United Nations geoscheme

{{Short description|U.N. region definitions}} {{Distinguish|United Nations Regional Groups}} {{Further|List of countries and territories by the United Nations geoscheme}}

[[File:United Nations geographical subregions.png|thumb|upright=2.25|22 geographical subregions as defined by the UNSD. Antarctica{{efn|A continental region with no geographical subregions.}} is not shown.]]

The '''United Nations geoscheme''' is a system that divides 248 countries and territories in the world into six continental regions, 22 geographical subregions, and two intermediary regions.<ref>[https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/#ftn13 UNSD: Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49) – Recent changes – Footnote 13]</ref> It was devised by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) based on the M49 coding classification.<ref name="m49">{{Cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/|title=UNSD — Methodology|publisher=United Nations Statistics Division |access-date=2019-06-17}}</ref> The creators note that "the assignment of countries or areas to specific groupings is for statistical convenience and does not imply any assumption regarding political or other affiliation of countries or territories".<ref name="m49" />

The UNSD geoscheme was created for statistical analysis and consists of macro-geographical regions arranged to the extent possible according to continents.<ref name="m49" /> Within each region, smaller geographical subregions and sometimes intermediary regions contain countries and territories. Countries and territories are also grouped non-geographically into selected economic and other sets, such as the landlocked developing countries, the least developed countries, and the Small Island Developing States.

Antarctica does not comprise any geographical subregions or country-level areas.

The UNSD geoscheme does not set a standard for the entire United Nations System, and it often differs from geographical definitions used by the autonomous United Nations specialized agencies for their own organizational convenience. For instance, the UNSD includes Cyprus and Georgia in Western Asia, yet the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and UNESCO include them in Europe.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FAKMBgAAQBAJ&dq=west+asia+iran+2015&pg=PA14 United Nations Industrial Organisation] p. 14</ref><ref>UNESCO, [http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/worldwide/unesco-regions/europe-and-north-america/ Europe and North America], Retrieved: 10 May 2016</ref> This statistical definition also differs from United Nations Regional Groups.

Alternative groupings include the World Bank regional classification,<ref name="Elborgh-WoytekNewiak2013">{{cite book|author1=Katrin Elborgh-Woytek |author2=Monique Newiak |author3=Kalpana Kochhar |author4=Stefania Fabrizio |author5=Kangni Kpodar |author6=Philippe Wingender |author7=Benedict J. Clements |author8=Gerd Schwartz |title=Women, Work, and the Economy:Macroeconomic Gains from Gender Equity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdi1AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA7|date=20 September 2013|publisher=International Monetary Fund|isbn=978-1-4843-9529-5|pages=7|quote=Country groups are based on UN geoscheme and World Bank regional classification}}</ref> CIA World Factbook regions and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers Geographic Regions.<ref>[https://meetings.icann.org/en/regions ICANN Geographic Regions]</ref><ref>[https://ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/ccnso-final-report-regions-wg-240907.pdf ICANN Geographical Regions, Final Report by the ccNSO Regions Working Group], For Submission to the ICANN Board, 24 September 2007</ref><ref name="WorldBankGeoScheme">[https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups "World Bank Country and Lending Groups"], the World Bank</ref>

== Maps == <gallery> File:Africa-regions.svg|UN geoscheme for Africa {{legend|#FFA500|Eastern Africa}} {{legend|#FF00FF|Middle Africa}} {{legend|#0000FF|Northern Africa}} {{legend|#FF0A0A|Southern Africa}} {{legend|#00FF00|Western Africa}} File:LocationNSAmUNGeoscheme.png|UN geoscheme for the Americas {{legend|#00FFFF|Caribbean}} {{legend|#00FF00|Central America}} {{legend|#0000FF|Northern America}} {{legend|#FFFC00|South America}} File:Asia-UN.png|UN geoscheme for Asia {{legend|blue|Central Asia}} {{legend|red|Eastern Asia}} {{legend|#00FF00|South-eastern Asia}} {{legend|orange|Southern Asia}} {{legend|yellow|Western Asia}} File:Europe subregion map UN geoscheme.svg|UN geoscheme for Europe {{legend|#FF8080|Eastern Europe}} {{legend|#4080FF|Northern Europe}} {{legend|#00FF00|Southern Europe}} {{legend|#00FFFF|Western Europe}} </gallery>

