A subregion is a part of a larger geographical region or continent. Cardinal directions are commonly used to define subregions. There are many criteria for creating systems of subregions; this article is focusing on the United Nations geoscheme, which is a changing, constantly updated, UN tool based on specific political geography and demography considerations relevant in UN statistics.
United Nations subregions
The Statistics Division of the United Nations (UN) is in charge of the collection, processing, and dissemination of statistical information for the UN.United Nations Statistics Division - About Us In 1999, it developed a system of macro-geographical (continental) regions, subregions, and other selected economic groups to report advances towards achieving numerous Millennium Development Goals worldwide. These statistical divisions were devised for statistical purposes and is used for carrying out statistical analysis.United Nations Statistics Division - Standard Country and Area Codes Classifications The division's first publication was the book World's Women 2000: Trends and Statistics in 2000.
According to the UN, 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.Standard country or area codes and geographical regions for statistical use
Subregions by landmass and continent The following is a non-exhaustive list of subregions, arranged alphabetically by region (i.e., by continent); in the UN geoscheme, higher-level, macro-geographical regions are arranged to the extent possible according to continents.
Sequence used in the list (not all criteria are applied to each continent):
by the UN Statistics Division's geoscheme by geography by physiography by geopolitics by human geography by economics by culture by language by religion by biogeography by historical division by geology
Afro-Eurasia Afro-Eurasia is a continental landmass comprising the continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Africa by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme (see also: UN geoscheme for Africa): Northern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Eastern Africa Middle Africa Southern Africa Western Africa
by geography: North Africa (Also known as Saharan Africa) Maghreb (AKA Northwest Africa, also including Mauritania, which most geographers consider as a part of West Africa; some geographers consider Libya as a part of Northeast Africa and Western Sahara as a part of West Africa) Northeast Africa (including Egypt, the Horn of Africa, and the Sudans; some geographers consider Egypt, Libya, and the Sudan as Northeast Africa instead) Sub-Saharan Africa (AKA Tropical Africa) Central Africa (AKA Congo, Equatorial Africa or Middle Africa) East Africa (AKA Nile) Northeast Africa (including Egypt, the Horn of Africa, and the Sudans; some geographers consider Egypt, Libya, and the Sudan as Northeast Africa instead) Horn of Africa Southeast Africa (also including Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho, which most geographers consider as part of Southern Africa) Southern Africa (AKA Kalahari) West Africa (AKA Niger) Guinea (region) Sudan (region)
by physiography: Congo Basin Kalahari Basin Kalahari Desert Namib Nile Basin Sahara Sahel Sudanian savanna East Sudanian savanna Sudd West Sudanian savanna
by economics: African Monetary Union (AMU) Arab League (including some West Asian countries) Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Common Monetary Area (CMA) Community of Sahel–Saharan States (CEN-SAD) Council of Arab Economic Unity (GAFTA) – including some West Asian countries Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) EMEA (including Europe and the Middle East) Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Southern African Development Community (SADC) Union for the Mediterranean (including most Southern European countries and some West Asian countries)
by biogeography: Macaronesia
by historical division: Negroland
by geology: Kaapvaal craton Zimbabwe Craton
Eurasia Eurasia is a continental mainland comprising the continents of Asia and Europe.
Asia by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme (see also: UN geoscheme for Asia): Central Asia Eastern Asia Southeast Asia Southern Asia – the UN geoscheme includes Afghanistan and Iran in this subregion Western Asia – the UN geoscheme includes Cyprus, the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia), and Turkey in this subregion
by geography: Central Asia East Asia Greater China China Hong Kong (some geographers consider it as a part of Northeast Asia) Macau (some geographers consider it as a part of Northeast Asia) Mainland China (some geographers consider it as a part of Northeast Asia) North China (Eastern Inner Mongolia is also a part of Northeast China) Northeast China (AKA Manchuria) – also a part of Northeast Asia Southeast China (excluding Central China) East China (some geographers include Taiwan Island, Penghu, Kinmen, the Matsu Islands, Socotra Rock, Parangcho, and the Senkaku Islands in this subregion) South Central China Central China South China (including Hainan Island and the South China Sea Islands, some geographers also include Hong Kong and Macau in this subregion) Western China Northwest China (some geographers consider Qinghai and Xinjiang as part of Central Asia) Southwest China (some geographers consider Tibet as a part of Central Asia) South China Sea Islands (some geographers consider them as part of Northeast Asia) Paracel Islands Pratas Island Spratly Islands James Shoal (undersea feature) Taiping Island Zhongzhou Reef Zhongsha Islands Macclesfield Bank Walker Shoal Scarborough Shoal Taiwan (some geographers consider it as a part of Northeast Asia) Mongolia (some