List of leaders of dependent territories
This is a list of leaders of dependent territories. A dependent territory is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a sovereign state yet remains politically outside of the controlling state's integral area.[1] This latter condition distinguishes a dependent territory from an autonomous region or administrative division, which forms an integral part of the 'parent' state.
The majority of the world's dependent territories are legacies of nineteenth and twentieth century colonial empires.[2] This list divides the world's inhabited dependent territories roughly into half: those which are dependencies of Commonwealth nations, formerly members of the British Empire and all of which have Queen Elizabeth II as head of state; and the remainder. Governors, managers or wardens of uninhabited dependent territories are excluded.
Current dependent territory leaders[]
Seven sovereign states possess one or more dependent territories: the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Region, territory or Crown dependency | Title | Name | Since |
---|---|---|---|
Akrotiri and Dhekelia | Administrator | Rob Thomson | 26 September 2019 |
American Samoa | Governor | Lemanu Peleti Mauga | 3 January 2021 |
Anguilla | Governor | Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam | 18 January 2021 |
Premier | Ellis Webster | 30 June 2020 | |
Aruba | Governor | Alfonso Boekhoudt | 1 January 2017 |
Prime Minister | Evelyn Wever-Croes | 17 November 2017 | |
Ashmore and Cartier Islands | Administrator[3] | Nola Marino | 29 May 2019 |
Australian Antarctic Territory | Administrator[4] | 6 April 2019 | |
Baker Island | Administrator[5] | (acting) | 20 January 2021 |
Bermuda | Governor | Rena Lalgie | 14 December 2020 |
Premier | Edward David Burt | 17 July 2017 | |
Bonaire | Lieutenant governor | Edison Rijna[6] | 1 March 2014 |
Bouvet Island | Administrator[7] | Øystein Mortensen | 2 October 2015 |
British Antarctic Territory - BAT | Commissioner | Ben Merrick | August 2017 |
Administrator | Stuart Doubleday | 2016 | |
British Indian Ocean Territory - BIOT | Commissioner | Ben Merrick | August 2017 |
Administrator | January 2020 | ||
British Virgin Islands | Governor | John Rankin | 29 January 2021 |
Premier | Andrew Fahie | 26 February 2019 | |
Cayman Islands | Governor | Martyn Roper | 29 October 2018 |
Premier | Wayne Panton | 21 April 2021 | |
Christmas Island | Administrator | Natasha Griggs | 5 October 2017 |
President of Shire | [8] | 21 October 2013 | |
Clipperton Island | Administrator[9] | Annick Girardin | 17 May 2017 |
Commissioner[10] | René Bidal | 25 May 2016 | |
Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Administrator | Natasha Griggs | 5 October 2017 |
President of the Shire Council | 23 October 2019 | ||
Cook Islands | Queen's Representative | Tom Marsters | 27 July 2013 |
High commissioner (New Zealand's Representative) | 24 September 2020 | ||
Prime Minister | Mark Brown | 30 November 2020 | |
Coral Sea Islands | Administrator[3] | Nola Marino | 29 May 2019 |
Curaçao | Governor | Lucille George-Wout | 4 November 2013 |
Prime Minister | Gilmar Pisas | 14 June 2021 | |
Falkland Islands | Governor | Nigel Phillips | 12 September 2017 |
Chief Executive | Andy Keeling | 1 May 2021 | |
French Polynesia | High Commissioner | Dominique Sorain | 8 August 2019 |
President | Édouard Fritch | 12 September 2014 | |
French Southern and Antarctic Lands | Administrator-Superior | 12 October 2020 | |
Gibraltar | Governor of Gibraltar | David Steel | 11 June 2020 |
Chief Minister | Fabian Picardo | 9 December 2011 | |
Guam | Governor | Lou Leon Guerrero | 7 January 2019 |
Guernsey | Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey | Sir Ian Corder | 14 March 2016 |
Bailiff | Richard McMahon | 9 May 2020 | |
President of the Policy and Resources Committee | Peter Ferbrache | 16 October 2020 | |
Heard Island and McDonald Islands | Administrator[4] | 6 April 2019 | |
Howland Island | Administrator[5] | (acting) | 20 January 2021 |
Isle of Man | Lieutenant Governor | Sir John Lorimer | 29 September 2021 |
Chief Minister | Alfred Cannan | 12 October 2021 | |
Jarvis Island | Administrator[5] | (acting) | 20 January 2021 |
Jersey | Lieutenant Governor | Sir Stephen Dalton | 13 March 2017 |
Bailiff | Tim Le Cocq | 12 October 2019 | |
Chief Minister | John Le Fondré | 4 June 2018 | |
Johnston Atoll | Administrator[5] | (acting) | 20 January 2021 |
Kingman Reef | Administrator[5] | (acting) | 20 January 2021 |
Midway Atoll | Administrator[5] | (acting) | 20 January 2021 |
