- Overseas territory
- A place under United Kingdom sovereignty that is not part of the UK itself and has its own constitution and a governor, commissioner or administrator appointed from the UK.
- Crown dependency
- A self-governing dependency of the Crown that is not part of the UK, of which there are three: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
Fourteen places outside the UK remain under British sovereignty
The British Overseas Territories are the places that stay under UK sovereignty without being part of the UK itself. The UK government counts fourteen of them, spread across the Caribbean, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and Antarctica. Ten are permanently inhabited, with around 290,000 people between them. Each has its own constitution. The count is still fourteen at 9 October 2026, although a treaty signed in May 2025 would transfer one of them to another country and has not entered into force.
Name them all first. Then name them region by region.
Two entries each cover more than one place
The list counts territories, and two of the fourteen entries cover more than one place. One covers three islands or island groups that form a single territory. The other covers two military base areas on a Mediterranean island. Each is counted once, so the total stays at fourteen.
Check yourself
Can you name every British Overseas Territory?
Fourteen territories remain under UK sovereignty: five in the Caribbean, four in the Atlantic, two in the Mediterranean and three in the Indian Ocean, Pacific and Antarctic. The British Indian Ocean Territory is still counted at 9 October 2026, because the May 2025 treaty with Mauritius is not in force. Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha counts once, as do the two Sovereign Base Areas, and Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are Crown Dependencies, not territories. 5 + 4 + 2 + 3: five Caribbean, four Atlantic, two Mediterranean (Gibraltar, Cyprus bases), three far-flung (Chagos, Pitcairn, Antarctic).
Check yourself
Can you name the five territories in the Caribbean?
Five territories lie in the Caribbean. The House of Commons Library table also lists Bermuda under Caribbean, but it is in the North Atlantic, so it is grouped with the Atlantic territories here.
Check yourself
Can you name the four territories in the Atlantic?
Bermuda lies in the North Atlantic. The other three territories are in the South Atlantic.
Check yourself
Can you name the two territories in the Mediterranean?
Gibraltar and the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus, both listed under the Mediterranean in the House of Commons Library table.
Check yourself
Can you name the three territories in the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and Antarctica?
Three territories outside the Atlantic and Mediterranean: one in the Indian Ocean, one in the Pacific and one in Antarctica.