geographers consider it as a part of Central Asia or Northeast Asia) Northeast Asia China Eastern Inner Mongolia Northeast China (AKA Manchuria) Japan Daitō Islands Mainland Japan Hokkaido Honshu Kyushu Shikoku Nanpō Islands Ryukyu Islands Korea North Korea South Korea Russian Far East (also a part of North Asia, but not a part of East Asia) Outer Manchuria North Asia (AKA Siberia) Russian Far East (also a part of Northeast Asia) Outer Manchuria South Asia Eastern South Asia Northern South Asia Northwestern Indian subcontinent Southern South Asia India Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lakshadweep Mainland India Central India East India Northeast India North India Northwest India South India (AKA Peninsular India, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep) Western India Southeast Asia Mainland Southeast Asia Malay Peninsula Peninsular Malaysia Southern Thailand Tanintharyi Region Maritime Southeast Asia Borneo (including Labuan) Brunei East Malaysia Labuan Sabah Sarawak Kalimantan West Asia (AKA Southwest Asia) Anatolia (AKA Asia Minor) Arabia Eastern Arabia Hejaz (AKA Western Arabia) Najd (AKA Central Arabia) South Arabia Levant Southern Levant Mesopotamia South Caucasus (AKA Transcaucasia)
by physiography: Anatolian Peninsula Arabian Peninsula Central Plateau Indian Ocean Coast Persian Gulf Coast Red Sea Coast Bahrain Island Caucasus Mountains Greater Caucasus Lesser Caucasus Daitō Islands Eurasian Steppe Fertile Crescent Mesopotamia Hainan Island Himalayas Eastern Himalaya Western Himalaya Siachen Glacier Indian subcontinent Deccan Plateau Indochinese Peninsula Indo-Gangetic Plain Indus Valley Iranian Plateau Japanese archipelago Hokkaido Honshu Kuril Islands Kyushu Ryukyu Islands Okinawa Island Sakhalin Island Shikoku Jeju Island Junggar Basin Kolyma Korean Peninsula Leizhou Peninsula Liaodong Peninsula Malay Archipelago (including New Guinea) Indonesian Archipelago Maluku Islands Sunda Islands Greater Sunda Islands Borneo Java Sulawesi Sumatra Lesser Sunda Islands Alor Archipelago Bali Barat Daya Islands Flores Komodo Lombok Sumba Sumbawa Tanimbar Islands Timor Philippine Archipelago Luzon Mindanao Visayan Islands Mongolian Plateau Nanpō Islands Bonin Islands Volcano Islands Qinghai Lake Shandong Peninsula Sichuan Basin Sri Lanka Island Taiwan Island Tarim Basin
by geopolitics: Asia-Pacific (APAC) – including Oceania Far East/Pacific Asia Greater China China proper Inner Mongolia Manchuria Tibet Xinjiang Indochinese Peninsula Japanese Archipelago Korean Peninsula Malay Archipelago Russian Far East Greater Middle East – including some African countries Middle East and North Africa (AKA MENA) – including North African countries Middle East (AKA the Near East) – including Egypt Arab League (AKA the Arab states) – including some African countries Mashriq – including Egypt and the Sudan Arabian Peninsula Levant – including Ash-Shām and Cyprus Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) Asia Minor South Caucasus (AKA Transcaucasia) The 'stans Indian subcontinent Himalayan states – including China Eastern Himalaya Western Himalaya Kashmir
by economics: Arab League – including some African countries ASEAN Free Trade Area Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) – including Russia Asian Clearing Union (ACU) Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) – including Oceania Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Bamboo network Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal Initiative (BBIN) Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Council of Arab Economic Unity (GAFTA) – including some African countries EMEA (including Africa and Europe) Eurasian Customs Union (ECU) – including Belarus Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) – including Belarus Greater Mekong Subregion Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Union for the Mediterranean (including most Southern European countries and North African countries)
by culture: Eastern world East Asian cultural sphere Greater China Eastern and western China Northern and southern China China proper Manchuria Japan Korea Nanyang Vietnam Greater India Eastern Afghanistan Indian subcontinent Himalayan states Indian Himalayan Region Mainland Southeast Asia Maritime Southeast Asia Tibet Yunnan Greater Mongolia Inner Mongolia Mongolia (Outer Mongolia) Muslim world (AKA the Islamic world) Arab world Mashriq Arabia Al-Bahrain Al-Yamama Hadhramaut Tihamah Malay world Greater Indonesia Nusantara Turkic world Azerbaijan Soviet Central Asia (excluding Tajikistan) Turkey Xinjiang Dzungaria (northern half of Xinjiang) Southern Xinjiang Greater Iran Greater Khorasan
by religion: Abrahamic religions (West Asian religions or Western religions) Eastern religions Dharmic religions (Indian religions) Taoic religions (East Asian religions or Far Eastern religions)
by biogeography: Eastern Asia Malesia
by historical division: East Indies (AKA the Indies) Farther India (AKA Ultraindia) Indochina Insulindia
by geology: Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc Kuril Island Arc Northeastern Japan Arc Ryukyu Island Arc Sakhalin Island Arc Southwestern Japan Arc
Europe by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme (see also: UN geoscheme for Europe): Eastern Europe – the UN geoscheme includes parts of Central Europe (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia), parts of South-eastern Europe (Bulgaria and Romania), and Northern Asia (Siberia) in this subregion Northern Europe – the UN geoscheme includes the Baltic states, the British Isles, and the Channel Islands in this subregion Southern Europe – the UN geoscheme includes Slovenia in this subregion