Map created by User:Ben ArnoldThe map above shows the different subregions of the UN’s Geoscheme.What Is the UN Geoscheme?The UN geoscheme is a statistical classification system created by the UN Statistics Division (UNSD).Its main purpose is to provide a consistent framework for collecting, reporting, and comparing statistical data across the world.It divides the globe into a hierarchy of regions and subregions, not based on politics, but on geography.The StructureThe scheme is organized in three tiers:Macro-geographical regions (the broadest)AfricaAmericasAsiaEuropeOceaniaSubregions (the 22 “georegions” listed below)Example: Africa → Eastern AfricaExample: Europe → Southern EuropeOther groupings (optional categories UNSD uses for certain data sets)“Least Developed Countries”“Small Island Developing States”“Landlocked Developing Countries”Neutrality & LimitationsThe scheme is neutral: it does not imply political recognition or endorsement.Example: Taiwan is listed as “Taiwan, Province of China”, reflecting UN policy, not political consensus.Palestine is included under “Western Asia.”Boundaries are not cultural or historical, but purely statistical convenience.Example: Cyprus is classified as Western Asia, though it’s often considered part of Europe in political or cultural contexts.Mexico is grouped in Central America, not “North America,” though in everyday use it’s often seen as part of North America.Why It’s UsefulProvides a standardized global reference for UN agencies, researchers, and governments.Makes cross-country data comparison possible without ambiguity.Simplifies large-scale reporting (e.g., “average GDP growth in Southern Asia”).What It’s NotIt’s not a political map.It’s not a cultural or civilizational division.It’s not immutable, the UNSD sometimes updates classifications as territories change.Given this I thought it would be fun to imagine yourself as emperor of one of these regions, which would you pick?Here’s a full list of all countries in each region:A. Northern America (5 countries/territories)Bermuda (UK)CanadaGreenland (Denmark)Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France)United States of AmericaB. Central America (8 countries)BelizeCosta RicaEl SalvadorGuatemalaHondurasMexicoNicaraguaPanamaC. Caribbean (29 countries/territories)Includes independent states + dependent territories:Anguilla (UK)Antigua and BarbudaAruba (Netherlands)BahamasBarbadosBonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands)British Virgin Islands (UK)Cayman Islands (UK)CubaCuraçao (Netherlands)DominicaDominican RepublicGrenadaGuadeloupe (France)HaitiJamaicaMartinique (France)Montserrat (UK)Puerto Rico (US)Saint Barthélemy (France)Saint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (France)Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSint Maarten (Netherlands)Trinidad and TobagoTurks and Caicos Islands (UK)United States Virgin Islands (US)D. South America (12 countries)ArgentinaBoliviaBrazilChileColombiaEcuadorGuyanaParaguayPeruSurinameUruguayVenezuelaE. Northern Europe (10 countries + territories)Åland Islands (Finland)Channel Islands (UK Crown dependencies)DenmarkEstoniaFaroe Islands (Denmark)FinlandGuernsey (UK Crown dependency)IcelandIrelandIsle of Man (UK Crown dependency)Jersey (UK Crown dependency)LatviaLithuaniaNorwaySvalbard and Jan Mayen (Norway)SwedenUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandF. Western Europe (9 countries)AustriaBelgiumFranceGermanyLiechtensteinLuxembourgMonacoNetherlandsSwitzerlandG. Southern Europe (15 countries)AlbaniaAndorraBosnia and HerzegovinaCroatiaGibraltar (UK)GreeceHoly SeeItalyMaltaMontenegroNorth MacedoniaPortugalSan MarinoSerbiaSloveniaSpainH. Northern Africa (7 countries)AlgeriaEgyptLibyaMauritaniaMoroccoSudanTunisiaI. Western Africa (16 countries)BeninBurkina FasoCabo VerdeCôte d’IvoireGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauLiberiaMaliNigerNigeriaSenegalSierra LeoneTogoSaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (UK)J. Middle Africa (9 countries)AngolaCameroonCentral African RepublicChadCongoDemocratic Republic of the CongoEquatorial GuineaGabonSão Tomé and PríncipeK. Eastern Africa (20 countries + territories)BurundiComorosDjiboutiEritreaEthiopiaKenyaMadagascarMalawiMauritiusMozambiqueRéunion (France)RwandaSeychellesSomaliaSouth SudanUgandaUnited Republic of TanzaniaZambiaZimbabweMayotte (France)L. Southern Africa (5 countries)BotswanaEswatiniLesothoNamibiaSouth AfricaM. Eastern Europe (10 countries)BelarusBulgariaCzechiaHungaryPolandRepublic of MoldovaRomaniaRussian FederationSlovakiaUkraineN. Western Asia (19 countries/territories)ArmeniaAzerbaijanBahrainCyprusGeorgiaIraqIsraelJordanKuwaitLebanonOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaState of PalestineSyrian Arab RepublicTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesYemenO. Central Asia (5 countries)KazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistanUzbekistanP. Southern Asia (9 countries)AfghanistanBangladeshBhutanIndiaIran (Islamic Republic of)MaldivesNepalPakistanSri LankaQ. Eastern Asia (6 countries + 2 territories)ChinaChina, Hong Kong SARChina, Macao SARDemocratic People’s Republic of KoreaJapanMongoliaRepublic of KoreaTaiwan (Province of China)*(*UN follows China’s designation for Taiwan.)R. South-Eastern Asia (11 countries)Brunei DarussalamCambodiaIndonesiaLao People’s Democratic RepublicMalaysiaMyanmarPhilippinesSingaporeThailandTimor-LesteViet NamS. Australia and New Zealand (3)AustraliaNew ZealandNorfolk Island (Australia)T. Melanesia (5)FijiNew Caledonia (France)Papua New GuineaSolomon IslandsVanuatuU. Micronesia (8)Guam (US)KiribatiMarshall IslandsMicronesia (Federated States of)NauruNorthern Mariana Islands (US)PalauUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsV. Polynesia (11)American Samoa (US)Cook Islands (NZ in free association)French Polynesia (France)Niue (NZ in free association)Pitcairn Islands (UK)SamoaTokelau (NZ)TongaTuvaluWallis and Futuna Islands (France)Which would you live in?