List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Asia

This is a list of sovereign states and dependent territories in Asia. It includes fully recognized states, states with limited but substantial international recognition, de facto states with little or no international recognition, and dependencies of both Asian and non-Asian states. In particular, it lists (i) 49 generally recognized sovereign states, all of which are members of the United Nations; (ii) two states with substantial but not general international recognition, one of which is a United Nations General Assembly non-member observer state; (iii) three largely unrecognized de facto states; and (iv) six dependent and other territories.

The 49 generally recognized sovereign states listed here include two countries that are generally classified as European or African nations but with portions of their territory being in Asia, while the two states with substantial but not general recognition are both fully encompassed in Asia. Though a majority of the Russian Federation's land area is located within Asia, it is generally considered a European country because of its historical, cultural, ethnic, and political ties to Europe. Its capital and largest city, Moscow is located within Europe, and the vast majority of its population lives within its European part. South Caucasus countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia), Turkey, and Cyprus are also often considered part of Europe based on political, economic, and historical-cultural criteria. In addition, while Egypt extends into Asia through the Sinai Peninsula, it is generally considered to be an African country because most of its population and geographic area is in Africa.

Geographical boundaries of Asia

The divisions between Asia and Europe occur at the Ural Mountains, Ural River, and Caspian Sea in the east, the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Bosporus Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea in the south. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey all have territory in both Asia and Europe. Armenia and Cyprus are entirely in Western Asia but are socio-politically European countries and members of the Council of Europe, with Cyprus also being a member of the European Union. Georgia and Turkey are both considered EU candidate countries situated on Asian and European territories.

The division between Asia and Africa is normally considered to be the Suez Canal, placing the Sinai peninsula (which is part of Egypt) in Asia. Therefore, Egypt, an African country, may also be considered to be a country in Asia.

The division between Southeast Asia and Australia/Oceania is disputed and currently placed somewhere between Java and New Guinea. Indonesia spans both areas, but is ordinarily considered to be an Asian country. Timor-Leste is sometimes considered to be part of Australasia or Melanesia, but due to its being surrounded by Indonesia, and its once being politically part of Indonesia, it is generally considered to be in Southeast Asia. Papua New Guinea is occasionally thought of as a Southeast Asian country, but it is generally considered to be part of Australasia or Melanesia. The division between East Asia and Oceania is usually placed somewhere between the Japanese archipelago and the Northern Mariana Islands of Micronesia. Certain Japanese islands are often categorized as being within Micronesia due to non-continental geology and similar biogeography. The division between Asia and North America is considered to be the Bering Strait. Some of the Aleutian Islands, however, may be considered to be in Asia.

Sovereign states

Further information: Sovereign state

A sovereign state is a political organization with effective sovereignty over a population for whom it makes decisions in its interest. According to the Montevideo convention, a state must have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.

United Nations member states

There are 49 Asian states or states with substantial territory in Asia in this list. All are members of the United Nations.