== Africa == {{Main|Africa}} {{Further|List of regions of Africa}} {{Seealso|Regions of the African Union}}

=== Northern Africa === {{Main|North Africa}} {{Further|Macaronesia|Maghreb|Mashriq}} {{Seealso|Greater Middle East|Middle East and North Africa}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Algeria}} * {{flag|Egypt}} * {{flag|Libya}} * {{flag|Morocco}} * {{flag|Sudan}} * {{flag|Tunisia}} * {{flagicon image|Flag.svg}} Western Sahara {{colend}}

=== Sub-Saharan Africa === {{Main|Sub-Saharan Africa}}

==== Eastern Africa ==== {{Main|East Africa}} {{Further|Horn of Africa}} {{Seealso|Comoro Islands|Mascarene Islands}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|British Indian Ocean Territory}}{{efn|An Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom.|name=BOT}} * {{flag|Burundi}} * {{flag|Comoros}} * {{flag|Djibouti}} * {{flag|Eritrea}} * {{flag|Ethiopia}} * {{flag|French Southern Territories}} * {{flag|Kenya}} * {{flag|Madagascar}} * {{flag|Malawi}} * {{flag|Mauritius}} * {{flag|Mayotte|local}}{{efn|An overseas department and region of France.|name=FRA}} * {{flag|Mozambique}} * {{flag|Réunion|local}}{{efn|name=FRA}} * {{flag|Rwanda}} * {{flag|Seychelles}} * {{flag|Somalia}} * {{flag|South Sudan}} * {{flag|Uganda}} * {{flag|United Republic of Tanzania}} * {{flag|Zambia}} * {{flag|Zimbabwe}} {{colend}}

==== Middle Africa ==== {{Main|Central Africa}} {{Further|Cameroon line}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Angola}} * {{flag|Cameroon}} * {{flag|Central African Republic}} * {{flag|Chad}} * {{flag|Congo}} * {{flag|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} * {{flag|Equatorial Guinea}} * {{flag|Gabon}} * {{flag|São Tomé and Príncipe|name=Sao Tome and Principe}} {{colend}}

==== Southern Africa ==== {{Main|Southern Africa}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Botswana}} * {{flag|Eswatini}} * {{flag|Lesotho}} * {{flag|Namibia}} * {{flag|South Africa}} {{colend}}

==== Western Africa ==== {{Main|West Africa}} {{Further|Macaronesia}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Benin}} * {{flag|Burkina Faso}} * {{flag|Cabo Verde}} * {{flag|Côte d'Ivoire}} * {{flag|Gambia}} * {{flag|Ghana}} * {{flag|Guinea}} * {{flag|Guinea-Bissau}} * {{flag|Liberia}} * {{flag|Mali}} * {{flag|Mauritania}} * {{flag|Niger}} * {{flag|Nigeria}} * {{flag|Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha}}{{efn|name=BOT}} ** {{flag|Saint Helena}} ** {{flag|Ascension Island}} ** {{flag|Tristan da Cunha}} * {{flag|Senegal}} * {{flag|Sierra Leone}} * {{flag|Togo}} {{colend}}

== Americas == {{Main|Americas}}

=== Latin America and the Caribbean === {{Main|Latin America and the Caribbean}} {{Further|Latin America}} {{Seealso|List of regions of Latin America}}

