List of sovereign states in the 1930s
This is a list of sovereign states in the 1930s, giving an overview of states around the world during the period between 1 January 1930 and 31 December 1939. It contains entries, arranged alphabetically, with information on the status and recognition of their sovereignty. It includes 77 widely recognized sovereign states, entities which were de facto sovereign but which were not widely recognized by other states, and 1 state which was initially unrecognized but then gained full recognition later in the decade.
Sovereign states
A
----Widely recognized independent state. LON member state.
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Widely recognized LON member state. Under occupation by Italy from April 12, 1939.
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Widely recognized independent state.
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Widely recognized LON member state. Argentina was a federation of 15 provinces and 9 federal territories. It had a claim over Argentine Antarctica. It also claimed the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, both of which were British crown colonies.
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Widely recognized state. Annexed into Italian East Africa.
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Widely recognized LON member state; Commonwealth realm. Australia was a federation of six states and three territories. It had sovereignty over the following external territories:
Australia administered two League of Nations mandates:
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Widely recognized LON member state. Annexed by Nazi Germany on March 12, 1938.
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B
----Widely recognized LON member state. Belgium had sovereignty over one colony and one concession:
Belgium administered one League of Nations mandate:
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Widely recognized independent state.
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Widely recognized independent state. Brazil was a federation of 20 states, one territory, and one federal district.
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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C
----Widely recognized LON member state; Commonwealth realm.
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Widely-recognized LON member state; withdrew on May 14, 1938.
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized independent state.
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized LON member state. Under occupation by Nazi Germany from 15 May 1939. A government in exile was regarded as the legitimate government by the Allies.
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D
----Widely recognized independent state. Annexed by Germany from 12 September 1939.
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Widely recognized LON member state. Denmark had sovereignty over one possession:
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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E
----Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from September 28, 1934.
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Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from May 26, 1937.
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Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on August 11, 1937.
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized LON member state. Under occupation by Italy from May 9, 1936, and annexed into Italian East Africa from June 1, 1936.
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F
----Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized LON member state. France administered the foreign affairs of the following colonies and protectorates:
- French Algeria
- French Equatorial Africa
- French Guiana
- French India – French Establishments in India
- French Indochina
- French Madagascar
- French Morocco
- French Oceania – French Establishments in Oceania
- French Somaliland
- French Tunisia
- French West Africa
- Guadeloupe
- Inini
- Martinique
- Alawite
- → Lebanese Republic
- State of Syria
- → Syrian Republic
- Jabal ad-Druze
- French Cameroons
- French Togoland
- Saar Basin
G
----Widely-recognized LON member state; withdrew on October 19, 1933.
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Widely-recognized LON member state.
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Widely-recognized LON member state; withdrew on May 26, 1936.
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H
----Widely recognized LON member state under [United States Italian protectorate of Albania (1939–1943)|occupation of Haiti|United States occupation] to August 1, 1934.
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Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on July 10, 1936.
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Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on April 11, 1939.
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I
----Widely recognized independent state.
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from October 3, 1932.
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Widely recognized LON member state; Commonwealth realm.
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Widely recognized LON member state under fascism; withdrew on December 11, 1937. Italy had sovereignty over two colonies and three concessions:
- Amoy
- Italian Cyrenaica
- Italian Tripolitania
- Italian Libya
- Italian Eritrea
- Italian Somaliland
- Italian East Africa
- Shanghai
- Tientsin
J
----Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on March 27, 1933. Japan had sovereignty over the following dependencies and concessions:
Japan administered one League of Nations mandate:
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L
----Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized independent state.
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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M
----Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from September 12, 1931; declared a member on September 12, 1931. Mexico had sovereignty over one territory:
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Widely recognized independent state.
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De jure independent state. De facto a British protectorate.
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N
----Widely recognized independent state.
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Widely recognized independent state. Nejd and Hejaz had sovereignty over one protectorate:
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Widely recognized independent state.
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Widely recognized LON member state. The Netherlands had sovereignty over three colonies:
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Widely recognized independent state; de facto Commonwealth realm to February 16, 1934.
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Widely recognized LON member state; Commonwealth realm. New Zealand had sovereignty over four dependent territories:
New Zealand administered one League of Nations mandate:
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Widely recognized LON member state under United States occupation to 1933; withdrew on June 27, 1936.
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Widely recognized LON member state. Norway had sovereignty over three uninhabited possessions:
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P
----Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on February 23, 1935.
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Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on April 8, 1939.
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Widely recognized LON member state. Under occupation by Nazi Germany from 6 October 1939. A government in exile was regarded as the legitimate government by the Allies.
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Widely recognized LON member state. The following were colonies and possession of Portugal:
- Portuguese Macau
- Portuguese East Africa
- Portuguese India
- Portuguese West Africa
- Fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá
- Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe
R
----Widely recognized LON member state.
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S
----Widely recognized independent state.
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- Kingdom of Siam
- Kingdom of Thailand
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Widely recognized LON member state; Commonwealth realm. South Africa administered one League of Nations mandate:
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Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from September 18, 1934; expelled on December 14, 1939. The Soviet Union was a federation of seven republics.