Flag	Map	English short, formal names, and ISO	Domestic short and formal name(s)	Capital	Population 2018	Area
		Afghanistan Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan AFG	(Afghānistān – Imārat-i Islāmī-yi Afghānistān) (Afġānistān – Də Afġānistān Islāmī Imārat)	Kabul Dari and (Kābəl)	37,171,921	652,230 km2 (251,827 sq mi)
		Armenia Republic of Armenia ARM	(Hayastan – Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun)	Yerevan (Yerevan)	2,951,745	29,743 km2 (11,484 sq mi)
		Azerbaijan Republic of Azerbaijan AZE		Baku	9,949,537	86,600 km2 (33,436 sq mi)
		Bahrain Kingdom of Bahrain BHR	(Al Baḥrayn – Mamlakat al Baḥrayn)	Manama (Al Manāmah)	1,569,446	760 km2 (293 sq mi)
		Bangladesh People's Republic of Bangladesh BGD	(Bānglādesh – Gaṇaprajātantrī Bānglādesh)	Dhaka (Ḍhākā)	161,376,708	147,570 km2 (56,977 sq mi)
		Bhutan Kingdom of Bhutan BTN	(Druk Yul – Druk Gyalkhapb)	Thimphu (Thimphu)	754,388	38,394 km2 (14,824 sq mi)
		Brunei Brunei Darussalam BRN	1=|2= }‎بروني – ‎نڬارا بروني دارالسلام</ span>‎)	Bandar Seri Begawan ({{safesubst:ifsubst|1=|2= }بندر سري بڬاوان</ span>‎)	460,356	5,765 km2 (2,226 sq mi)
		Cambodia Kingdom of Cambodia KHM	(Kâmpŭchéa – Preăhréachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchéa)	Phnom Penh (Phnum Pénh)	16,249,792	181,035 km2 (69,898 sq mi)
		China People's Republic of China CHN	Chinese: 中国 – 中华人民共和国 (Zhōngguó – Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó)	Beijing Chinese: 北京 (Běijīng)	1,427,647,786	9,596,961 km2 (3,705,407 sq mi)
		Cyprus Republic of Cyprus CYP	(Kýpros – Kypriakí Dimokratía)	Nicosia (Lefkosía)	1,189,265	9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi)
		Egypt Arab Republic of Egypt EGY	Arabic: {{safesubst:ifsubst|1=|2= }مصر – جمهورية مصر العربية</ span>‎ (Miṣr—Jumhūrīyat Miṣr al-ʿArabiyya)	Cairo Arabic: {{safesubst:ifsubst|1=|2= }القاهرة</ span>‎ (al-Qāhirah)	98,423,598	1,001,449 km2 (386,662 sq mi)
		Georgia GEO	Template:Lang-ka (Sak'art'velo)	Tbilisi / T'bilisi Template:Lang-ka (T'bilisi)	4,002,942	69,700 km2 (26,911 sq mi)
		India Republic of India IND	(Bhārat – Bhārat Gaṇarājya)	New Delhi (Naī Dillī)	1,352,642,280	3,287,263 km2 (1,269,219 sq mi)
		Indonesia Republic of Indonesia IDN		Jakarta	267,670,543	1,904,569 km2 (735,358 sq mi)
		Iran Islamic Republic of Iran IRN	(Īrān – Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Īrān)	Tehran (Tehrān)		1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi)
		Iraq Republic of Iraq IRQ	(Al 'Irāq – Jumhūrīyat al 'Irāq)	Baghdad (Baghdād)	38,433,600	438,317 km2 (169,235 sq mi)
		Israel State of Israel ISR	(Yisra'el – Medinat Yisra'el) (Isrā'īl – Dawlat Isrā'īl)	Jerusalem (Claimed and de facto) (Yerushalayim) (Al Quds)	8,381,516	20,770 km2 (8,019 sq mi)
		Japan JPN	(Nihon / Nippon – Nihon-koku / Nippon-koku)	Tokyo (Tōkyō)	127,202,192	377,915 km2 (145,914 sq mi)
		Jordan Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan JOR	(Al Urdun – Al Mamlakah al Urdunīyah al Hāshimīyah)	Amman (Ammān)	9,965,318	89,342 km2 (34,495 sq mi)
		Kazakhstan Republic of Kazakhstan KAZ	(Qazaqstan – Qazaqstan Respýblıkasy) (Kazahstan – Respublika Kazahstan)	Astana (Astana) (Astana)	18,319,618	2,724,900 km2 (1,052,090 sq mi)
		North Korea Democratic People's Republic of Korea PRK	(Chosŏn – Chosŏn-minjujuŭi-inmin-konghwaguk)	Pyongyang (Phyŏngyang)	25,549,604	120,538 km2 (46,540 sq mi)
		South Korea Republic of Korea KOR	(Hanguk – Daehan Minguk)	Seoul (Seoul)	51,171,706	99,720 km2 (38,502 sq mi)
		Kuwait State of Kuwait KWT	(Al Kuwayt – Dawlat al Kuwayt)	Kuwait City (Al Kuwayt)	4,137,312	17,818 km2 (6,880 sq mi)
		Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyz Republic KGZ	(Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyz Respublikasy) (Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyzskaja Respublika)	Bishkek (Bishkek) (Biškek)	6,304,030	199,951 km2 (77,202 sq mi)
