
Members of the NATO:
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO is an alliance of 31 member states. In addition to the USA and Canada on the American continent, numerous European states are members. All member states together cover an area of 24.93 million km² and about 954.55 million people. This is 16.49 percent of the world's habitable area and 12.10 percent of the world's population.The abbreviation "NATO" here stands for "North Atlantic Treaty Organization," which translates roughly as an "organization of the North Atlantic Treaty." It was founded in 1949 mainly as an alliance of states for the military defense of its members.
NATO Headquarters is based in Brussels (previously London and Paris).
Official website: https://www.nato.int/

Country | Commencement | Population | Area |
---|---|---|---|
Albania | 2009 | 2.81 M | 29,000 km² |
Belgium | 1949 | 11.59 M | 31,000 km² |
Bulgaria | 2004 | 6.88 M | 111,000 km² |
Canada | 1949 | 38.25 M | 9,985,000 km² |
Croatia | 2009 | 3.90 M | 57,000 km² |
Czechia | 1999 | 10.51 M | 79,000 km² |
Denmark | 1949 | 5.86 M | 43,000 km² |
Estonia | 2004 | 1.33 M | 45,000 km² |
Finland | 2023 | 5.54 M | 338,000 km² |
France | 1949 | 67.75 M | 549,000 km² |
Germany | 1955 | 83.20 M | 358,000 km² |
Greece | 1952 | 10.64 M | 132,000 km² |
Hungary | 1999 | 9.71 M | 93,000 km² |
Iceland | 1949 | 0.37 M | 103,000 km² |
Italy | 1949 | 59.11 M | 301,000 km² |
Latvia | 2004 | 1.88 M | 64,000 km² |
Lithuania | 2004 | 2.80 M | 65,000 km² |
Luxembourg | 1949 | 0.64 M | 2,590 km² |
Montenegro | 2017 | 0.62 M | 14,000 km² |
Netherlands | 1949 | 17.53 M | 42,000 km² |
North Macedonia | 2020 | 2.07 M | 26,000 km² |
Norway | 1949 | 5.41 M | 385,000 km² |
Poland | 1999 | 37.75 M | 313,000 km² |
Portugal | 1949 | 10.33 M | 92,000 km² |
Romania | 2004 | 19.12 M | 238,000 km² |
Slovakia | 2004 | 5.45 M | 49,000 km² |
Slovenia | 2004 | 2.11 M | 21,000 km² |
Spain | 1982 | 47.42 M | 506,000 km² |
Turkey | 1952 | 84.78 M | 785,000 km² |
United Kingdom | 1949 | 67.33 M | 244,000 km² |
United States | 1949 | 331.89 M | 9,832,000 km² |
Originally, NATO was founded by France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg to coordinate the European economy, culture and self-defence after the Second World War and to prevent a resurgence of Germany. In the immediate post-war years, Russia developed into a new military power, which is why the then NATO countries turned to the USA for military protection.
In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed, under which all member states assured each other of mutual protection. In the years that followed, other European countries and Canada joined the Alliance to protect themselves from the communist Eastern Bloc. Turkey joined in 1952.
Germany's accession to NATO in 1955 played an important role in several respects. It included a country against which the original version of NATO still wanted to defend itself against. With the Paris Treaties, West Germany was once again recognized as a sovereign state and integrated into the Western defence strategy. As a counter-reaction, the countries of the Eastern bloc joined forces in the same year to form the Warsaw Pact. It is worth mentioning that some of the member countries of the Warsaw Pact, which was dissolved in 1991, subsequently allied themselves with the West and thus positioned themselves against the Soviet Union. These were (in chronological order) Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania.
Former member countries
Dependent territories
Some of the above-mentioned member states have other external territories dependent on them. These are not independent states, but they do have some economic and political autonomy. The NATO treaties apply to them at least in part. These countries are not listed as official member states.Country | Region | Dependency |
---|---|---|
Åland | Northern Europe | Territory of Finland |
American Samoa | Polynesia | Self-governing territory of the USA |
Anguilla | Caribbean | Self-governing territory of the United Kingdom |
Aruba | Caribbean | Territory of the Netherlands Kingdom |
Bermuda | North America | Self-governing territory of the United Kingdom |
Bouvet Island | South America | Territory of Norway |
British Indian Ocean Territory | Eastern Africa | Territory of the United Kingdom |
British Virgin Islands | Caribbean | Self-governing territory of the United Kingdom |
Caribbean Netherlands | Caribbean | Territory of the Netherlands |
Cayman Islands | Caribbean | Self-governing territory of the United Kingdom |
Falkland Islands | South America | Self-governing territory of the United Kingdom |
Faroe Islands | Northern Europe | Territory of the Danish Kingdom |
French Antarctic Lands | Antarctica | Territory of France |
French Guiana | South America | Territory of France |
French Polynesia | Polynesia | Territory of France |
Gibraltar | Southern Europe | Self-governing territory of the United Kingdom |
Greenland | North America | Territory of the Danish Kingdom |
Guadeloupe | Caribbean | Territory of France |
Guam | Micronesia | Self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States |
Guernsey | Northern Europe | Autonomous Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom |
Isle of Man | Northern Europe | Autonomous Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom |
Jersey | Northern Europe | Autonomous Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom |
Martinique | Caribbean | Territory of France |
Mayotte | Eastern Africa | Territory of France |
Montserrat | Caribbean | Self-governing territory of the United Kingdom |
New Caledonia | Melanesia | Territory of France |
Northern Marianas | Micronesia | Territory of the United States |
Outlying Islands | Micronesia | Territory of the United States |
Pitcairn Islands | Polynesia | British overseas territory |
Puerto Rico | Caribbean | Unincorporated territory of the US |
Reunion | Eastern Africa | Territory of France |
Saint Barthelemy | Caribbean | Territory of France |
Saint Helena | Western Africa | Limited self-governing territory of the United Kingdom |
Saint Martin | Caribbean | Autonomous territory of the Netherlands Kingdom |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | North America | Territory of France |
South Georgia | South America | Territory of the United Kingdom |
St. Martin | Caribbean | Territory of France |
Svalbard | Northern Europe | Territory of Norway |
Turks and Caicos Islands | Caribbean | Self-governing territory of the United Kingdom |
Virgin Islands | Caribbean | Self-governing territory of the USA |
Wallis and Futuna | Polynesia | Territory of France |