5 countries and territories
How many countries are in Antarctica?
None: no country owns Antarctica. It is governed by the Antarctic Treaty System, and the claims several countries make there are not generally recognised. Travel lists still count it as a destination, and Globestamp groups it with 4 remote sub-Antarctic islands.
- UN member states
- 0
- Countries and territories
- 5
- Largest
- Antarctica12,258,355 km² (4,732,974 sq mi)
Not UN members, but counted
5 of Antarctica’s 5 are not UN member states: Antarctica, Bouvet Island, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Most travelers count them on their own, and so does Globestamp’s list of 250. Count by the UN’s 193 instead and they drop out. See territories that count and how many countries there are.
Questions people ask
How many countries are in Antarctica?
None: no country owns Antarctica. It is governed by the Antarctic Treaty System, and the claims several countries make there are not generally recognised. Travel lists still count it as a destination, and Globestamp groups it with 4 remote sub-Antarctic islands.
What is the largest country in Antarctica?
Antarctica, at 12,258,355 km² (4,732,974 sq mi). The smallest is Bouvet Island, at 55 km² (21 sq mi).