TABLE 2.1 SOVEREIGN STATES—FROM UN INCEPTION TO THE PRESENT
for use with 7th ed. Fundamental Perspectives on International Law
All rights reservedWilliam Slomanson
1945
Original
Members / Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
United States
Uruguay
Venezuela / Belgium
Belorussia—‘91 name change
to Belarus
Czechoslovakia—split ‘93 into
Czech Repub &
Slovak Repub
Denmark
France
Greece
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Turkey
Ukraine
USSR—until ’91
—now Russian Federation
United Kingdom
Yugoslavia—split from ’92-‘08
—now dissolved / Australia
“China”—Taiwan until ‘71
—now PRC
India
Iran
Iraq
Lebanon
New Zealand
Philippines
Saudi Arabia
Syria / Egypt
Ethiopia
Liberia
South Africa
1945–1965 / Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago / Albania
Austria
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Finland
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Malta
Portugal
Romania
Spain
Sweden / Afghanistan
Burma—now Myanmar
Cambodia—now
Kampuchea
Indonesia
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kuwait
Laos
Malaysia—admitted as
Federation
of Malaya
Maldives
Mongolia
Nepal
Pakistan
Singapore
Sri Lanka—admitted as
Ceylon
Thailand—admitted as
Siam
Yemen / Algeria
Benin
Burundi
Burkina Faso—admitted
as Upper Volta
Cameroon
Central
African
Republic
Chad
Congo—admitted as two
states: Congo
(Brazzaville)
& Congo
(Leopoldville)
Côte d’Ivoire
Gabon
The Gambia
Ghana
Grenada
Guinea
Kenya
Libya
Mali
Malawi
Madagascar—admitted
as Malagasy
Republic
Mauritania
Morocco
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
Tanganyika
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zanzibar—Tanganyika
(’61) & Zanzibar
(’63); merged
with Tanzania (’64)
1965–1984 / AntiguaBarbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize—was Brit. Hond.
Dominica
Guyana
Saint Kitts &Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent &Grenadines
Suriname / Federal Republic Germany
—until ‘90
—now Germany
German Demo Republic
—until ‘90
—now Germany
/ Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei—admitted as
BruneiDarussalam
Democratic Yemen
—Yemen & Demo.
Yemen merged ‘90
Fiji
Oman
Papua New Guinea
Qatar
Solomon Islands
United Arab Emirates
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Western Samoa
—admitted as Samoa
/ Angola
Botswana
Cape Verde
Comoros
Djibouti
Equitorial Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Lesotho
Mauritius
Mozambique
São Tomé
& Principe
Seychelles
Swaziland
Tanganyika—until ’61
Zanzibar—now United
Rep. of Tanzania
Tanzania
United Arab Republic
—Egypt-Syria
brief merger
Zaire—now Democrat.
Republic Congo
Zimbabwe
1990– 1999 / Andorra
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bosnia—admitted as Bosnia
Herzegovina
Croatia
Czech Rep.
Estonia
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Macedoniaa—admitted as
name in endnote a
Moldova—admitted as
Republic of Moldova
Montenegrob
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan / Kiribati
Nauru
North Korea—admitted as
Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea
Marshall Islands
Micronesia—admitted as
FederatedStates
ofMicronesia
Palau
South Korea—admitted as
Republic of Korea
Tonga / Eritrea
Namibia
2000–pres. / Montenegro
Switzerland / Timor-Leste
Tuvalu / South Sudan
Non-UN
MEMBERS / Aruba c / Abkhazia d
Greenland e
Holy Seef
Kosovo g
NagornoKarabakhm
No. Cyprus h
South Ossetia d / Cook Islandsi
Niue(i)
Palestine j
Taiwan / Western Sahara k
Somaliland l
aMacedonia’s full name is Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, given Greece’s objection to “Macedonia.”
b Montenegro was part of Serbia and Montenegro, until the latter’s independence in 2006.
c Seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986; now separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; movement toward
fullindependence halted at Aruba’s request in 1990.
d Disputed 2008 unilateral secession(s) from Georgia.
e Denmark granted Greenland self-rule status in June 2009, with a view toward independence.
f Aka Vatican City; non-member State permanent observer mission.
gDisputed unilateral secession from Serbia 2008; now under EU administration.
hAka Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was established after the Turkish invasion of 1974; declared its independence in 1983; but has not
received extensive international recognition [textbook §2.2.A.1.].
i Free association with New Zealand.
jNon-member observer status; applied for UN membership 2011.
kLocated in Southern Morocco—sovereignty unresolved.
lAka Republic of Somaliland; unilateral secession from Somalia in 1991; controls some territory; but is not recognized by any other country.
mAutonomous territory in Azerbaijan Propercontrolled by Armenia.
Note: This Table does not include territorial possessions of the above-listed States. For further details, see CIA Country Studies and UN
Membership Website.