Montserrat | Governor | Andrew Pearce | 1 February 2018 |
Premier | Easton Taylor-Farrell | 19 November 2019 | |
Navassa Island | Administrator[5] | (acting) | 20 January 2021 |
New Caledonia | High Commissioner | 12 June 2021 | |
President of the Government | 8 July 2021 | ||
Niue | High Commissioner | 27 July 2020 | |
Premier | Dalton Tagelagi | 11 June 2020 | |
Norfolk Island | Administrator | Eric Hutchinson | 1 April 2017 |
General Manager | 6 January 2020 | ||
Michael Colreavy | 5 February 2021 | ||
Northern Mariana Islands | Governor | Ralph Torres | 29 December 2015 |
Palmyra Atoll | Administrator[5] | (acting) | 20 January 2021 |
Manager[11] | vacant | March 2009 | |
Peter I Island | Administrator[7] | Øystein Mortensen | 2 October 2015 |
Pitcairn Islands | Governor of the Pitcairn Islands[12] | Laura Clarke | 23 January 2018 |
Mayor | Charlene Warren-Peu | 1 January 2020 | |
Puerto Rico | Governor | Pedro Pierluisi | 2 January 2021 |
Queen Maud Land | Administrator[7] | Øystein Mortensen | 2 October 2015 |
Ross Dependency | Governor-General | Dame Cindy Kiro | 21 October 2021 |
Administrator[13] | Sarah Williamson | June 2019 | |
Saba | Island Governor | Jonathan G. A. Johnson | 2 July 2008 |
Saint Barthelemy | Prefect[14] | 10 August 2020 | |
Prefect delegated[15] | 15 December 2020 | ||
President of the Territorial Council | Bruno Magras[16] | 15 July 2007 | |
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | Governor | Philip Rushbrook | 11 May 2019 |
25 October 2021 | |||
Administrator of Ascension Island | 15 March 2020 | ||
Administrator of Tristan da Cunha | October 2021 | ||
Saint-Martin | Prefect[17] | 10 August 2020 | |
Prefect delegated[15] | 15 December 2020 | ||
President of the Territorial Council | Daniel Gibbs | 2 April 2017 | |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | Prefect | Christian Pouget | 23 January 2021 |
President of the Territorial Council | 13 October 2020 | ||
Sint Eustatius | Government commissioner | [18] | 18 April 2021 |
Sint Maarten | Governor | Eugene Holiday | 10 October 2010 |
Prime Minister | Silveria Jacobs | 19 November 2019 | |
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Commissioner[19] | Nigel Phillips | 12 September 2017 |
Tokelau | Administrator | Ross Ardern | May 2018 |
Head of Government | Kelihiano Kalolo | 8 March 2021 | |
Turks and Caicos Islands | Governor | Nigel Dakin | 15 July 2019 |
Premier | Washington Misick | 21 February 2021 | |
Virgin Islands (U.S.) | Governor | Albert Bryan | 7 January 2019 |
Wake Island | Administrator[20] | (acting) | 14 September 2021 |
Governor[21] | (acting) | 20 January 2021 | |
Wallis and Futuna | Administrator Superior of Wallis and Futuna | 11 January 2021 | |
President of the Territorial Assembly | Nivaleta Iloai | 26 November 2020 |
Current leaders of autonomous or insular regions[]
Region, territory | Title | Name | Since |
---|---|---|---|
Aceh | Governor | Nova Iriansyah | 5 November 2020 |
Adjara | Chairman of the Supreme Council | Davit Gabaidze | 28 November 2016 |
Prime Minister | Tornike Rizhvadze | 21 July 2018 | |
Åland Islands | Governor | Peter Lindbäck | 1 April 1999 |
Chief Minister | Veronica Thörnroos | 10 December 2019 | |
Alderney | Lieutenant-Governor (of Guernsey) | Sir Ian Corder | 14 March 2016 |
President | William Tate | 28 June 2019 | |
Andalusia | President | Juan Manuel Moreno | 18 January 2019 |
Aragon | President | Javier Lambán | 3 July 2015 |
Asturias | President | Adrián Barbón | 16 July 2019 |
Azad Kashmir | President | 25 August 2016 | |
Prime Minister | 31 July 2016 | ||
Azores | Representative of the (Portuguese) Republic | Pedro Catarino | 11 April 2011 |
President of the Government | José Manuel Bolieiro | 24 November 2020 | |
Balearic Islands | President | Francina Armengol | 30 June 2015 |
Bangsamoro | Wali | Khalipa Usman Nando | 29 March 2019 |
Chief Minister (acting) | Murad Ebrahim | 22 February 2019 | |
Basque Country | President (Lehendakari) | Iñigo Urkullu | 2012 |
Bougainville | President | Ishmael Toroama | 25 September 2020 |
Catalonia | President | Pere Aragonès i Garcia | 14 May 2018 |
Canary Islands | President | Ángel Víctor Torres | 29 September 2020 |
Cantabria | President | Miguel Ángel Revilla | 3 July 2015 |
Carriacou and Petite Martinique | Grenadian Ministry of Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs | 25 March 2018 | |
Castile–La Mancha | President | Emiliano García-Page | 1 July 2015 |
Castile and León | President | Alfonso Fernández Mañueco | 11 July 2019 |
Ceuta | Juan Jesús Vivas Lara | 2001 | |
Corsica | 19 August 2020 | ||
