Subregion

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 The United Nations geoscheme, created by the United Nations
considerations relevant in UN statistics. Statistics Division. For statistical consistency and convenience,
each country or area is shown in one continental subregion only. For
example, Russia (a transcontinental country in both Eastern Europe
United Nations and Northern Asia) has been included in Eastern Europe only

subregions
The Statistics Division of the United Nations (UN) is in charge of the collection, processing, and
dissemination of statistical information for the UN.[1] In 1999, it developed a system of macro-geographical
(continental) regions, subregions, and other selected economic groups to report advances towards achieving
numerous millennial development goals worldwide. These statistical divisions were devised for statistical
purposes and is used for carrying out statistical analysis.[2] 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.[3]

Subregions by 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
South-eastern 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 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
Western Europe – the UN geoscheme includes parts of Central Europe (the DACH
countries and Liechtenstein) in this subregion

by geography:
Central and Eastern Europe
Central Europe
Eastern Europe
Caucasus
North Caucasus (aka Ciscaucasia)
South Caucasus (aka Transcaucasia) – a subregion of West Asia
Northern Europe
 North-central Europe
Scandinavia
North-eastern Europe
North-western Europe
Southern Europe
South-central Europe
Apennine Peninsula (aka the Italian Peninsula)
Malta
South-eastern Europe
Balkan Peninsula (aka the Balkans)
Romania
South-western Europe
Balearic Islands
Iberian Peninsula (aka Iberia)
Southern France
Western Europe

by physiography:
Apennine Peninsula (aka the Italian Peninsula)
Balkan Peninsula
British Isles
Great Britain
Hebrides
Ireland
Isle of Man
Isle of Wight
Caucasus Mountains
Greater Caucasus
Lesser Caucasus – A part of West Asia
Channel Islands
Guernsey
Jersey
Eurasian Steppe
Fennoscandian Peninsula
Kola Peninsula
Scandinavian Peninsula
Great European Plain
East European Plain
Iberian Peninsula
Mediterranean Basin
by geopolitics:
East-Central Europe
Eastern Europe
Post-Soviet states
Baltic states
Commonwealth of Independent States
Union State
North Caucasus
Georgia
Ukraine
West-Central Europe (in German)
Western Europe
European Union (EU)
NATO
North Sea Commission (NSC)

by economics:
Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)
Commonwealth of Independent States Free Trade Area (CISFTA) – including Armenia
and most Central Asian countries
Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) – including Canada
EMEA (including Africa and the Middle East)
Eurasian Customs Union (EACU) – including Armenia and Kyrgyzstan
Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) – including Armenia and Kyrgyzstan
European Economic Area (EEA) – including Cyprus
European Free Trade Association (EFTA)
European Single Market (including Cyprus)
European Union Customs Union (EUCU) – including Cyprus and Turkey
European Union–Turkey Customs Union (including Cyprus and Turkey)
Eurozone (including Cyprus)
North Sea Region (NSR)
Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) – including some West Asian countries and most
North African countries
Union State

by culture:
Balkans
Eastern Balkans
Western Balkans
Baltic states
Benelux
Belgium
 Netherlands
Luxembourg
Mediterranean Region
Nordic countries and Karelia
North Sea Region
Sápmi, since 1809 divided between Finland and Sweden
Scandinavia
Visegrád Group

by language:
Celtic-speaking Europe
Germanic-speaking Europe
DACH countries
Germany (Deutschland)
Austria
Switzerland (Confoederatio Helvetica)
Romance-speaking Europe (aka Latin Europe)
Slavic-speaking Europe

by religion:
Eastern religions
Indian religions
Buddhism in Europe (Kalmykia)
Western religions (Abrahamic religions or West Asian religions)
Christianity in Europe
Catholicism in Europe
Eastern Orthodoxy in Europe
Protestantism in Europe
Islam in Europe

by biogeography:
Mediterranean Region

by historical division:
Celtic tribes
East–West Schism
Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Germanic tribes
Greco-Roman world
Hellenistic world
Roman Empire
 Eastern Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
Iranian tribes
Iron Curtain
Eastern Bloc
Western Bloc
Reformation (Protestantism)
Slavic tribes
Turkic tribes

by geology:
Alpine orogeny
East European craton
Baltic Shield
Ukrainian Shield

Americas
The Americas is a continental landmass comprising the continents of North America and South America.

