List of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Indian Ocean

This list of sovereign states and dependent territories in the Indian Ocean consists of 38 countries, with 13 in Africa, 22 in Asia, and 1 in Oceania that either border on or are in the Indian Ocean, as well as 2 European countries which administer several dependencies or overseas territories in the region.

Indian Ocean sovereign states and dependent territories Asia-Pacific (17)

(AUS)

(UK) (AUS) (AUS) (AUS)

Middle East (12)

† ‡ † † ‡ ‡ †

† †‡ † ‡

Sub-Saharan Africa (14)

‡ ‡ ‡ (Overseas territories: Mayotte — Réunion — French Southern and Antarctic Lands)

(nation state with limited international recognition — not a UN member)

‡

† — states bordering the Persian Gulf ‡ — states bordering the Red Sea

Sovereign states The states listed in this table either border on or are in the Indian Ocean, which here includes the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Recognised states The following fully recognised states are all member states of the United Nations.

+FlagCoat of arms or National emblemMapEnglish short name and formal nameLocal short names and formal namesCapitalPopulationArea in (mi2)Australia

Commonwealth of AustraliaEnglish: Australia — Commonwealth of AustraliaCanberra23,268,319Bahrain

Kingdom of BahrainArabic: مملكة البحرين – البحرين (Al Baḩrayn – Mamlakat al Baḩrayn)Manama1,569,446Bangladesh

People's Republic of BangladeshBengali: বাংলাদেশ – গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ (Bānglādesh – Gaṇaprajātantrī Bānglādesh)Dhaka161,376,708Comoros

Union of the ComorosArabic: جزر القمر — جمهورية القمر المتحدة (Juzur al Qamar—Jumhūriyyat al Qamar al-Muttaḥidah)

Comorian: Komori—Udzima wa Komori

French: Comores—Union des ComoresMoroni, Comoros832,322Djibouti

Republic of DjiboutiArabic: جيبوتي — جمهورية جيبوتي (Jibūti—Jumhūrīyat Jibūti)

French: Djibouti—République de DjiboutiDjibouti City958,923Egypt

Arab Republic of EgyptArabic: مصر — جمهورية مصر العربية (Miṣr—Jumhūrīyat Miṣr alʿArabiyyah)Cairo98,423,598Eritrea

State of EritreaArabic: إرتريا — دولة إرتريا (ʾIritriyā—Dawlat ʾIritriyā)

English: Eritrea—State of Eritrea

Tigrinya: ኤርትራ — ሃገረ ኤርትራ

(ʾErtra—Hagere ʾErtra)Asmara3,452,786India

Republic of IndiaHindi: भारत – भारत गणराज्य (Bhārat – Bhārat Gaṇarajya)New Delhi1,352,642,280Indonesia

Republic of IndonesiaIndonesian: Indonesia – Republik IndonesiaJakarta267,670,543Iran

Islamic Republic of IranPersian: جمهوری اسلامی ایران – ایران (Īrān – Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Īrān)Tehran83,183,741Iraq

Republic of IraqArabic: العراق – جمهورية العراق (Al 'Irāq – Jumhūrīyat al 'Irāq)Baghdad38,433,600Israel

State of IsraelHebrew: יִשְרָאֵל – מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra'el – Medinat Yisra'el)

Arabic: إسرائيل – دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل

(Isrā'īl – Dawlat Isrā'īl)Jerusalem(claimed andde facto)8,381,516 Jordan

Hashemite Kingdom of JordanArabic: اﻷرُدن – المملكة الأردنية الهاشميه (Al Urdun – Al Mamlakah al Urdunīyah al Hāshimīyah)Amman9,965,318Kenya

Republic of KenyaEnglish: Kenya—Republic of Kenya

Swahili: Kenya—Jamhuri ya KenyaNairobi51,392,565Kuwait

State of KuwaitArabic: دولة الكويت – اﻟﻜﻮﻳت (Al Kuwayt – Dawlat al Kuwayt)Kuwait City4,137,312Madagascar

Republic of MadagascarFrench: Madagascar—République de Madagascar

Malagasy: Repoblikan'i MadagasikaraAntananarivo26,262,313MalaysiaMalaysian: Persekutuan MalaysiaKuala Lumpur31,528,033Maldives

Republic of MaldivesDhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ – ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ (Dhivehi Raajje – Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa)Malé515,696Mauritius

Republic of MauritiusEnglish: Mauritius—Republic of Mauritius

French: Maurice—République de Maurice

Mauritian Creole: Moris—Repiblik MorisPort Louis1,267,185Mozambique

Republic of MozambiquePortuguese: Moçambique—República de MoçambiqueMaputo29,496,004Myanmar