President of the Corsican Assembly | Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis | 1 July 2021 | |
President of the Executive Council | Gilles Simeoni | 17 December 2015 | |
Crimea | Chairmen of Parliament | vacant | 15 March 2014 |
Prime minister | vacant | 15 March 2014 | |
Easter Island | Provincial Presidential Delegate | 14 July 2021 | |
Mayor | Pedro Edmunds Paoa | 6 December 2012 | |
Extremadura | President | Guillermo Fernández Vara | 5 July 2015 |
Faroe Islands | High Commissioner | Lene Moyell Johansen | 9 May 2017 |
Prime Minister | Bárður á Steig Nielsen | 16 September 2019 | |
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina | President | Marinko Čavara | 9 February 2015 |
Prime Minister | Fadil Novalić | 16 January 2017 | |
French Guiana | Prefect | Thierry Queffelec | 28 December 2020 |
Gabriel Serville | 2 July 2021 | ||
Gagauzia | Governor | Irina Vlakh | 23 March 2015 |
Galápagos Islands | Chairman of the Governing Council with Special Regime | 3 June 2021 | |
Galicia | President | Alberto Núñez Feijóo | 18 April 2009 |
Gilgit Baltistan | Governor | Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon | 30 September 2018 |
Chief Minister | 1 December 2020 | ||
Gorno-Badakhshan | Chairmen of the Executive Committee | 5 November 2021 | |
Greenland | High Commissioner | Mikaela Engell | 1 February 2011 |
Prime Minister | Múte Bourup Egede | 23 April 2021 | |
Guadeloupe | Prefect | 10 August 2020 | |
President of the Departmental Council | 1 July 2021 | ||
President of the Regional Council | Ary Chalus | 17 December 2015 | |
Hong Kong | Chief Executive | Carrie Lam | 1 July 2017 |
Chief Secretary | Matthew Cheung | 16 January 2017 | |
Jan Mayen | Administrator[22] | Tom Cato Karlsen | 2 January 2019 |
Karakalpakstan | Chairmen of Parliament | 2 October 2020 | |
Prime ministers | 14 October 2016 | ||
Kurdistan Region | President of autonomous government | Nechervan Barzani | 10 June 2019 |
Prime minister | Masrour Barzani | 10 July 2019 | |
La Rioja | President | Concha Andreu | 29 August 2019 |
Lord Howe Island | Chairman of the Lord Howe Island Board | 1 January 2021 | |
Macau | Chief Executive | Ho Iat Seng | 20 December 2019 |
Administration and Justice Secretary | Sonia Chan | 20 December 2019 | |
Madeira | Representative of the (Portuguese) Republic | 11 April 2011 | |
President of the Government | Miguel Albuquerque | 20 April 2015 | |
Madrid | President | Isabel Díaz Ayuso | 19 August 2019 |
Macquarie Island | Administrator[23] | Matthew Groom | 31 March 2014 |
Martinique | Prefect | 27 February 2020 | |
President of the Executive Council | Serge Letchimy | 2 July 2021 | |
Mayotte | Prefect | 12 July 2021 | |
President of the Departmental Council | 1 July 2021 | ||
Melilla | Mayor-President | 15 June 2019 | |
Mount Athos | Head of State[24] | Nikos Dendias | 9 July 2019 |
Civil Governor[25] | 9 October 2019 | ||
Spiritual Leader[26] | Bartholomew I | 22 October 1991 | |
Protos[27] | (Vatopedi) |
14 June 2021 | |
Murcia | President | Fernando López Miras | 3 May 2017 |
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic | Chairmen of the Supreme Council | Vasif Talıbov | 16 December 1995 |
Prime minister | Alovsat Bakhshiyev | 2000 | |
Navarre | President | María Chivite | 6 August 2019 |
Nevis | Deputy Governor-General (of Nevis) | 31 August 2018 | |
Premier | Mark Brantley | 19 December 2017 | |
Northern Ireland | Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Brandon Lewis | 13 February 2020 |
First Minister[28] | Paul Givan | 17 June 2021 | |
Deputy First Minister[29] | Michelle O'Neill | 11 January 2020 | |
Papua | Governor | Lukas Enembe | 9 April 2013 |
Principe | President of the Regional Government | Filipe Nascimento | 18 August 2020 |
Republika Srpska | President | Željka Cvijanović | 19 November 2018 |
Prime Minister | Radovan Višković | 19 December 2018 | |
Réunion | Prefect | Jacques Billant | 17 June 2019 |
President of the Departmental Council | 18 December 2017 | ||
President of the Regional Council | Huguette Bello | 2 July 2021 | |
Rodrigues | Chief Commissioner | Louis Serge Clair [30] | 11 February 2012 |
Chief Executives | 13 February 2012 | ||
Scotland | Secretary of State for Scotland | Alister William Jack | 25 July 2019 |
First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon | 19 November 2014 | |
Svalbard | Governor | Lars Fause | 24 June 2021 |
Tobago | Chief Secretary of the House of Assembly | 9 December 2021 | |
Torres Strait Islands | Chairperson of the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) | October 2016 | |