by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme (see also: UN geoscheme for the
Americas):
Latin America and the Caribbean
Caribbean[4] – the UN includes the Lucayan Archipelago in this subregion
Central America[4] – the UN geoscheme includes Mexico in this subregion
South America
Northern America[4]

by culture:
Anglo-America
Latin America
French America
Ibero-America
Hispanic America
Portuguese America

by economics:
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)

North America
by geography:
Middle America
 Caribbean (Insular America)
Aves Island
West Indies
Antilles
Greater Antilles
Hispaniola
Lesser Antilles
Leeward Islands
Saint Martin island
SSS islands
Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
Spanish Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
Leeward Antilles
ABC islands
Windward Islands
Lucayan Archipelago
Central America
San Andrés and Providencia
Bajo Nuevo Bank
Serranilla Bank
Mexico
Northern America
Bermuda
Canada
Eastern Canada
Atlantic Canada
The Maritimes
Central Canada
Northern Canada
Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Western Canada
Canadian Prairies
West Coast
Greenland
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
United States (excluding Hawaii)
 Alaska
Contiguous United States
Central United States
Middle America (United States)
Midwestern United States
Eastern United States
Northeastern United States
Southeastern United States
Northern United States
Great Lakes region (including Ontario, Canada)
Southern United States
South Central United States
Western United States (including Alaska and Hawaii)
Northwestern United States
Southwestern United States (some geographers include the Oklahoma
Panhandle and West Texas in this subregion)

by physiography:
Atlantic coastal plain
Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line
East Coast of the United States
Great Basin
Great Basin Desert
Great Lakes
Great Lakes Basin
Great Plains
Gulf Coast of the United States
Piedmont
West Coast of the United States

by geopolitics:
Dutch Caribbean
Caribbean Netherlands (AKA the BES islands)
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
Red states and blue states
Western Caribbean zone

by economics:
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)
Great Lakes Megalopolis
Mesoamerican region
 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Northeast megalopolis
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
Petrocaribe

by culture:
Heartland (United States)
Mesoamerica
Oasisamerica

by biogeography:
Aridoamerica

by geology:
Canadian Shield
North American craton
Slave craton
Superior craton
Wyoming craton

South America
by geography:
Eastern South America: Federative Republic of Brazil
Northern South America – the part of South America located in the Northern Hemisphere
North-eastern South America: The Guianas
North-western South America: Caribbean South America
Southern South America: Southern Cone
Western South America: Andean States

by physiography:
Altiplano
Amazon basin
Amazon rainforest
Andes
Brazilian Highlands
Gran Chaco
Pampa
Pantanal
Patagonia

by economics:
Andean Community
Mercosur
Union of South American Nations
 by geology:
Guiana Shield

Antarctica
by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme:
Antarctica

by geography:
Antarctic and Subantarctic islands
Bouvet Island (some geographers consider it as a part of South America)
French Southern Territories (excluding Adélie Land and the Scattered Islands)
Crozet Islands (some geographers consider them as part of Africa)
Kerguelen Islands (some geographers consider them as part of Africa)
Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands (some geographers consider them as part of
Africa)
Heard Island and McDonald Islands (some geographers consider them as part of
Oceania)
Macquarie Island (some geographers consider it as a part of Oceania)
New Zealand Subantarctic Islands (some geographers consider them as part of
Oceania)
Antipodes Islands
Auckland Islands
Bounty Islands
Campbell Islands
Snares Islands
Peter I Island
Prince Edward Islands (some geographers consider them as part of Africa)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (some geographers consider them
as part of South America)
South Orkney Islands
South Shetland Islands
Mainland Antarctica
East Antarctica
Transantarctic Mountains
West Antarctica
Antarctic Peninsula