Republic of the Union of MyanmarBurmese: မြန်မာ – ပြည်ထောင်စု သမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော် (Myanma – Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw)Naypyidaw53,708,320Oman

Sultanate of OmanArabic: عُمان – سلطنة عُمان ('Umān – Salţanat 'Umān)Muscat4,829,473Pakistan

Islamic Republic of PakistanEnglish: Pakistan – Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Urdu: پَاکِسْتَان – اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکستان

(Pākistān — Islāmī Jamhūrīyah-e-Pākistān)Islamabad212,228,286Qatar

State of QatarArabic: قطر – دولة قطر (Qatar – Dawlat Qatar)Doha2,781,682Saudi Arabia

Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaArabic: السعودية – المملكة العربية السعودية (As Su‘ūdīyah – Al Mamlakah al ‘Arabīyah as Su‘ūdīyah)Riyadh33,702,756Seychelles

Republic of SeychellesEnglish: Seychelles—Republic of Seychelles

French: Seychelles—République des Seychelles

Seychellois Creole: Sesel—Repiblik SeselVictoria97,096Singapore

Republic of SingaporeChinese: 新加坡 – 新加坡共和国 (Xīnjiāpō – Xīnjiāpō Gònghéguó)

English: Singapore – Republic of Singapore

Malay: Singapura – Republik Singapura

Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் – சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு

(Chiṅkappūr – Chiṅkappūr Kuṭiyarachu)Singapore5,757,499Sri Lanka

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaSinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකාව – ශ්‍රී ලංකා ප්‍රජාතාන්ත්‍රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජය (Shrī Laṁkā – Shrī Laṁkā Prajātāntrika Samājavādī Janarajaya)

Tamil: இலங்கை – இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சமத்துவ குடியரசு

(Ilaṅkai – Ilaṅkai Jaṉanāyaka Choṣhalichak Kuṭiyarachu)Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte21,228,763Somalia

Federal Republic of SomaliaArabic: الصومال — جمهورية الصومال الفيدرالية (Aṣ Ṣomāl—Jumhūriyyah aṣ Ṣomāl al Fīdrāliyyah)

Somali: Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka SoomaaliyaMogadishu15,008,226South Africa

Republic of South AfricaAfrikaans: Suid-Afrika—Republiek van Suid-AfrikaBloemfontein (judicial), Cape Town (legislative),

and Pretoria (executive)57,792,518Sudan

Republic of the SudanArabic: السودان — جمهورية السودان (As Sūdān—Jumhūriyyah as Sūdān)

English: Republic of the SudanKhartoum41,801,533Tanzania

United Republic of TanzaniaEnglish: Tanzania—United Republic of Tanzania

Swahili: Tanzania—Jamhuri ya Muungano wa TanzaniaDodoma (official) Dar es Salaam (seat of government)56,313,438Thailand

Kingdom of ThailandThai: ไทย – ราชอาณาจักรไทย (Thai – Ratcha Anachak Thai)Bangkok69,428,453Timor-Leste

Democratic Republic of Timor-LestePortuguese: Timor-Leste – República Democrática de Timor-Leste

Tetum: Timor Lorosa'e – Repúblika Demokrátika Timor Lorosa'eDili1,267,974United Arab EmiratesArabic: اﻹﻣﺎرات – دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة (Al Imārāt – Al Imārāt al 'Arabīyah al Muttaḩidah)Abu Dhabi9,630,959Yemen

Republic of YemenArabic: اليمن – الجمهورية اليمنية (Al Yaman – Al Jumhūrīyah al Yamanīyah)Sana'a (de jure)28,498,683

States with limited or no international recognition

The entity listed below has declared itself to be a sovereign state and exercises control over some territory but has limited or no recognition from other states and is not a member state of the United Nations.