		Laos Lao People's Democratic Republic LAO	(PathetLao – Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxôn Lao)	Vientiane (Viangchan)		236,800 km2 (91,429 sq mi)
		Lebanon Lebanese Republic LBN	(Lubnān – Al Jumhūrīyah al Lubnānīyah)	Beirut (Bayrūt)	6,859,408	10,452 km2 (4,036 sq mi)
		Malaysia MYS	Malay: Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	31,528,033	329,847 km2 (127,355 sq mi)
		Maldives Republic of Maldives MDV	(Dhivehi Raajje – Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa)	Malé / Male' (Maale)	515,696	298 km2 (115 sq mi)
		Mongolia MNG	(Mongol – Mongol uls)	Ulaanbaatar (Ulaanbaatar)	3,170,216	1,564,116 km2 (603,909 sq mi)
		Myanmar Republic of the Union of Myanmar MMR	(Myanma – Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw)	Nay Pyi Taw (Nay Pyi Taw)	53,708,320	676,578 km2 (261,228 sq mi)
		Nepal Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal NPL	(Nepāl – Saṅghīya Loktāntrik Gaṇatantra Nepāl)	Kathmandu (Kāṭhmāḍaũ)	28,095,714	147,516 km2 (56,956 sq mi)
		Oman Sultanate of Oman OMN	('Umān – Salṭanat 'Umān)	Muscat (Masqaţ)	4,829,473	309,500 km2 (119,499 sq mi)
		Pakistan Islamic Republic of Pakistan PAK	(Pākistān —Islāmī Jamhuriyah-e-Pākistān)	Islamabad (Islāmābād)	212,228,286	881,913 km2 (340,509 sq mi)
		Philippines Republic of the Philippines PHL		Manila	106,651,394	343,448 km2 (132,606 sq mi)
		Qatar State of Qatar QAT	(Qatar – Dawlat Qatar)	Doha (Ad Dawḩah)	2,781,682	11,586 km2 (4,473 sq mi)
		Russia Russian Federation RUS	(Rossija – Rossijskaja Federacija)	Moscow (Moskva)	(including Crimea)	17,098,242 km2 (6,601,668 sq mi)
		Saudi Arabia Kingdom of Saudi Arabia SAU	(As Su'ūdīya – Al Mamlakah al 'Arabīyah as Su'ūdīyah)	Riyadh (Ar Riyāḑ)	33,702,756	2,149,690 km2 (830,000 sq mi)
		Singapore Republic of Singapore SGP	Chinese: 新加坡 – 新加坡共和国 (Xīnjiāpō – Xīnjiāpō Gònghéguó) (Chiṅkappūr – Chiṅkappūr Kuṭiyarachu)	Singapore Chinese: 新加坡 (Xīnjiāpō) (Chiṅkappūr)	5,757,499	697 km2 (269 sq mi)
		Sri Lanka Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka LKA	(Shrī Laṁkā – Shrī Laṁkā Prajātāntrika Samājavādī Janarajaya) (Ilaṅkai – Ilaṅkai Jaṉanāyaka Choṣhalichak Kuṭiyarachu)	Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Shrī Jayavardhanapura Koṭṭe) (Shrī Jĕyavarttaṉapura Koṭṭai)	21,228,763	65,610 km2 (25,332 sq mi)
Flag of Syria		Syria Syrian Arab Republic SYR	(Sūrīyah / Sūriyā – Al Jumhūrīyah al 'Arabīyah as Sūrīyah)	Damascus (Dimashq)		185,180 km2 (71,498 sq mi)
		Tajikistan Republic of Tajikistan TJK	(Tojikiston – Jumhurii Tojikiston) (Tajikistan – Tažikistan Respublika)	Dushanbe (Dushanbe)	9,100,835	143,100 km2 (55,251 sq mi)
		Thailand Kingdom of Thailand THA	(Thai – Ratcha Anachak Thai)	Bangkok (Krung Thep Maha Nakhon)	69,428,453	513,120 km2 (198,117 sq mi)
Flag of Timor-Leste		Timor-Leste Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste TLS	Tetum: Timor Lorosa'e – Repúblika Demokrátika Timor Lorosa'e	Dili Tetum: Díli	1,267,974	14,874 km2 (5,743 sq mi)
		Turkey Republic of Türkiye TUR		Ankara	82,340,088	783,562 km2 (302,535 sq mi)
		Turkmenistan TKM		Ashgabat	5,850,901	488,100 km2 (188,456 sq mi)
		United Arab Emirates ARE	(Al Imārāt – Al Imārāt al 'Arabīyah al Muttaḥidah)	Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi)	9,630,959	83,600 km2 (32,278 sq mi)
		Uzbekistan Republic of Uzbekistan UZB		Tashkent	32,476,244	447,400 km2 (172,742 sq mi)
		Vietnam / Viet Nam Socialist Republic of Vietnam VNM		Hanoi		332,698 km2 (128,455 sq mi)
		Yemen Republic of Yemen YEM	(Al Yaman – Al Jumhūrīyah al Yamanīyah)	Sana'a (Ṣan'ā')	28,498,683	527,968 km2 (203,850 sq mi)

