Divided regions
Divided regions are transnational regions, islands, etc., (i.e. areas that are known under a common name) that may have at one time been a united sovereign state but are or have been subsequently politically divided by national borders, into separate sovereign and/or administrative divisions. The later qualification includes many reorganized regions within nation states blurring the pure "transnational" distinction, but retaining the sense of a historic region once governed together which is significant both historically and culturally.
Typically the divided parts still retain the common geographical placename, or a variation thereof, and may or may not be subject to irrendentist claims and territorial disputes. They are by their very nature situated in border areas.
Divided regions frequently have close cultural, economic and transportation ties and not infrequently authorities or commissions which smooth the process of co-operative efforts across their common borders.
Africa
- Congo (region)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire)
- Republic of the Congo
- Cabinda Province, an exclave of Angola
- Zaire Province, Angola
- Guinea (region)
- Guinea ("Guinea-Conakry")
- Guinea-Bissau
- Equatorial Guinea
- Greater Somalia
- Sudan (region)
- Sudan
- South Sudan (seceded from Sudan on July 9, 2011)
- Sudanian savanna, most of which lies outside of Sudan and South Sudan
- Mali (formerly French Sudan)
Asia
East Asia
- Korea
- China
- People's Republic of China
- Republic of China (Taiwan)
- Fujian
- Fujian Province, People's Republic of China
- Fujian Province, Republic of China
- Timor
- East Timor
- West Timor, Indonesia
- Borneo
- Brunei
- Malaysian Borneo
- Kalimantan, Indonesia
South Asia
- Punjab
- Bengal
- Bangladesh (formerly East Bengal)
- West Bengal, India
- Kashmir (disputed)
- Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Azad Kashmir & Northern Areas, Pakistan
- Aksai Chin, China
- Balochistan
Southeast Asia
- Gò Công
- Trà My
- Từ Liêm
- Bắc Từ Liêm
- Nam Từ Liêm
West Asia
- Azerbaijan
- Cyprus (island) - is de facto divided between Northern Cyprus and the Greek Republic of Cyprus in the southern part of the island
- Ossetia
- South Ossetia, Georgia
- North Ossetia–Alania, Russia
- Kurdistan, divided among Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey
- Land of Israel - is mostly included in modern State of Israel, but large parts are controlled by the State of Palestine (Judea and Samaria); the East Bank of Jordan (Perea) is included in the Kingdom of Jordan, while significant parts of the Golan Heights are within the Republic of Syria
- Palestine (region) - primarily controlled by the State of Israel, although the State of Palestine claims 22% of the land (the West Bank and Gaza Strip) and has partial control over c.40% of that 22% via the Palestinian National Authority
- Syria (region) - Ottoman Syria included modern Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Israel, the State of Palestine and Southern Turkey, namely the Hatay Province (former Alexandretta) and the Western half of the Southeastern Anatolia Region. The Arab Kingdom of Syria had similar territorial aspirations, seeking to control the Greater Syria.
- Armenia - while at present Armenia is essentially coextensive with the areas controlled by the government of Armenia (including a chunk of area controlled by Azerbaijan) much of historic Armenia is now in Turkey.
- Samtskhe-Javakheti is a part of the Georgia with an Armenian majority that some feel is part of Armenia.
- Iraq - there is a common nationalist view, which sees the region of Iraq (Mesopotamia) also to include Kuwait and Khuzestan Province of Iran
Europe
- Romania
- Baranja, between Croatia and Hungary
- Basque Country, Spain and Northern Basque Country, France.
- Catalonia, Spain and Northern Catalonia, France.
- Ireland (island)
- Republic of Ireland
- Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom
- Epirus
- Epirus (region), Greece
- Northern Epirus area in Albania.
- Frisia (region)
- West-Friesland, Friesland, Groningen in the Netherlands
- East-Frisia, North-Frisia in Germany.
- Galicia, between Poland and Ukraine
- Galicia, between Spain and Portugal
- Greece has since 1922 generally only referred to the modern nation state. However until that year a larger vision existed, including areas of Anatolia then heavily Greek, and all or virtually all, of Thrace.
- Karelia
- Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast, Russia.
- North Karelia and South Karelia, Finland.
- Lapland/Sápmi, divided into Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and Russian "sides"
- Limburg— The border Duchy of Limburg.
- Luxembourg and Luxembourg province, Belgium.
- Pomerania (region)
- Western Pomerania, part of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany
- West Pomeranian Voivodeship and Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland.
- Schleswig (also South Jutland) – The former Danish Duchy of Schleswig was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866, which created the province of Schleswig-Holstein, the northern part of Schleswig came back to Denmark in 1920, while Southern Schleswig has remained a part of Germany since.
- Macedonia (region)
- Republic of Macedonia
- Macedonia (Greece) (known as Aegean Macedonia)
- Blagoevgrad Province (known as Pirin Macedonia)
- Mala Prespa and Golo Brdo
- Thrace
- Eastern Thrace, Turkey
- Northern Thrace, Bulgaria
- Western Thrace, Greece
- Tyrol
- Tyrol (state), Austria
- Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy
Municipalities
- Hasi in Kosovo and Has in Albania.
- Herzogenrath and Kerkrade— As is the case for many parts of Limburg, Herzogenrath changed hands several times in the last few centuries. Together with the (other) Southern Netherlands it was under Spanish control from 1661, Austrian between 1713 and 1795 and French between 1795 and 1813. In 1815, when the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed (see Vienna Congress), the border was drawn through the town, the eastern part being Prussian town of Herzogenrath, the western part being Dutch Kerkrade. This division continues today.
- Gorizia (Italy) and Nova Gorica (Slovenia).
- Narva (Estonia) and Ivangorod (Russia).
- Valga (Estonia) and Valka (Latvia).
North America
- Virgin Islands
- Saint Martin
- Sint Maarten, Netherlands
- Saint Martin, France
Sub-national divided regions in the USA
Municipalities
Provinces or States
- North Dakota and South Dakota
- North Carolina and South Carolina
- Virginia and West Virginia – Split during the American Civil War in 1861 as the western counties voted to remain in the Union, and the geographical barrier of the Appalachians disabled the ability of the more populous eastern counties from preventing the succession by force of arms, which forces were preoccupied with the Army of the Potomac stationed in Washington, D.C., which itself was on the border of Virginia.
South America
- Amazonas: Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas Department (Colombia), Amazonas Region (Peru) and Amazonas (Venezuelan state).
- Guiana:
- Guyana, formerly British Guiana
- Suriname, formerly Dutch Guiana
- French Guiana, an overseas department of France
- Amapá, Brazil
- Guayana Region, Venezuela
- Patagonia of Chile and Argentina
- Tierra del Fuego of Chile and Argentina
Oceania
- Samoan Islands
- Samoa (formerly Western Samoa)
- American Samoa
- New Guinea
- Papua New Guinea
- Papua (province), Indonesia
- West Papua (province), Indonesia