List of autonomous areas by country



This list of autonomous areas arranged by country gives an overview of autonomous areas of the world. An autonomous area is defined as an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or has freedom from an external authority. It is typical for it to be geographically distant from the country, or to be populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often federacies. The autonomous areas differ from federal units and independent states in the sense that they, in relation to the majority of other sub-national territories in the same country, enjoy a special status including some legislative powers, within the state (for a detailed list of federated units, see federated state).

This list includes areas that are internationally recognized, as well as some that are generally unrecognized. The definition of an autonomous area varies from country to country, so the native term as defined by the respective country's government is listed, and the English translation of the term is included.

Created by international agreements
Notes:


 * 🇸🇯 Svalbard, Norway: Although it does not fit the definition of autonomous area (not possessing partial internal sovereignty), Svalbard has the sovereignty of Norway limited by the Spitsbergen Treaty of 1920 and therefore is considered as having special status (as it is considered fully integrated with Norway, and not a dependency, it is a sui generis case).
 *  Heligoland, Germany: Although it is part of a German state, Schleswig-Holstein, it has been excluded from some European Union normatives, such as customs union and the Value Added Tax Area.
 *  Büsingen am Hochrhein, Germany and  Campione d'Italia, Italy despite being integral parts of their respective countries, these two enclaves of Switzerland predominantly use Swiss franc as currency  and are in customs union with it.

Other entities called "autonomous"
A number of entities are also officially called "autonomous", though they do not have an exceptional freedom from external authority, and would not fall under the definition of autonomous area. They are listed here for clarity.