NEW YORK, USA - Sep 29, 2015: A Speech During a General Assembly of the United Nations in New York

The Geoscheme of the United Nations

The United Nations Geoscheme, a tool widely utilized by organizations and governments, promotes a detailed worldview by fragmenting continents into more manageable portions. Although initially designed for statistical purposes by the United Nations Statistics Division, its application has extended beyond this original intent. The Geoscheme also serves as a reference point for the Universal Periodic Review, a process that has witnessed some countries pressuring others into alignment - a concerning trend. To further grasp this tool's significance, one must first review and understand the Geoscheme's inner mechanics, then consider a few comparisons with other methods, and last, take note of its use cases and capacity for impact. Click here for a quick view of the table: All countries organized by Geoscheme classification.

The UN Geoscheme And Other Classification Systems

The UN Geoscheme is one of many systems that observe the world's continents and territories. It categorizes countries and regions based on geographic and geopolitical criteria, providing a framework for statistical analysis. Other methods, such as the CIA World Factbook, offer a different approach.

The CIA World Factbook is more comprehensive and provides detailed information on various topics, offering a broader understanding of each country. It includes facts about their geography, demographics, government, economy, and more. Produced by the CIA, an agency of the United States government, its information may have a particular perspective or emphasis.

The World Bank regional classification is another widely used method for categorizing countries and regions. It is used mainly in the context of economic and development analysis, and it may not encompass all geopolitical or cultural considerations. 

The UN Geoscheme, instead, is part of the M49 system, a classification system that provides a standard framework for categorizing and organizing countries and regions worldwide. Assigning numerical codes and acronyms, it offers a more scientific approach focused on its primary statistics purpose.

Impact Of Geoscheme On International Politics And Economy

Human RIghts Watch briefing at UN Headquarters in New York
Human RIghts Watch briefing at UN Headquarters in New York

The UN Geoscheme is used in statistical case studies to provide a standardized framework for organizing and analyzing data at regional and global levels, from providing advice on climate change challenges to ensuring consistency and interoperability in reporting and analysis to enabling all kinds of comparisons between territories. The UN Geoscheme can also contribute to regional cooperation and collaboration in addressing human rights issues. Policymakers and stakeholders can use this information to identify similarities and differences in human rights practices, policy approaches, and challenges between regions.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) actively employs the UN Geoscheme as a differentiation between regions and subregions during the periodic confrontations of policymakers; it is created and maintained by the United Nations. Its impact, though, is not always achieved fairly. The troubling trend of Western countries using the UPR system to pressure other regions and countries to change their laws is a recurring problem. During the review, countries are compared to others to determine the next step in implementing a standard line in policymaking. In some cases, Western countries put pressure on developing countries to align and change their laws on complicated topics such as abortion, human rights, and SOGI (UN acronym for LGBTQ+) freedom. However, these aforementioned countries, such as the United States, are still in the process of determining their own stances on these topics, so their influence could push sensitive issues either way.

The UN Geoscheme can have a significant economic impact. This standard system has influenced Australia, Israel, Türkiye, and Russia. It plays a crucial role in trade, investment, and development cooperation and can affect their economic ties and partnerships with neighboring nations. Similarly, for countries spanning multiple regions like Türkiye or Russia, the UN Geoscheme classification plays a role in influencing their economic policies, access to markets, and overall economic development.

How Regions And Subregions Are Grouped

The UN Geoscheme groups areas into regions and subregions based on continental boundaries and geographical proximity, aligning regions with the continents of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Also, it takes into account existing regional groupings and organizations. It considers regional initiatives, alliances, and organizations that countries participate in. This criterion reflects the geopolitical and collaborative dynamics among nations within a specific region. Interestingly some subregions are furtherly divided into intermediate regions. For example, Sub-Saharan Africa hosts four intermediate regions: Eastern Africa, Middle Africa, Southern Africa, and Western Africa.

Additionally, cultural, historical, and political factors can influence the classification of areas. Countries with shared cultural or historical backgrounds, linguistic connections, or affiliations may be grouped. Economic integration and trade patterns between countries that engage in significant regional trade or are part of economic integration agreements can also influence the classification. For trivia, Antarctica is the only geographical region comprising no sub-regions or country-level areas (despite attempts at territorial claims from various countries).

Ultimately, the UN Geoscheme balances geographic, geopolitical, and socio-economic factors in defining regions and subregions. Some of these factors are dynamic and might need adjustments in the future to reflect evolving situations.

Transcontinental Countries

Map of Russia showing the border between Europe and Asia.
Map of Russia showing the border between Europe and Asia.

