
Members of the NATO:
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO is an alliance of 30 member states. In addition to the USA and Canada on the American continent, these are numerous European states. All member states together cover an area of 24.59 m km² and about 946.59 m people. This is 16.27% of the world's habitable area and 12.20% 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", which 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 | 2.84 M | 29,000 km² |
Belgium | 1949 | 11.56 M | 31,000 km² |
Bulgaria | 2004 | 6.93 M | 111,000 km² |
Canada | 1949 | 38.01 M | 9,985,000 km² |
Croatia | 2009 | 4.05 M | 57,000 km² |
Czechia | 1999 | 10.70 M | 79,000 km² |
Denmark | 1949 | 5.83 M | 43,000 km² |
Estonia | 2004 | 1.33 M | 45,000 km² |
France | 1949 | 67.39 M | 549,000 km² |
Germany | 1955 | 83.24 M | 358,000 km² |
Greece | 1952 | 10.72 M | 132,000 km² |
Hungary | 1999 | 9.75 M | 93,000 km² |
Iceland | 1949 | 0.37 M | 103,000 km² |
Italy | 1949 | 59.55 M | 301,000 km² |
Latvia | 2004 | 1.90 M | 64,000 km² |
Lithuania | 2004 | 2.79 M | 65,000 km² |
Luxembourg | 1949 | 0.63 M | 2,590 km² |
Montenegro | 2017 | 0.62 M | 14,000 km² |
Netherlands | 1949 | 17.44 M | 42,000 km² |
North Macedonia | 2020 | 2.07 M | 26,000 km² |
Norway | 1949 | 5.38 M | 385,000 km² |
Poland | 1999 | 37.95 M | 313,000 km² |
Portugal | 1949 | 10.31 M | 92,000 km² |
Romania | 2004 | 19.29 M | 238,000 km² |
Slovakia | 2004 | 5.46 M | 49,000 km² |
Slovenia | 2004 | 2.10 M | 21,000 km² |
Spain | 1982 | 47.35 M | 506,000 km² |
Turkey | 1952 | 84.34 M | 785,000 km² |
United Kingdom | 1949 | 67.22 M | 244,000 km² |
United States | 1949 | 329.48 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 and threatening great 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, Canada and the Alliance joined to protect themselves from the communist Eastern bloc. In 1952, Turkey was the only country to accede to the treaty, mainly from the Middle East.
Germany's accession to NATO in 1955 played an important role in several respects. On the one hand, it included a country against which the original version of NATO still wanted to defend itself. With the Paris Treaties, West Germany was once again recognised 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 treaties concluded by the NATO apply to them at least in part. These countries are not listed as official member states.Country | Region | Dependency |
---|---|---|
American Samoa | Polynesia | selbstregiertes Territorium der USA |
Anguilla | Caribbean | selbstregiertes Territorium des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Aruba | Caribbean | Territorium des Niederländischen Königreiches |
Bermuda | North America | selbstregiertes Territorium des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Bonaire | Caribbean | Territory of the Netherlands |
Bouvet Island | South America | Territory of Norway |
British Indian Ocean Territory | Eastern Africa | Territory of the United Kingdom |
British Virgin Islands | Caribbean | selbstregiertes Territorium des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Cayman Islands | Caribbean | selbstregiertes Territorium des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Falkland Islands | South America | selbstregiertes Territorium des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Faroe Islands | Northern Europe | Territorium des dänischen Königreiches |
French Antarctic Lands | Antarctica | Territory of France |
French Guiana | South America | Territory of France |
French Polynesia | Polynesia | Territorium Frankreichs |
Gibraltar | Southern Europe | selbstregiertes Territorium des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Greenland | North America | Territorium des dänischen Königreiches |
Guadeloupe | Caribbean | Territory of France |
Guam | Micronesia | selbstregiertes nicht-inkorporiertes Territorium der USA |
Guernsey | Northern Europe | autonomer Kronbesitz des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Isle of Man | Northern Europe | autonomer Kronbesitz des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Jersey | Northern Europe | autonomer Kronbesitz des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Martinique | Caribbean | Territory of France |
Mayotte | Eastern Africa | Territory of France |
Montserrat | Caribbean | selbstregiertes Territorium des Vereinigten Königreiches |
New Caledonia | Melanesia | Territorium Frankreichs |
Northern Marianas | Micronesia | Territory of the United States |
Pitcairn Islands | Polynesia | Britisches Überseegebiet |
Puerto Rico | Caribbean | nicht-inkorporiertes Territorium der USA |
Reunion | Eastern Africa | Territory of France |
Saint Barthelemy | Caribbean | Territory of France |
Saint Helena | Western Africa | beschränkt selbstregiertes Territorium des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Saint Martin | Caribbean | autonomes Territorium des Niederländischen Königreichs |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | North America | Territorium Frankreichs |
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | South America | Territory of the United Kingdom |
St. Martin | Caribbean | Territory of France |
Svalbard | Northern Europe | Territory of Norway |
Turks and Caicos Islands | Caribbean | selbstregiertes Territorium des Vereinigten Königreiches |
Virgin Islands | Caribbean | selbstregiertes Territorium der USA |
Wallis and Futuna | Polynesia | Territorium Frankreichs |