Valencian Community | President | Ximo Puig | 25 June 2015 |
Wales | Secretary of State for Wales | Simon Hart | 16 December 2019 |
First Minister | Mark Drakeford | 12 December 2018 | |
West Papua | Governor | Dominggus Mandacan | 12 May 2017 |
Yogyakarta | Governor | Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X | 3 October 1998 |
Zanzibar | President | Hussein Mwinyi | 3 November 2020 |
Leaders of dependent Commonwealth territories[]
State | Government | Head of state | Represented by | Head of government |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anguilla | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom | Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam | Chief Minister Ellis Webster |
Bermuda | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom | Governor Rena Lalgie | Premier Edward David Burt |
British Virgin Islands | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom | Governor John Rankin | Premier Andrew Fahie |
Cayman Islands | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom | Governor Martyn Roper | Premier Alden McLaughlin |
Christmas Island | Non-self-governing dependency | Queen Elizabeth II of Australia | Administrator Natasha Griggs | |
Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Non-self-governing dependency | Queen Elizabeth II of Australia | Administrator Natasha Griggs | |
Cook Islands | Parliamentary democracy in free-association with New Zealand |
Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand | Queen's Representative (not otherwise styled) Tom Marsters | Prime Minister Henry Puna |
Falkland Islands | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom | Governor Nigel Phillips | Chief Executive Barry Rowland |
Gibraltar | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom | Governor Edward Davis | Chief Minister Fabian Picardo |
Guernsey | Crown dependency | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (as Duke of Normandy) |
Lieutenant-Governor Sir Ian Corder | Bailiff Sir Richard Collas President Gavin St Pier |
Isle of Man | Crown dependency | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (as Lord of Mann) |
Lieutenant-Governor Sir Richard Gozney | Chief Minister Howard Quayle |
Jersey | Crown dependency | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (as Duke of Normandy) |
Lieutenant-Governor Sir Stephen Dalton | Bailiff Sir William Bailhache Chief Minister Ian Gorst |
Montserrat | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom | Governor Andrew Pearce | Premier Easton Taylor-Farrell |
Niue | Parliamentary democracy in free-association with New Zealand |
Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand | High Commissioner | Premier Dalton Tagelagi |
Norfolk Island | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of Australia | Administrator Eric Hutchinson | Self-government abolished in 2015 |
Pitcairn Islands | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom | Governor Laura Clarke | Mayor Charlene Warren-Peu |
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | Non-self-governing dependency | Queen Elizabeth II]] of the United Kingdom | Governor | |
Tokelau | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand | Administrator Ross Ardern | Head of Government Kerisiano Kalolo |
Turks and Caicos Islands | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom | Governor Nigel Dakin | Premier Washington Misick |
Leaders of dependent non-Commonwealth territories[]
State | Government | Head of state | Head of territory | Head of government |
---|---|---|---|---|
Åland | Gubernatorial democracy | President Sauli Niinistö of Finland, represented by Governor Peter Lindbäck | Premier Veronica Thörnroos | |
American Samoa | Gubernatorial democracy | President Joe Biden of the United States | Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga | |
Aruba | Parliamentary democracy | King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, represented by Governor Alfonso Boekhoudt | Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes | |
Curaçao | Parliamentary democracy | King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, represented by Governor Lucille George-Wout | Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath | |
Faroe Islands | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, represented by High Commissioner Lene Moyell Johansen | Prime Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen | |
French Polynesia | Presidential democracy | President Emmanuel Macron of France, represented by High Commissioner Dominique Sorain | President Édouard Fritch | |