==== Caribbean ==== {{Main|Caribbean|West Indies}} {{Further|Antilles|Greater Antilles|Lesser Antilles|Lucayan Archipelago}} {{Seealso|Leeward Antilles|Leeward Islands|Windward Islands}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Anguilla}}{{efn|name=BOT}} * {{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}} * {{flag|Aruba}}{{efn|Part of the Dutch Caribbean and a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands|name=KON1}} * {{flag|Bahamas}} * {{flag|Barbados}} * {{flag|Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba}}{{efn|A part of the Dutch Caribbean and a public body within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.|name=KOT2}} ** {{flag|Bonaire}} ** {{flag|Sint Eustatius}} ** {{flag|Saba}} * {{flag|British Virgin Islands}}{{efn|name=BOT}} * {{flag|Cayman Islands}}{{efn|name=BOT}} * {{flag|Cuba}} * {{flag|Curaçao}}{{efn|name=KON1}} * {{flag|Dominica}} * {{flag|Dominican Republic}} * {{flag|Grenada}} * {{flag|Guadeloupe|local}}{{efn|name=FRA}} * {{flag|Haiti}} * {{flag|Jamaica}} * {{flag|Martinique|local}}{{efn|name=FRA}} * {{flag|Montserrat}}{{efn|name=BOT}} * {{flag|Puerto Rico}}{{efn|A commonwealth and unincorporated territory of the United States.}} * {{flag|Saint Barthélemy|local}}{{efn|An overseas collectivity of France.|name=FOC}} * {{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}} * {{flag|Saint Lucia}} * {{Flagicon image|Local flag of the Collectivity of Saint Martin.svg}} Saint Martin (French part){{efn|name=FOC}} * {{flag|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}} * {{flag|Sint Maarten}} (Dutch part){{efn|name=KON1}} * {{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}} * {{flag|Turks and Caicos Islands}}{{efn|name=BOT}} * {{flag|United States Virgin Islands}}{{efn|An unincorporated and organized territory of the United States}} {{colend}}

==== Central America ==== {{Main|Central America}} {{Further|Middle America (Americas)}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Belize}} * {{flag|Costa Rica}} * {{flag|El Salvador}} * {{flag|Guatemala}} * {{flag|Honduras}} * {{flag|Mexico}} * {{flag|Nicaragua}} * {{flag|Panama}} {{colend}}

==== South America ==== {{Main|South America}} {{Further|Caribbean South America|Southern Cone|The Guianas}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Argentina}} * {{flag|Bolivia}} (Plurinational State of) * {{flag|Bouvet Island}}{{efn|A dependency of Norway}} * {{flag|Brazil}} * {{flag|Chile}} * {{flag|Colombia}} * {{flag|Ecuador}} * {{flag|Falkland Islands}} (Malvinas){{efn|name=BOT}} * {{flag|French Guiana|local}}{{efn|name=FRA}} * {{flag|Guyana}} * {{flag|Paraguay}} * {{flag|Peru}} * {{flag|South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands}}{{efn|name=BOT}} * {{flag|Suriname}} * {{flag|Uruguay}} * {{flag|Venezuela}} (Bolivarian Republic of) {{colend}}

=== Northern America === {{Main|Northern America}} {{Further|Anglo-America}} {{Seealso|Western world}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Bermuda}}{{efn|name=BOT}} * {{flag|Canada}} * {{flag|Greenland}}{{efn|A constituent country within the Kingdom of Denmark}} * {{flag|Saint Pierre and Miquelon|local}}{{efn|name=FOC}} * {{flag|United States}} {{colend}}

== Asia == {{Main|Asia}} {{Further|Far East}}

=== Central Asia === {{Main|Central Asia}} {{Further|Inner Asia}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Kazakhstan}} * {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}} * {{flag|Tajikistan}} * {{flag|Turkmenistan}} * {{flag|Uzbekistan}} {{colend}}

=== Eastern Asia === {{Main|East Asia}} {{Further|Far East|Northeast Asia}} {{See also|Greater China|Japanese Archipelago|Korea|Mongol heartland}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|China}} * {{flag|Hong Kong|name=China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region}} * {{flag|Macau|name=China, Macao Special Administrative Region}} * {{flag|Korea, Democratic People's Republic of}} (North Korea) * {{flag|Japan}} * {{flag|Mongolia}} * {{flag|Korea, Republic of}} (South Korea) {{colend}}

==== Note on Taiwan ==== {{Main|Political status of Taiwan}} {{Further|Cross-strait relations}} {{Seealso|Taiwan Area}}

Several institutions and research papers using classification schemes based on the UN geoscheme include Taiwan separately in their divisions of Eastern Asia.