States with limited, but substantial, international recognition

In this list, Palestine is a state with substantial international recognition and UN General Assembly non-member observer state status but without practical control over tangible territory, while Taiwan is a de facto state with full practical sovereignty over its territory and unofficial ties with most of the international community but not widely recognized de jure. Although a founding member of the United Nations as the Republic of China, since 1971 Taiwan is no longer recognized by the United Nations.

Flag	Map	English short, formal names, and ISO	Status	Domestic short and formal names	Capital	Population 2018	Area
		Palestine State of Palestine PSE	Recognized by Template:Numrec. See International recognition of the State of Palestine. One of two United Nations General Assembly non-member observer states	(Filasṭīn – Dawlat Filasṭīn)	Ramallah (de facto) (Rāmāllah) Jerusalem (declared) (Al-Quds)		6,220 km2 (2,402 sq mi)
		Taiwan Republic of China TWN	Claimed as part of the People's Republic of China. Officially recognized as sovereign by Template:Numrec and the Holy See, which deem it to be the rightful government of all of China. In addition, Taiwan maintains unofficial relations with most other countries and is de facto recognized by most sovereign states. See Political status of Taiwan for more information about the situation.	Traditional Chinese: 臺灣/台灣 – 中華民國 (Táiwān—Zhōnghuá Mínguó)	Taipei Traditional Chinese: 台北 (Táiběi)		35,980 km2 (13,892 sq mi)

De facto states with little or no international recognition

Further information: List of states with limited recognition

The three de facto states on this list have little or no international recognition and are not members of the United Nations. All are defined as states by the declarative theory.

Flag	Map	English short and formal names	Status	Domestic short and formal names	Capital	Population (2011)	Area
		Abkhazia Republic of Abkhazia	Claimed as an autonomous republic of Georgia. Recognised by 5 UN states.	(Apswa)	Sukhumi / Sokhumi (Akwa)	250,000	8,660 km2 (3,344 sq mi)
		Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus	Claimed as part of the Republic of Cyprus. Recognised only by Turkey.		North Nicosia	285,356	3,355 km2 (1,295 sq mi)
		South Ossetia Republic of South Ossetia - State of Alania	Claimed as part of Georgia. Recognised by 5 UN states.	(Khussar Iryston – Respublikæ Khussar Iryston) (Yuzhnaya Osetiya – Respublika Yuzhnaya Osetiya)	Tskhinvali (Chreba)	70,000	3,900 km2 (1,506 sq mi)

Dependencies and other territories

Further information: Dependent territory

The four territories in this list are controlled by a state of which they are not considered to be a part.

Flag	Map	English short, formal names, and ISO	Status	Domestic short and formal names	Capital	Population	Area
Flag of the United Kingdom, as used in Akrotiri and Dhekelia		Akrotiri and Dhekelia Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	British overseas territory	(Akrotíri ke Dekélia – Periochés Kyríarchon Váseon Akrotiríou ke Dekélias)	Episkopi Cantonment (Frourá Episkopís)	15,700	254 km2 (98 sq mi)
		British Indian Ocean Territory IOT	British overseas territory		Camp Justice	4,000	54,400 km2 (21,004 sq mi)
		Christmas Island Territory of Christmas Island CXR	Territory of Australia		Flying Fish Cove / The Settlement	1,843	135 km2 (52 sq mi)
		Cocos (Keeling) Islands Territory of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands CCK	Territory of Australia		West Island / Bantam	544	14 km2 (5 sq mi)

Special areas of internal sovereignty

Further information: Special administrative regions of China

The following two entities are integral areas of their controlling state, but have a political arrangement that was decided through an international agreement.

Flag	Map	English short, formal names, and ISO	Status	Domestic short and formal names	Capital	Population	Area
		Hong Kong Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China HKG	Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China	Traditional Chinese: 香港 – 中華人民共和國香港特別行政區	Hong Kong	7,582,000	2,755 km2 (1,064 sq mi)
		Macau / Macao Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China MAC	Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China	Traditional Chinese: 澳門 – 中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區	Macau / Macao	693,000	28.2 km2 (10.9 sq mi)

See also

• List of Asian countries by GDP
• List of predecessors of sovereign states in Asia
• List of states with limited recognition