The UN Geoscheme classifies some areas and countries into specific subregions or regions despite them spanning multiple continents. Also, political dynamics and historical affiliations can contribute to the transcontinental classification. These countries that straddle more than one continent are known as transcontinental or intercontinental, despite their categorization as one-or-the-other. Transcontinental countries can be contiguous or non-contiguous. They are contiguous when they span directly over more than one continent, and they are non-contiguous when a portion of the territory is separated by a body of water or by other countries. For example, Egypt occupies a part of Asia despite being classified only as African. The Russian Federation, Türkiye, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan all span both Asia and Europe; for Russia, it is considered as part of Eastern Europe for statistical simplicity. Furthermore, Panama, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela are both contiguously and non-contiguously over the North America and South America boundary.

The UN Geoscheme provides a standardized system for organizing and analyzing data, facilitating statistical reporting, and regional analysis. Many organizations use it as their standard classification system to investigate the world and differentiate its regions. While it does not directly impact geopolitics or policymaking, it indirectly influences these areas through the UPR. However, it is essential to recognize that the geopolitical landscape is complex and multifaceted, and the UN Geoscheme is just one tool among many used to understand the diverse dynamics of our world.

All Countries And Areas Organized By The Regions, Sub-Regions, And Intermediate Regions Of The UN Geoscheme

