Territories/Islands

Why in News?  Many nations around the world still control territories or islands outside their mainland regions. These territories often have unique historical, strategic, or economic significance.

Relevance : UPSC Pre &  Mains

Prelims : Territories/Islands

Mains :   GS 2

French Territories

1. French Guiana – Located in South America, it serves as the site for the European Space Agency’s Guiana Space Centre.
2. French Polynesia – A group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, including Tahiti.
3. New Caledonia – An archipelago in the South Pacific.
4. Réunion – An island in the Indian Ocean, near Madagascar.
5. Mayotte – Located in the Indian Ocean, near Comoros.
6. Guadeloupe and Martinique – Islands in the Caribbean.
7. Saint Pierre and Miquelon – Near Newfoundland, Canada.
8. Wallis and Futuna – Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

 British Territories :

1. Bermuda – Located in the North Atlantic Ocean.
2. Cayman Islands – In the Caribbean.
3. Falkland Islands – Off the coast of South America.
4. Gibraltar – On the southern coast of Spain.
5. Montserrat – In the Caribbean.
6. British Virgin Islands – A group of islands in the Caribbean.
7. Pitcairn Islands – In the South Pacific Ocean.
8. Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha – Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.

U.S. Territories :

1. Puerto Rico – In the Caribbean.
2. Guam – In the Pacific Ocean, near Asia.
3. American Samoa – In the South Pacific.
4. Northern Mariana Islands – In the Pacific Ocean.
5. U.S. Virgin Islands – In the Caribbean.

Other Countries :

Netherlands:

• Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten – Caribbean islands with significant autonomy.
• Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba – Special municipalities in the Caribbean.

Spain:

• Ceuta and Melilla – Autonomous cities in North Africa.
• Canary Islands – Located off the coast of northwest Africa.

Portugal:

• Azores – An archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Madeira – Another Atlantic archipelago.

Denmark:

• Greenland – The largest island in the world, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.
• Faroe Islands – In the North Atlantic.

Australia:

• Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, and Cocos (Keeling) Islands – Located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

New Zealand:

• Cook Islands and Niue – Associated states with self-governance.
• Tokelau – A dependent territory.

Norway:

• Svalbard – In the Arctic Ocean.
• Bouvet Island – In the South Atlantic Ocean.