# The Unicode CLDR's "Territory Containment (UN M.49)" includes Taiwan in its presentation of the UN M.49.<ref>{{cite web |title=Territory Containment (UN M.49) |url=https://www.unicode.org/cldr/charts/latest/supplemental/territory_containment_un_m_49.html |website=www.unicode.org |publisher=Unicode Consortium |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref> # The public domain map data set Natural Earth has metadata in the fields named "region_un" and "subregion" for Taiwan. # The regional split recommended by Lloyd's of London for Eastern Asia (UN statistical divisions of Eastern Asia) contains Taiwan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geographical diversification and Solvency II: A proposal by Lloyd's |url=http://www.lloyds.com/~/media/Files/The%20Market/Operating%20at%20Lloyds/Solvency%20II/SIIGeographicaldiversificationv4.doc}}</ref> # Based on the United Nations statistical divisions, the APRICOT (conference) includes Taiwan in East Asia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Countries in APRICOT's Region |url=https://www.apricot.net/countries.html |access-date=2025-03-19 |archive-date=2014-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413141318/https://www.apricot.net/countries.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> # Studying Website Usability in Asia, Ather Nawaz and Torkil Clemmensen select Asian countries on the basis of United Nations statistical divisions, and Taiwan is also included.<ref>[http://athernawaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Ijhci2013.pdf Website Usability in Asia 'from Within': An Overview of a Decade of Literature] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413130624/http://athernawaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Ijhci2013.pdf |date=2014-04-13 }} International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 29, issue 4 (2013), pp. 256–273.</ref> # Taiwan is also included in the UN Geoscheme of Eastern Asia in one systematic review on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hodgkins |first1=Paul |last2=Arnold |first2=L. Eugene |last3=Shaw |first3=Monica |last4=Caci |first4=Hervé |last5=Kahle |first5=Jennifer |last6=Woods |first6=Alisa G |last7=Young |first7=Susan |date=2012 |title=A Systematic Review of Global Publication Trends Regarding Long-Term Outcomes of ADHD |journal=Frontiers in Psychiatry |volume=2 |pages=84 |doi=10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00084 |issn=1664-0640 |pmc=3260478 |pmid=22279437 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Note on Northern Asia === {{Main|North Asia}} {{Further|Siberia|Russian Far East}} {{Seealso|Far North (Russia)|Russian conquest of Siberia}}

This unofficial subregion covers the entire geographical region of Siberia. Since this region as a whole falls under the transcontinental country of Russia, for statistical convenience, Russia is assigned under Eastern Europe by the UNSD, including both European Russia and Asian Russia under a single subregion. Hence, there is no geopolitical entity that is currently grouped under Northern Asia.

=== South-eastern Asia === {{Main|Southeast Asia}} {{Further|Far East|Mainland Southeast Asia|Maritime Southeast Asia}} {{Seealso|Malay Archipelago|Nanyang (region)}}

This subregion covers the geographical regions of Mainland Southeast Asia and Maritime Southeast Asia, covering the following geopolitical entities as a whole:

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Brunei Darussalam}} * {{flag|Cambodia}} * {{flag|Indonesia}} * {{flag|Lao People's Democratic Republic}} * {{flag|Malaysia}} * {{flag|Myanmar}} * {{flag|Philippines}} * {{flag|Singapore}} * {{flag|Thailand}} * {{flag|Timor-Leste}} * {{not a typo|{{flag|Viet Nam}}}} {{colend}}

=== Southern Asia === {{Main|South Asia}} {{Further|Indian subcontinent|Iranian plateau}}

This subregion covers the geographical regions of the Indian subcontinent and the Iranian plateau, covering the following geopolitical entities as a whole:

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |name=Afghanistan}} * {{flag|Bangladesh}} * {{flag|Bhutan}} * {{flag|India}} * {{flag|Iran|name=Iran (Islamic Republic of)}} * {{flag|Maldives}} * {{flag|Nepal}} * {{flag|Pakistan}} * {{flag|Sri Lanka}} {{colend}}

=== Western Asia === {{Main|West Asia}}

{{Further|Middle East|Near East|Palestine (region)|Syria (region)}} {{Seealso|Greater Middle East|Middle East and North Africa}}

This subregion covers the geographical regions spanning over the Armenian Highlands, Anatolia, Arabia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, and the South Caucasus, covering the following geopolitical entities as a whole:

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Armenia}} * {{flag|Azerbaijan}} * {{flag|Bahrain}} * {{flag|Cyprus}} * {{flag|Georgia}} * {{flag|Iraq}} * {{flag|Israel}} * {{flag|Jordan}} * {{flag|Kuwait}} * {{flag|Lebanon}} * {{flag|Oman}} * {{flag|Qatar}} * {{flag|Saudi Arabia}} * {{flag|State of Palestine}} * {{flag|Syrian Arab Republic}} * {{flag|Turkey}} * {{flag|United Arab Emirates}} * {{flag|Yemen}} {{colend}}