Greenland | Parliamentary democracy | Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, represented by High Commissioner Mikaela Engell | Prime Minister Kim Kielsen | |
Guam | Gubernatorial democracy | President Joe Biden of the United States | Governor Lou Leon Guerrero | |
New Caledonia | Parliamentary democracy | President Emmanuel Macron of France, represented by High Commissioner | President of the Government Thierry Santa | |
Northern Mariana Islands | Gubernatorial democracy | President Joe Biden of the United States | Governor Ralph Torres | |
Puerto Rico | Gubernatorial democracy | President Joe Biden of the United States | Governor Pedro Pierluisi | |
Sint Maarten | Parliamentary democracy | King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, represented by Governor Eugene Holiday | Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs | |
U.S. Virgin Islands | Gubernatorial democracy | President Joe Biden of the United States | Governor Albert Bryan | |
Wallis and Futuna | Presidential democracy | President Emmanuel Macron of France, represented by Administrator-Superior Thierry Queffelec | President of the Territorial Assembly |
See also[]
- Administrative division
- Colonial governors by year
- List of leaders of dependent territories in 2021
- List of current vice-regal representatives of Elizabeth II
- List of current presidents of assembly
- List of current governors of Afghanistan
- List of Governors in Argentina
- List of Brazil states governors
- List of current Canadian lieutenant governors and commissioners
- List of Ghanaian regional ministers
- List of current Indian governors, List of current Indian lieutenant governors and administrators & List of current Indian chief ministers
- List of governors of Japan
- List of leaders of Malaysian states
- List of Mexican state governors
- List of Nigerian state governors
- List of Governors of Pakistan & List of Chief Ministers in Pakistan
- List of Palau states governors
- List of current Philippine provincial governors
- List of heads of federal subjects of Russia
- List of Spanish regional legislatures & governments
- List of state leaders by year
- List of Sudan states governors
- List of current United States governors
References[]
- ^ United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514
- ^ Armstrong, H. W., and R. Read. 2000. "Comparing the Economic Performance of Dependent Territories and Sovereign Microstates". Economic Development and Cultural Change 48 (2). 285–306. doi:10.1086/452459.
- ^ a b Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories
- ^ a b Director of the Australian Antarctic Division.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- ^ Acting to 22 Aug 2014.
- ^ a b c Director of the Polar Department of the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
- ^ Previously from 2003 – 14 October 2011.
- ^ Since 21 February 2007, directly administered by the French minister of Overseas France.
- ^ The authority of the French minister of Overseas France on Clipperton Island is delegated to the High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia
- ^ Director of Program Palmyra of The Nature Conservancy.
- ^ The British high commissioner to New Zealand.
- ^ Chief Executive Officer of Antarctica New Zealand.
- ^ The prefect of Guadeloupe is also state representative in Saint-Barthelemy from 9 July 2007.
- ^ a b Delegated by the prefect of Guadeloupe
- ^ Mayor from June 1995 to 15 July 2007.
- ^ The prefect of Guadeloupe is also state representative in Saint-Martin from 9 July 2007.
- ^ Acting to 22 June 2021.
- ^ Since 3 October 1985, the governor of the Falkland Islands.
- ^ Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs.
- ^ Also General Counsel of the US Air Force.
- ^ Since 1 January 1995, Jan Mayen is administered by the governor of Nordland county.
- ^ Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage of Tasmania.
- ^ Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Greek government.
- ^ The Civil Governor of the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos is appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Greek government.
- ^ Ecumenical Patriarchs of Constantinople.
- ^ Dean of the Holy Epistasis of the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos.
- ^ Jointly with the Deputy First Minister
- ^ Jointly with the First Minister
- ^ Previously chef commissaire from 4 February 2003 to 4 August 2006.
External links[]
- Dependent territories
- Lists of current office-holders
- Lists of governors and heads of sub-national entities