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 considerations relevant in UN statistics.

United Nations subregions

The Statistics Division of the United Nations is in charge of the collection, processing, and dissemination of statistical information for the UN. In 1999, it developed a system of macro-geographical regions, subregions, and other selected economic groups to report advances towards achieving numerous Millennium Development Goals worldwide. These statistical divisions were devised for statistical purposes and is used for carrying out statistical analysis. 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.

Subregions by landmass and continent

The following is a non-exhaustive list of subregions, arranged alphabetically by region ; in the UN geoscheme, higher-level, macro-geographical regions are arranged to the extent possible according to continents.
Sequence used in the list :

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 :

* Northern Africa
* Sub-Saharan Africa
** Eastern Africa
** Middle Africa
** Southern Africa
** Western Africaby geography:
* North Africa
** Maghreb
** Northeast Africa
* Sub-Saharan Africa
** Central Africa
** East Africa
*** Northeast Africa
**** Horn of Africa
*** Southeast Africa
** Southern Africa
** West Africa
*** 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 savannaby economics:
* African Monetary Union
* Arab League
* Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
* Common Monetary Area
* Community of Sahel–Saharan States
* Council of Arab Economic Unity – including some West Asian countries
* Economic Community of Central African States
* Economic Community of West African States
* EMEA
* Southern African Customs Union
* Southern African Development Community
* Union for the Mediterranean by biogeography:
* Macaronesiaby historical division:
* Negrolandby 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 :

* Central Asia
* Eastern Asia
* Southeast Asia
* Southern Asia – the UN geoscheme includes Afghanistan and Iran in this subregion
* Western Asia – the UN geoscheme includes Cyprus, the South Caucasus, and Turkey in this subregionby geography:
* Central Asia
* East Asia
** Greater China
*** China
**** Hong Kong
**** Macau
**** Mainland China
***** North China
***** Northeast China – also a part of Northeast Asia
***** Southeast China
****** East China
****** South Central China
******* Central China
******* South China
***** Western China
****** Northwest China
****** Southwest China
*** South China Sea Islands
**** Paracel Islands
**** Pratas Island
**** Spratly Islands
***** James Shoal
***** Taiping Island
***** Zhongzhou Reef
**** Zhongsha Islands
***** Macclesfield Bank
****** Walker Shoal
***** Scarborough Shoal
*** Taiwan
** Mongolia
** Northeast Asia
*** China
**** Eastern Inner Mongolia
**** Northeast China
*** Japan
**** Daitō Islands
**** Mainland Japan
***** Hokkaido
***** Honshu
***** Kyushu
***** Shikoku
**** Nanpō Islands
**** Ryukyu Islands
*** Korea
**** North Korea
**** South Korea
*** Russian Far East
**** Outer Manchuria
* North Asia
** Russian Far East
*** 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
**** Western India
* Southeast Asia
** Mainland Southeast Asia
*** Malay Peninsula
**** Peninsular Malaysia
**** Southern Thailand
**** Tanintharyi Region
** Maritime Southeast Asia
*** Borneo
**** Brunei
**** East Malaysia
***** Labuan
***** Sabah
***** Sarawak
**** Kalimantan
* West Asia
** Anatolia
** Arabia
*** Eastern Arabia
*** Hejaz
*** Najd
*** South Arabia
** Levant
*** Southern Levant
** Mesopotamia
** South Caucasus 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
** 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 Basinby geopolitics:
* Asia-Pacific – 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 – including North African countries
*** Middle East – including Egypt
**** Arab League – including some African countries
***** Mashriq – including Egypt and the Sudan
****** Arabian Peninsula
****** Levant – including Ash-Shām and Cyprus
****** Mesopotamia
**** Asia Minor
**** South Caucasus
** The 'stans
* Indian subcontinent
** Himalayan states – including China
*** Eastern Himalaya
*** Western Himalaya
** Kashmirby economics:
* Arab League – including some African countries
* ASEAN Free Trade Area
* Asia Cooperation Dialogue – including Russia
* Asian Clearing Union
* Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation – including Oceania
* Association of Southeast Asian Nations
* Bamboo network
* Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal Initiative
* Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
* Council of Arab Economic Unity – including some African countries
* EMEA
* Eurasian Customs Union – including Belarus
* Eurasian Economic Union – including Belarus
* Greater Mekong Subregion
* Gulf Cooperation Council
* South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
* South Asian Free Trade Area
* South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation
* Union for the Mediterranean 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
* Muslim world
** Arab world
*** Mashriq
**** Arabia
***** Al-Bahrain
***** Al-Yamama
***** Hadhramaut
***** Tihamah
** Malay world
*** Greater Indonesia
**** Nusantara
** Turkic world
*** Azerbaijan
*** Soviet Central Asia
*** Turkey
*** Xinjiang
**** Dzungaria
**** Southern Xinjiang
**Greater Iran
***Greater Khorasanby religion:
* Abrahamic religions
* Eastern religions
** Dharmic religions
** Taoic religions by biogeography:
* Eastern Asia
* Malesiaby historical division:
* East Indies
** Farther India
*** Indochina
*** Insulindiaby 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 :
* Eastern Europe – the UN geoscheme includes parts of Central Europe, parts of South-eastern Europe, and Northern Asia 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 in this subregionby geography:
* Central and Eastern Europe
** Central Europe
** Eastern Europe
*** Caucasus
**** North Caucasus
**** South Caucasus – a subregion of West Asia
* Northern Europe
** North-central Europe
*** Scandinavia
** North-eastern Europe
** North-western Europe
* Southern Europe
** South-central Europe
*** Apennine Peninsula
*** Malta
** South-eastern Europe
*** Balkan Peninsula
*** Romania
** South-western Europe
*** Balearic Islands
*** Iberian Peninsula
*** Southern France
* Western Europeby physiography:
* Apennine 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 Basinby geopolitics:
* East-Central Europe
* Eastern Europe
** Post-Soviet states
*** Baltic states
*** Commonwealth of Independent States
**** Union State
***** North Caucasus
*** Georgia
*** Ukraine
* West-Central Europe
* Western Europe
** European Union
** NATO
** North Sea Commission by economics:
* Central European Free Trade Agreement
* Commonwealth of Independent States Free Trade Area – including Armenia and most Central Asian countries
* Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement – including Canada
* EMEA
* Eurasian Customs Union – including Armenia and Kyrgyzstan
* Eurasian Economic Union – including Armenia and Kyrgyzstan
* European Economic Area – including Cyprus
* European Free Trade Association
* European Single Market
* European Union Customs Union – including Cyprus and Turkey
* European Union–Turkey Customs Union
* Eurozone
* North Sea Region
* Union for the Mediterranean – including some West Asian countries and most North African countries
* Union Stateby culture:
* Balkans
** Eastern Balkans
** Western Balkans
* Baltic states
* Benelux
** Belgium
** Netherlands
** Luxembourg
* Mediterranean Region
* Nordic countries and Karelia
* North Sea Region
* Lapland, since 1809 divided into Finnish Lapland and Swedish Lapland
* Scandinavia
* Visegrád Groupby language:
* Celtic-speaking Europe
* Germanic-speaking Europe
** DACH countries
*** Germany
*** Austria
*** Switzerland
* Romance-speaking Europe
* Slavic-speaking Europeby religion:
* Eastern religions
** Indian religions
*** Buddhism in Europe
* Western religions
** Christianity in Europe
*** Catholicism in Europe
*** Eastern Orthodoxy in Europe
*** Protestantism in Europe
** Islam in Europeby biogeography:
* Mediterranean Regionby 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
* Slavic tribes
* Turkic tribesby 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 :