== Europe == {{Main|Europe}}

=== Eastern Europe === {{Main|Eastern Europe}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Belarus}} * {{flag|Bulgaria}} * {{flag|Czechia}} * {{flag|Hungary}} * {{flag|Poland}} * {{flag|Republic of Moldova}} * {{flag|Romania}} * {{flag|Russian Federation}}<sup>†</sup> * {{flag|Slovakia}} * {{flag|Ukraine}} {{colend}}

<sup>†</sup> Although Russia is a transcontinental country covering Northern Asia as well, for statistical convenience, Russia is assigned under Eastern Europe by the UNSD, including both European Russia and Asian Russia under a single subregion.

=== Northern Europe === {{Main|Northern Europe}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Åland Islands}} * {{flag|Denmark}} * {{flag|Estonia}} * {{flag|Faroe Islands}} * {{flag|Finland}} * {{flag|Bailiwick of Guernsey|name=Guernsey}} * {{flag|Iceland}} * {{flag|Ireland}} * {{flag|Isle of Man}} * {{flag|Jersey}} * {{flag|Latvia}} * {{flag|Lithuania}} * {{flag|Norway}} * {{flag|Svalbard and Jan Mayen|name=Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands}} * {{flag|Sweden}} * {{flag|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland}} {{colend}}

=== Southern Europe === {{Main|Southern Europe}}

{{Further|Iberian Peninsula|Italy (geographical region)|Southeast Europe}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Albania}} * {{flag|Andorra}} * {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} * {{flag|Croatia}} * {{flag|Gibraltar}}{{efn|name=BOT}} * {{flag|Greece}} * {{flag|Holy See}} * {{flag|Italy}} * {{flag|Malta}} * {{flag|Montenegro}} * {{flag|North Macedonia}} * {{flag|Portugal}} * {{flag|San Marino}} * {{flag|Serbia}} * {{flag|Slovenia}} * {{flag|Spain}} {{colend}}

=== Western Europe === {{Main|Western Europe}}

{{colbegin}} * {{flag|Austria}} * {{flag|Belgium}} * {{flag|France}} * {{flag|Germany}} * {{flag|Liechtenstein}} * {{flag|Luxembourg}} * {{flag|Monaco}} * {{flag|Netherlands}} * {{flag|Switzerland}} {{colend}}

== Oceania == {{Main|Oceania}}

=== Australia and New Zealand === {{Main|Australasia}}

* {{flag|Australia}} * {{flag|Christmas Island}} * {{flag|Cocos (Keeling) Islands}} * {{flag|Heard Island and McDonald Islands}} * {{flag|New Zealand}} * {{flag|Norfolk Island}}

=== Melanesia === {{Main|Melanesia}}

* {{flag|Fiji}} * {{flag|New Caledonia|local}} * {{flag|Papua New Guinea}} * {{flag|Solomon Islands}} * {{flag|Vanuatu}}

=== Micronesia === {{Main|Micronesia}}

* {{flag|Guam}} * {{flag|Kiribati}} * {{flag|Marshall Islands}} * {{flag|Micronesia (Federated States of)}} * {{flag|Nauru}} * {{flag|Northern Mariana Islands}} * {{flag|Palau}} * {{flag|United States Minor Outlying Islands}} (United States) ** {{flag|Baker Island}} ** {{flag|Howland Island}} ** {{flag|Jarvis Island}} ** {{flag|Johnston Atoll|local}} ** {{flag|Kingman Reef}} ** {{flag|Midway Atoll|local}} ** {{flag|Palmyra Atoll}} ** {{flag|Wake Island|local}}

=== Polynesia === {{Main|Polynesia}}

* {{flag|American Samoa}} * {{flag|Cook Islands}} * {{flag|French Polynesia}} * {{flag|Niue}} * {{flag|Pitcairn}}{{efn|name=BOT}} * {{flag|Samoa}} * {{flag|Tokelau}} * {{flag|Tonga}} * {{flag|Tuvalu}} * {{flag|Wallis and Futuna Islands|local}}

==Notes== {{notelist}}

== References == {{reflist}}

Category:United Nations geoscheme *geoscheme