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