation, 19 March 1969) |
| [the WESTERN] SAHARA | disputed POLITICAL ENTITY; sovereignty as yet unresolved | occupied by MOROCCO/ an indigenous political movement has proclaimed independence | 28 February 1976 | SPANISH SAHARA from 12 January 1958 to 31 December 1975 (as RIO DE ORO, under SPANISH protection since 1885) |
| MAYOTTE | territorial COLLECTIVE | FRANCE (also claimed by the COMOROS) | 1 December 1976 [following referenda on 22 December 1974 and 8 February 1976 against joining the independent COMOROS] | part of then-French overseas Territory of the COMOROS from 19 March 1946 (previously attached to then-French MADAGASCAR) |
| the NORTHERN MARIANAS | freely-associated COMMONWEALTH | UNITED STATES [of AMERICA] | 1 January 1978 [effectively, 22 December 1990] | part of UNITED NATIONS "Trust Territory" administered by the UNITED STATES [of AMERICA] from 18 July 1947 |
| GREENLAND [KALAALLIT NUNAAT] | autonomous TERRITORY | DENMARK | 1 May 1979 | INTEGRAL PART of the Danish Realm since 1380 (declared formally, 1921) |
| SAINT PIERRE and MIQUELON | territorial COLLECTIVITY | FRANCE | May 1985 | overseas DEPARTMENT of FRANCE since 1976 (undisputed French colony since 1814) |
| ARUBA | INTEGRAL PART of the Dutch Realm | the NETHERLANDS | 1 January 1986 | part of the NETHERLANDS ANTILLES |
| PALESTINE ["WEST BANK" and "GAZA (STRIP)"] | interim POLITICAL ENTITY under a PALESTINIAN NATIONAL AUTHORITY | ISRAEL | 13 September 1993 | "Arab State" (independent ISRAEL being the "Jewish State") created through division by UNITED NATIONS of LEAGUE OF NATIONS "Mandate" of PALESTINE under administration of UNITED KINGDOM [BRITAIN], 14 May 1948; "WEST BANK" under practical administration of JORDAN and "GAZA (STRIP)" under practical administration of EGYPT until both occupied by ISRAEL, June 1967; ISRAEL began to withdraw from occupied territory in 1994 but has often re-intervened militarily from time to time since. |
| the BOSNIAN FEDERATION | a political 'entity' within a larger Confederal State | BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA | 1995 | |
| the SERB REPUBLIC | a political 'entity' within a larger Confederal State | BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA | 1995 | |
| HONG KONG [XIANGGANG] | Special ADMINISTRATIVE REGION | People's Republic of CHINA | 1 July 1997 | Colony of the BRITISH EMPIRE since 29 August 1842 (Treaty of Nankin) |
| MACAU [AOMEN] [also spelled 'MACAO'] | Special ADMINISTRATIVE REGION | CHINA, People's Republic of | 20 December 1999 | colony of PORTUGAL since 1557 (formally confirmed, 1 December 1887) |
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