Oceania
by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme (see also: UN geoscheme for
Oceania):
 Australia and New Zealand – the UN geoscheme includes the Cato, Elizabeth, and
Middleton reefs, the Lord Howe Island Group, and Norfolk Island in this subregion
Melanesia – the UN geoscheme includes New Caledonia and New Guinea in this
subregion
Micronesia
Polynesia – the UN excludes New Zealand from this subregion

by geography:
Australasia
Australia–New Guinea
Australia (excluding the Australian Indian Ocean Territories, Heard Island and
McDonald Islands and Norfolk Island)
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Coral Sea Islands Territory (excluding the Cato, Elizabeth, and Middleton
reefs)
Mainland Australia
Australian Capital Territory
Jervis Bay Territory
New South Wales (excluding the Lord Howe Island Group)
Northern Territory
Queensland
South Australia
Victoria
Western Australia
Tasmania (excluding Macquarie Island)
New Guinea (some geographers consider it as a part of Melanesia)
Papua New Guinea (excluding the New Guinea Islands Region)
Western New Guinea
Papua
West Papua
Australian Indian Ocean Territories
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Heard Island
McDonald Islands
Macquarie Island
Zealandia
Cato Reef
Elizabeth Reef
Lord Howe Island Group
Middleton Reef
 New Caledonia (also a part of Melanesia)
New Zealand (some geographers consider it as a part of Polynesia)
New Zealand outlying islands (excluding the Kermadec Islands)
Chatham Islands
New Zealand Subantarctic Islands
Antipodes Islands
Auckland Islands
Bounty Islands
Campbell Islands
Snares Islands
Solander Islands
Three Kings Islands
Norfolk Island
Pacific Islands
Melanesia (some geographers consider it as a part of Australasia)
Island Melanesia
Fiji (excluding Rotuma)
New Caledonia (also a part of Zealandia)
New Guinea Islands Region (excluding Bougainville)
Santa Cruz Islands
Solomon Islands (archipelago)
Bougainville
Solomon Islands (excluding the Santa Cruz Islands)
Vanuatu
New Guinea (also a part of Australia–New Guinea)
Micronesia (some geographers include the Bonin Islands and the Volcano Islands in
this subregion)
Mariana Islands
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Wake Island
Polynesia (some geographers include Clipperton Island in this subregion)
Cook Islands
Easter Island
Salas and Gómez Island
French Polynesia
Tahiti
Hawaiian Islands
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
 Midway Atoll
Southeastern Hawaiian Islands
Howland and Baker Islands
Baker Island
Howland Island
Kermadec Islands
Niue
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
Rotuma
Samoan Islands
American Samoa (excluding Swains Island)
Samoa
Tokelau Islands
Swains Island
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu
Wallis and Futuna
Alo
Sigave
Uvea

by human geography:
Near Oceania
Remote Oceania

by economics:
Pacific Community
Pacific Islands Forum
Pacific Regional Environment Programme

by biogeography:
Papuasia
East Melanesian Islands

by geology (see also: Geology of Australia):

Archaean
Australian Shield
Centralian Superbasin
Gawler Craton
Narryer gneiss
Ore genesis
Perth Basin
 Pilbara Craton
Western Plateau
Yilgarn Craton

See also
Autonomous administrative division
Continent
Continental fragment
European Committee of the Regions
Euroregion
List of continents and continental subregions by population
List of Latin names of regions
Military district
Polar regions of Earth
Region
Regional district
Regional municipality
Subcontinent
Submerged continent
Supercontinent
United Nations geoscheme

References
1. United Nations Statistics Division - About Us (http://millenniumindicators.un.org/unsd/aboutu
s.htm)
2. United Nations Statistics Division - Standard Country and Area Codes Classifications (http://
millenniumindicators.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm)
3. Standard country or area codes and geographical regions for statistical use (http://unstats.un.
org/unsd/methods/m49/m49.htm)
4. These three subregions together form the continent of North America.

External links
UN Statistics Division – Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49) (https://unst
ats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/)

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