Countries and regions* (explanatory note)
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The term country is used here in a slightly broader sense (see list below) than as a political, sovereign nation. It also comprises a number of regions which it has been considered necessary or useful to separate from the nations of which they are part.

Example: French Guiana, New Caledonia, and French Polynesia are here regarded as separate "countries", although they are politically part of France. This is done because the reptile faunas of these regions are completely unassociated with one another and with that of France, and because species lists of these regions are only meaningful when looked at separately. It would be misleading to consider the faunas of these regions as part of the fauna of France, thus multiplying the number of species in France several times and making any comparison between France and other European countries senseless.

The term region is used here to comprise all other geographically limited areas which do not fall within the category "country", as described above.
Examples: Borneo, Hispaniola, New Guinea, Timor (each shared by two or three different nations), as well as provinces, states, and many islands or archipelagos belonging to nations such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, South Africa, USA, etc.

The list below shows the nations and regions which are considered "countries" in the Biodiversity section of this website. Sovereign nations are listed in bold. Regions which are not sovereign nations are listed in italics. The nations of which they are part are added in brackets.

To see a list of all countries and regions which make the basis of the Biodiversity section of this website, click here.


Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa [USA]
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antigua & Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba [Netherlands]
Ascension [United Kingdom]
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Azores [Portugal]
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bassas da India [France]
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda [United Kingdom]
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire [Netherlands]
Bonin Islands [Japan]
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands [United Kingdom]
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Canary Islands [Spain]
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chagos Archipelago [United Kingdom]
Chile
China
Christmas Island [Australia]
Clipperton [France]
Cocos (Keeling) Islands [Australia]
Colombia
Comoro Islands
Congo-Brazzaville
Congo-Kinshasa
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Curacao [Netherlands]
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Easter Island [Chile]
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Europa Island [France]
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana [France]
French Polynesia [France]
Gabon
Galapagos Islands [Ecuador]
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar [United Kingdom]
Glorioso Islands [France]
Greece
Grenada
Guadeloupe [France]
Guam [USA]
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Hawaii [USA]
Honduras
Howland & Baker [USA]
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jarvis [USA]
Johnston [USA]
Jordan
Juan de Nova [France]
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kermadec Islands [New Zealand]
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Madagascar
Madeira [Portugal]
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique [France]
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte [France]
Mexico
Micronesia
Minami Torishima [Japan]
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat [United Kingdom]
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Navassa [USA]
Nepal
Netherlands
New Caledonia [France]
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
North Korea
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palmyra [USA]
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands [United Kingdom]
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion [France]
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saba [Netherlands]
Saint Barthelemy [France]
Saint Helena [United Kingdom]
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin/Sint Maarten [France/Netherlands]
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
San Marino
Sao Tome & Principe
Saudi Arabia
Selvagens Islands [Portugal]
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Sint Eustatius [Netherlands]
Slovakia
Slovenia
Socotra Archipelago [Yemen]
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Surinam
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau [New Zealand]
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Tristan da Cunha [United Kingdom]
Tromelin [France]
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks & Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
U.S. Virgin Islands [USA]
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Uruguay
USA
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Volcano Islands [Japan]
Wake [USA]
Wallis & Futuna [France]
Western Sahara
Western Samoa
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe