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United Nations member states

There are currently 191 member states in the United Nations.

• Afghanistan -- (November 19 1946)
• Albania -- (December 14 1955)
• Algeria -- (October 8 1962)
• Andorra -- (July 28 1993)
• Angola -- (December 1 1976)
• Antigua and Barbuda -- (November 11 1981)
• Argentina -- (October 24 1945)
• Armenia -- (March 2 1992)
• Australia -- (November 1 1945)
• Austria -- (December 14 1955)
• Azerbaijan -- (March 2 1992)
• Bahamas -- (September 18 1973)
• Bahrain -- (September 21 1971)
• Bangladesh -- (September 17 1974)
• Barbados -- (December 9 1966)
• Belarus -- (October 24 1945)
• Belgium -- (December 27 1945)
• Belize -- (September 25 1981)
• Benin -- (September 20 1960)
• Bhutan -- (September 21 1971)
• Bolivia -- (November 14 1945)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina -- (May 22 1992) originally October 19 1945
• Botswana -- (October 17 1966)
• Brazil -- (October 24 1945)
• Brunei Darussalam -- (September 21 1984)
• Bulgaria -- (December 14 1955)
• Burkina Faso -- (September 20 1960)
• Burundi -- (September 18 1962)
• Cambodia -- (December 14 1955)
• Cameroon -- (September 20 1960)
• Canada -- (November 9 1945)
• Cape Verde -- (September 16 1975)
• Central African Republic -- (September 20 1960)
• Chad -- (September 20 1960)
• Chile -- (October 24 1945)
• China^* -- (October 24 1945)
• Colombia -- (November 5 1945)
• Comoros -- (November 12 1975)
• Congo (Republic of the Congo) -- (September 20 1960)
• Congo, Democratic Republic of the -- (September 20 1960)
• Costa Rica -- (November 2 1945)
• Côte d'Ivoire -- (September 20 1960)
• Croatia -- (May 22 1992) originally October 19 1945
• Cuba -- (October 24 1945)
• Cyprus -- (September 20 1960)
• Czech Republic -- (January 19 1993)
• Denmark -- (October 24 1945)
• Djibouti -- (September 20 1977)
• Dominica -- (December 18 1978)
• Dominican Republic -- (October 24 1945)
• Ecuador -- (December 21 1945)
• Egypt -- (October 24 1945)
• El Salvador -- (October 24 1945)
• Equatorial Guinea -- (November 12 1968)
• Eritrea -- (May 28 1993)
• Estonia -- (September 17 1991)
• Ethiopia -- (November 13 1945)
• Fiji -- (October 13 1970)
• Finland -- (December 14 1955)
• France -- (October 24 1945)
• Gabon -- (September 20 1960)
• Gambia -- (September 21 1965)
• Georgia -- (July 31 1992)
• Germany -- (September 18 1973)
• Ghana -- (March 8 1957)
• Greece -- (October 25 1945)
• Grenada -- (September 17 1974)
• Guatemala -- (November 21 1945)
• Guinea -- (December 12 1958)
• Guinea-Bissau -- (September 17 1974)
• Guyana -- (September 20 1966)
• Haiti -- (October 24 1945)
• Honduras -- (December 17 1945)
• Hungary -- (December 14 1955)
• Iceland -- (November 19 1946)
• India -- (October 30 1945)
• Indonesia -- (September 28 1950)
• Iran, Islamic Republic of -- (October 24 1945)
• Iraq -- (December 21 1945)
• Ireland -- (December 14 1955)
• Israel -- (May 11 1949)
• Italy -- (December 14 1955)
• Jamaica -- (September 18 1962)
• Japan -- (December 18 1956)
• Jordan -- (December 14 1955)
• Kazakhstan -- (March 2 1992)
• Kenya -- (December 16 1963)
• Kiribati -- (September 14 1999)
• Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (North Korea) -- (September 17 1991)
• Korea, Republic of (South Korea) -- (September 17 1991)
• Kuwait -- (May 14 1963)
• Kyrgyzstan -- (March 2 1992)
• Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) -- (December 14 1955)
• Latvia -- (September 17 1991)
• Lebanon -- (October 24 1945)
• Lesotho -- (October 17 1966)
• Liberia -- (November 2 1945)
• Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Libya) -- (December 14 1955)
• Liechtenstein -- (September 18 1990)
• Lithuania -- (September 17 1991)
• Luxembourg -- (October 24 1945)
• Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia -- (April 8 1993) originally October 19 1945
• Madagascar -- (September 20 1960)
• Malawi -- (December 1 1964)
• Malaysia -- (September 17 1957)
• Maldives -- (September 21 1965)
• Mali -- (September 28 1960)
• Malta -- (December 1 1964)
• Marshall Islands -- (September 17 1991)
• Mauritania -- (October 27 1961)
• Mauritius -- (April 24 1968)
• Mexico -- (November 7 1945)
• Micronesia, Federated States of -- (September 17 1991)
• Moldova, Republic of -- (March 2 1992)
• Monaco -- (May 28 1993)
• Mongolia -- (October 27 1961)
• Morocco -- (November 12 1956)
• Mozambique -- (September 16 1975)
• Myanmar (Burma) -- (April 19 1948)
• Namibia -- (April 23 1990)
• Nauru -- (September 14 1999)
• Nepal -- (December 14 1955)
• Netherlands, Kingdom of -- (December 10 1945)
• New Zealand -- (October 24 1945)
• Nicaragua -- (October 24 1945)
• Niger -- (September 20 1960)
• Nigeria -- (October 7 1960)
• Norway -- (November 27 1945)
• Oman -- (October 7 1971)
• Pakistan -- (September 30 1947)
• Palau -- (December 15 1994)
• Panama -- (November 13 1945)
• Papua New Guinea -- (October 10 1975)
• Paraguay -- (October 24 1945)
• Peru -- (October 31 1945)
• Philippines -- (October 24 1945)
• Poland -- (October 24 1945)
• Portugal -- (December 14 1955)
• Qatar -- (September 21 1971)
• Romania -- (December 14 1955)
• Russian Federation -- (October 24 1945)
• Rwanda -- (September 18 1962)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis -- (September 23 1983)
• Saint Lucia -- (September 18 1979)
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -- (September 16 1980)
• Samoa -- (December 15 1976)
• San Marino -- (March 2 1992)
• São Tomé and Príncipe -- (September 16 1975)
• Saudi Arabia -- (October 24 1945)
• Senegal -- (September 28 1960)
• Serbia and Montenegro -- (November 1 2000 as Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, renamed on February 4 2003) originally October 19 1945- Yugoslavia was first country to ratify UN membership
• Seychelles -- (September 21 1976)
• Sierra Leone -- (September 27 1961)
• Singapore -- (September 21 1965)
• Slovakia -- (January 19 1993)
• Slovenia -- (May 22 1992) originally October 19 1945
• Solomon Islands -- (September 19 1978)
• Somalia -- (September 20 1960)
• South Africa -- (November 7 1945)
• Spain -- (December 14 1955)
• Sri Lanka -- (December 14 1955)
• Sudan -- (November 12 1956)
• Suriname -- (December 4 1975)
• Swaziland -- (September 24 1968)
• Sweden -- (November 19 1946)
• Switzerland -- (September 10 2002)
• Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) -- (October 24 1945)
• Tajikistan -- (March 2 1992)
• Tanzania, United Republic of -- (December 14 1961)
• Thailand -- (December 16 1946)
• Timor-Leste (East Timor) -- (September 27 2002)
• Togo -- (September 20 1960)
• Tonga -- (September 14 1999)
• Trinidad and Tobago -- (September 18 1962)
• Tunisia -- (November 12 1956)
• Turkey -- (October 24 1945)
• Turkmenistan -- (March 2 1992)
• Tuvalu -- (September 5 2000)
• Uganda -- (October 25 1962)
• Ukraine -- (October 24 1945)
• United Arab Emirates -- (December 9 1971)
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland -- (October 24 1945)
• United States of America -- (October 24 1945)
• Uruguay -- (December 18 1945)
• Uzbekistan -- (March 2 1992)
• Vanuatu -- (September 15 1981)
• Venezuela -- (November 15 1945)
• Viet Nam -- (September 20 1977)
• Yemen -- (September 30 1947)
• Zambia -- (December 1 1964)
• Zimbabwe -- (August 25 1980)

The Seat of China

Main article: China and the United Nations

The Republic of China was one of the five original founders of the UN in 1945. However, the Kuomintang-controlled ROC government was deposed in 1949, with the new Communist government of the People's Republic of China taking control of most of the country. Representatives of the nationalist government continued to represent China at the UN, though it was often alleged that this was somewhat unfair, given the size of the ROC's jurisdiction of Taiwan (and other outlying islands) compared to the PRC's juridiction of mainland China. In October 1971, Resolution 2758 was passed by the General Assembly, effectively expelling the ROC from all UN organs and replacing the China seat on the Security Council with the PRC. Multiple attempts by the Republic of China to re-join the UN, no longer to represent "China" as a whole but the "twenty-three million people of the Republic of China on Taiwan," have not made it past committee.

Observer States

In addition to the member states discussed above, there is also a non-member observer state: the Holy See (Vatican City State), which maintains a permanent observer mission at the UN headquarters. The Vatican is the smallest sovereign country in the world.

Some international organizations have a similar observer status; see UN General Assembly for a list.

Dependent areas

The other non-members are dependent areas which are countries that do not have full sovereignty. In some cases this is because affairs such as defence or foreign relations are handled by another country, which is often the case for islands with small populations (e.g., the Isle of Man). In other cases, there is a separate entity to handle these affairs on behalf of multiple countries, such as for Serbia and Montenegro or the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Unrepresented peoples

For the Saharawi people of Western Sahara and the Taiwanese of the Republic of China, there is no member state of the United Nations that represents them. Ostensibly, they are represented in all UN organs by Morocco and the People's Republic of China, respectively. With the admission of Switzerland in September of 2003, all free countries other than the Vatican have joined the United Nations General Assembly as member states.