Country or Area Intermediate Region Sub-region Region
 Antarctica
 Algeria Northern Africa Africa
 Angola Middle Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Benin Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Botswana Southern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 British Indian Ocean Territory Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Burkina Faso Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Burundi Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Cabo Verde [Cape Verde] Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Cameroon Middle Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Central African Republic Middle Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Chad Middle Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Comoros Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Congo [Republic of the Congo] Middle Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Côte d'Ivoire [Ivory Coast] Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Middle Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Djibouti Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Egypt Northern Africa Africa
 Equatorial Guinea Middle Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Eritrea Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Eswatini [Swaziland] Southern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Ethiopia Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 French Southern Territories Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Gabon Middle Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Gambia Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Ghana Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Guinea Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Guinea-Bissau Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Kenya Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Lesotho Southern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Liberia Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Libya Northern Africa Africa
 Madagascar Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Malawi Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Mali Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Mauritania Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Mauritius Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Mayotte Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Morocco Northern Africa Africa
 Mozambique Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Namibia Southern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Niger Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Nigeria Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Réunion Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Rwanda Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Saint Helena [Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha] Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Sao Tome and Principe Middle Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Senegal Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Seychelles Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Sierra Leone Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Somalia Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 South Africa Southern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 South Sudan Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Sudan Northern Africa Africa
 Togo Western Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Tunisia Northern Africa Africa
 Uganda Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 United Republic of Tanzania Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Western Sahara Northern Africa Africa
 Zambia Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Zimbabwe Eastern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Africa
 Anguilla Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Antigua and Barbuda Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Argentina South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Aruba Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Bahamas Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Barbados Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Belize Central America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Bermuda Northern America Americas
 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Bouvet Island South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Brazil South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 British Virgin Islands Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Canada Northern America Americas
 Cayman Islands Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Chile South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Colombia South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Costa Rica Central America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Cuba Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Curaçao Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Dominica Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Dominican Republic Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Ecuador South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 El Salvador Central America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Falkland Islands (Malvinas) South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 French Guiana South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Greenland Northern America Americas
 Grenada Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Guadeloupe Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Guatemala Central America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Guyana South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Haiti Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Honduras Central America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Jamaica Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Martinique Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Mexico Central America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Montserrat Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Nicaragua Central America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Panama Central America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Paraguay South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Peru South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Puerto Rico Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Saint Barthélemy Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Saint Kitts and Nevis Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Saint Lucia Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Saint Martin (French part) Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Saint Pierre and Miquelon Northern America Americas
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Suriname South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Turks and Caicos Islands Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 United States of America Northern America Americas
 United States Virgin Islands Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Uruguay South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) South America Latin America and the Caribbean Americas
 Afghanistan Southern Asia Asia
 Armenia Western Asia Asia
 Azerbaijan Western Asia Asia
 Bahrain Western Asia Asia
 Bangladesh Southern Asia Asia
 Bhutan Southern Asia Asia
 Brunei Darussalam South-eastern Asia Asia
 Cambodia South-eastern Asia Asia
 China Eastern Asia Asia
 China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Eastern Asia Asia
 China, Macao Special Administrative Region Eastern Asia Asia
 Cyprus Western Asia Asia
 Democratic People's Republic of Korea [North Korea] Eastern Asia Asia
 Georgia Western Asia Asia
 India Southern Asia Asia
 Indonesia South-eastern Asia Asia
 Iran (Islamic Republic of) Southern Asia Asia
 Iraq Western Asia Asia
 Israel Western Asia Asia
 Japan Eastern Asia Asia
 Jordan Western Asia Asia
 Kazakhstan Central Asia Asia
 Kuwait Western Asia Asia
 Kyrgyzstan Central Asia Asia
 Lao People's Democratic Republic South-eastern Asia Asia
 Lebanon Western Asia Asia
 Malaysia South-eastern Asia Asia
 Maldives Southern Asia Asia
 Mongolia Eastern Asia Asia
 Myanmar [Burma] South-eastern Asia Asia
 Nepal Southern Asia Asia
 Oman Western Asia Asia
 Pakistan Southern Asia Asia
 Philippines South-eastern Asia Asia
 Qatar Western Asia Asia
 Republic of Korea [South Korea] Eastern Asia Asia
 Saudi Arabia Western Asia Asia
 Singapore South-eastern Asia Asia
 Sri Lanka Southern Asia Asia
 State of Palestine Western Asia Asia
 Syrian Arab Republic Western Asia Asia
 Tajikistan Central Asia Asia
 Thailand South-eastern Asia Asia
 Timor-Leste [East Timor] South-eastern Asia Asia
 Türkiye Western Asia Asia
 Turkmenistan Central Asia Asia
 United Arab Emirates Western Asia Asia
 Uzbekistan Central Asia Asia
 Viet Nam South-eastern Asia Asia
 Yemen Western Asia Asia
 Åland Islands Northern Europe Europe
 Albania Southern Europe Europe
 Andorra Southern Europe Europe
 Austria Western Europe Europe
 Belarus Eastern Europe Europe
 Belgium Western Europe Europe
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Southern Europe Europe
 Bulgaria Eastern Europe Europe
 Croatia Southern Europe Europe
 Czechia [Czech Republic] Eastern Europe Europe
 Denmark Northern Europe Europe
 Estonia Northern Europe Europe
 Faroe Islands Northern Europe Europe
 Finland Northern Europe Europe
 France [French Republic] Western Europe Europe
 Germany Western Europe Europe
 Gibraltar Southern Europe Europe
 Greece Southern Europe Europe
 Guernsey Channel Islands Northern Europe Europe
 Holy See [Vatican City] Southern Europe Europe
 Hungary Eastern Europe Europe
 Iceland Northern Europe Europe
 Ireland Northern Europe Europe
 Isle of Man Northern Europe Europe
 Italy Southern Europe Europe
 Jersey Channel Islands Northern Europe Europe
 Latvia Northern Europe Europe
 Liechtenstein Western Europe Europe
 Lithuania Northern Europe Europe
 Luxembourg Western Europe Europe
 Malta Southern Europe Europe
 Monaco Western Europe Europe
 Montenegro Southern Europe Europe
 Netherlands Western Europe Europe
 North Macedonia Southern Europe Europe
 Norway Northern Europe Europe
 Poland Eastern Europe Europe
 Portugal Southern Europe Europe
 Republic of Moldova Eastern Europe Europe
 Romania Eastern Europe Europe
 Russian Federation Eastern Europe Europe
 San Marino Southern Europe Europe
 Sark Channel Islands Northern Europe Europe
 Serbia Southern Europe Europe
 Slovakia Eastern Europe Europe
 Slovenia Southern Europe Europe
 Spain Southern Europe Europe
 Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands Northern Europe Europe
 Sweden Northern Europe Europe
 Switzerland Western Europe Europe
 Ukraine Eastern Europe Europe
 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Northern Europe Europe
 American Samoa Polynesia Oceania
 Australia Australia and New Zealand Oceania
 Christmas Island Australia and New Zealand Oceania
 Cocos (Keeling) Islands Australia and New Zealand Oceania
 Cook Islands Polynesia Oceania
 Fiji Melanesia Oceania
 French Polynesia Polynesia Oceania
 Guam Micronesia Oceania
 Heard Island and McDonald Islands Australia and New Zealand Oceania
 Kiribati Micronesia Oceania
 Marshall Islands Micronesia Oceania
 Micronesia (Federated States of) Micronesia Oceania
 Nauru Micronesia Oceania
 New Caledonia Melanesia Oceania
 New Zealand Australia and New Zealand Oceania
 Niue Polynesia Oceania
 Norfolk Island Australia and New Zealand Oceania
 Northern Mariana Islands Micronesia Oceania
 Palau Micronesia Oceania
 Papua New Guinea Melanesia Oceania
 Pitcairn [Pitcairn Islands] Polynesia Oceania
 Samoa Polynesia Oceania
 Solomon Islands Melanesia Oceania
 Tokelau Polynesia Oceania
 Tonga Polynesia Oceania
 Tuvalu Polynesia Oceania
 United States Minor Outlying Islands Micronesia Oceania
 Vanuatu Melanesia Oceania
 Wallis and Futuna Islands Polynesia Oceania
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