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Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on May 9, 1939. Spain had sovereignty over the following colonies and protectorate:
- → Ifni
- → → Spanish Guinea
- → → Spanish Sahara
- Spanish Morocco
Widely recognized LON member state.
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Widely recognized LON member state.
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T
----De facto independent state. Claimed by the [Republic of Republic of China (1912–1949)|China (1912–1949)|Republic of China].
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Widely recognized independent state. LON member state from July 18, 1932.
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U
----Widely recognized LON member state. The United Kingdom had sovereignty over 62 colonies:
- Aden – Aden Colony and Protectorate
- Amoy
- Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
- Ashanti
- → [History of History of Bahrain (1783–1971)|Bahrain (1783–1971)|Bahrain] – State of Bahrain
- Baker Island
- Basutoland – Territory of Basutoland
- Bechuanaland – Bechuanaland Protectorate
- Bermuda
- Bhutan – Kingdom of Bhutan
- British Guiana
- British Honduras
- British Leeward Islands – Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands
- British Somaliland – British Somaliland Protectorate
- British Western Pacific Territories
- British Windward Islands – Federal Colony of the Windward Islands
- Brunei – State of Brunei
- → Burma
- Canton and Enderbury Islands
- Ceylon
- Cyprus
- Enderby Land
- Falkland Islands
- Federated Malay States
- Gambia – Gambia Colony and Protectorate
- →
- → Guernsey – Bailiwick of Guernsey
- Heard Island and McDonald Islands
- Hong Kong
- – Indian Empire
- → Isle of Man
- Jamaica
- Jarvis Island
- – Bailiwick of Jersey
- Johor – State of Johor Darul Ta'zim
- Kedah – State of Kedah Darul Aman
- – State of Kelantan Darul Naim
- Kenya – Kenya Colony and Protectorate
- Kuwait – Sheikhdom of Kuwait
- Maldive Islands – Sultanate of the Maldive Islands
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Muscat and Oman – Sultanate of Muscat and Oman
- Nigeria – Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria
- Northern Rhodesia – Protectorate of Northern Rhodesia
- Northern Territories of the Gold Coast
- – Nyasaland Protectorate
- – State of Perlis Indera Kayangan
- → → Qatar – State of Qatar
- Redonda
- Saint Helena
- Sarawak – Kingdom of Sarawak
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone – Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate
- Sikkim
- South Orkney Islands
- – Colony of Southern Rhodesia
- South Shetland Islands
- Straits Settlements
- Suez Canal Zone
- Swaziland – Swaziland Protectorate
- → Terengganu – State of Terengganu Darul Iman
- Tientsin
- Tristan da Cunha
- Trucial States
- Uganda
- Victoria Land
- Weihaiwei
- Zanzibar
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Widely recognized independent state. The United States had sovereignty over 21 territories:
- Alaska – Alaska Territory
- American Samoa – Territory of American Samoa
- Canton and Enderbury Islands
- Corn Islands
- Guam – Territory of Guam
- Hawaii – Territory of Hawaii
- Howland Island
- Johnston Atoll
- Kingman Reef
- Midway Atoll
- Navassa Island
- Petrel Islands
- Philippine Islands
- Puerto Rico
- Quita Sueno Bank
- Roncador Bank
- Serrana Bank
- Serranilla Bank
- Swan Islands
- Wake Island
Widely recognized LON member state.
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V
----Widely recognized independent state.
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Widely recognized LON member state; withdrew on July 12, 1938.
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Y
----Widely recognized independent state.
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Widely recognized independent state.
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Other entities
Excluded from the list above are the following noteworthy entities which either were not fully sovereign or did not claim to be independent:----
Unrecognized state.
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Unrecognized state.
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Unrecognized state.
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Unrecognized state. Claimed by Brazil after four days.
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Unrecognized state. Occupied by Hungary on March 15, 1939.
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Self-declared state in 1931; became an autonomous government within the Spanish Republic, named Generalitat of Catalonia, from April 17, 1931. Self-declared revolutionary state in 1934 during the Events of 6 October.
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Unrecognized state. Puppet state of Japan.
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Unrecognized state. Puppet state of Japan.
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Unrecognized state.
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Partially recognized socialist republic. Puppet state of the Soviet Union.
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Unrecognized state. Puppet state of Japan.
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De facto unrecognized independent state. De jure regional province of China.
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Unrecognized state. Annexed by China on January 13, 1934.
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Transitional political state. Annexed by Turkey from 7 July 1939.
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Unrecognized state.
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Unrecognized government-in-exile.
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- State of Manchuria
- Empire of Manchuria
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Puppet state of Japan.
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Satellite state of the Soviet Union.
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- Mongol Military Government
- Mongol United Autonomous Government
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Puppet state of Japan. Became part of Mengjiang from September 1, 1939.
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Unrecognized state. A confederation of two ethnic minority governments including the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Geledesha and the Tibetan People's Republic.
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Puppet government of Japan.
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Puppet state of Nazi Germany recognized by several neutral states.
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Puppet state of Japan. Became part of Mengjiang from September 1, 1939.
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Partially recognized socialist republic. Satellite state of the Soviet Union.
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Unrecognized state.Rump Oromo state in western Ethiopia.
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