FlagCoat of Arms or National EmblemMapEnglish Short Name and Formal NameStatusLocal Short Name(s) andFormal Name(s)CapitalPopulationAreaSomaliland

Republic of SomalilandState not controlled by Somalia "The Somali Republic shall have the following boundaries. (a) North; Gulf of Aden. (b) North West; Djibouti. (c) West; Ethiopia. (d) South south-west; Kenya. (e) East; Indian Ocean." Recognized by 1 UN memberArabic: جمهورية أرض الصومال — أرض الصومال (Jumhūrīyat Arḍ aṣ-Ṣūmāl)

Somali: Jamhuuriyadda SomalilandHargeisa4,000,000176,120 km2 (68,000 sq mi)

Constituent parts of sovereign states +FlagCoat of Arms or Territorial EmblemMapEnglish Short Name and Formal NameStatusLocal Short Name(s) and Formal Name(s)CapitalPopulationAreaAndaman and Nicobar Islands

Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar IslandsUnion Territory of IndiaEnglish: Andaman and Nicobar Islands — Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Hindi: अंडमान व निकोबार द्वीप समूह — केंद्र शासित प्रदेश अंडमान और निकोबार द्वीप समूह (Andamaan Aur Nikobaar Dveep Samooh — Kendr Shaasit Pradesh Andamaan Aur Nikobaar Dveep Samooh)Port Blair380,5208,250 km2 (3,190 sq mi)French Southern and Antarctic LandsOverseas Territory and constituent part of the French RepublicFrench: Terres australes et antarctiques françaisesSaint-PierreThe main station on the Îles Éparses is on Tromelin. The headquarters of the district chief, however, is Saint-Pierre, in Réunion.No permanent population"French Southern and Antarctic Lands". Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 5 October 2014. 200~400 scientists and military personnelTAAF Collectivity. "Présentation des territoires". taaf.fr (in French). Retrieved 19 October 2019.439,666.4 km2 (169,756.1 sq mi) Lakshadweep

Union Territory of LakshadweepUnion Territory of IndiaEnglish: Lakshadweep — Union Territory of Lakshadweep

Malayalam: ലക്ഷദ്വീപ് — കേന്ദ്രഭരണ പ്രദേശമായ ലക്ഷദ്വീപ് (Lakṣadvīp — Kēndrabharaṇa Pradēśamāya Lakṣadvīp)Kavarrati70,36532.62 km2 (12.59 sq mi)Mayotte Mayotte RegionOverseas Region and constituent part of the French RepublicFrench: Mayotte — Région MayotteMamoudzou 266,380374 km2 (144 sq mi)Phuket

Phuket ProvinceProvince of ThailandThai: ภูเก็ต — ภูเก็ต จังหวัด (Phuket — Phuket Changwat)Phuket416,582543 km2 (210 sq mi)Prince Edward IslandsTerritory of South AfricaEnglish: Prince Edward IslandsUninhabitedUninhabited335 km2 (129 sq mi)Réunion

Reunion RegionOverseas Department of FranceFrench: La Réunion — Région RéunionSaint-Denis859,9592,511 km2 (970 sq mi)Zanzibar

Republic of ZanzibarSemi-autonomous Region of TanzaniaArabic: زنجبار — جمهورية زنجبار (Zinjibār — Jumhūrīyat Zinjibār)

English: Zanzibar — Republic of Zanzibar

Swahili: Zanzibar — Jamhuri ya ZanzibarZanzibar City1,303,569 MWACHANG`A, DEVOTA (23 May 2014). "Kikwete to grace launch of 2012 statistics report". IPP Media.2,462 km2 (951 sq mi)

Dependent territories of sovereign states +FlagCoat of Arms or Territorial EmblemMapEnglish Short Name and Formal NameStatusLocal Short Name(s) andFormal Name(s)CapitalPopulationAreaAshmore and Cartier Islands

Territory of Ashmore and Cartier IslandsExternal Territory of AustraliaEnglish: Ashmore and Cartier Islands — Territory of Ashmore and Cartier IslandsUninhabitedUninhabited5 km2 (2 sq mi)British Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Overseas TerritoryEnglish: British Indian Ocean TerritoryCamp JusticeNon-Permanent: 3,000 military personnel Permanent: 060 km2 (23 sq mi)Christmas IslandExternal Territory of AustraliaEnglish: Christmas Island

Chinese: 圣诞岛 — 圣诞岛领地

Malay: Pulau Krismas — Wilayah Pulau KrismasFlying Fish Cove1,843135 km2 (52 sq mi) Cocos (Keeling) IslandsExternal Territory of AustraliaEnglish: Cocos (Keeling) Islands — Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Malay: Kepulauan Cocos (Keeling) — Wilayah Kepulauan Cocos (Keeling)

Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Kokos (Keeling)West Island54414 km2 (5.4 sq mi)Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Territory of Heard Island and McDonald IslandsExternal Territory of AustraliaEnglish: Heard Island and McDonald Islands — Territory of Heard Island and McDonald IslandsUninhabitedUninhabited368 km2 (142 sq mi)

See also Indian Ocean Rim List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands List of Caribbean countries by population List of island countries List of islands in the Indian Ocean List of islands of Africa List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Oceania

References