Two separate questions
Recognition is a decision by other states. The 1933 Montevideo Convention states that a state’s political existence is independent of recognition, and that recognition means accepting the other state’s legal personality.[1] Effective administration is about who runs a territory in practice.
The two can diverge in both directions: a government can administer an area that few states recognise as its territory, and an entity can be recognised by some states while controlling little of the territory it claims.
Example: Western Sahara
Morocco administers most of Western Sahara in fact but is not listed by the UN as its administering Power.[2] The United States recognised Moroccan sovereignty in 2020, while the African Union has counted the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic as a member since 1982.[3][4] On the ground, a berm separates the two sides’ forces.[5]
Example: Timor-Leste
Indonesia administered East Timor from 1976 to 1999, but the United Nations never recognised the integration and continued to regard Portugal as the administering power.[6]
How this site records them
Case pages keep claims, administering authorities, recognition and control on the ground in separate records. A recognition event does not change the UN status field, and a map marker does not describe either.
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: The Convention states that a state’s political existence is independent of recognition by other states, and that recognition means the recognising state accepts the other’s personality with the rights and duties determined by international law.
- Seventh International Conference of American States, Convention on Rights and Duties of States (Montevideo Convention) (The Avalon Project, Yale Law School (copy), 26 December 1933) link, arts. 3 and 6. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
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2.
Claim: Morocco administers Western Sahara west of the berm in fact but is not listed by the UN as the Territory’s administering Power.
- United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, Letter dated 29 January 2002 from the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, the Legal Counsel, addressed to the President of the Security Council (United Nations, 12 February 2002) link, para. 7, p. 2. Source record
- United Nations Secretary-General, Situation concerning Western Sahara: report of the Secretary-General (United Nations, 30 September 2025) link, paras. 38 and 41, pp. 6–7. Source record
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3.
Claim: The United States recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the entire Western Sahara territory by a proclamation dated 4 December 2020. Attributed to Government of the United States (2020)
- President of the United States, Proclamation 10126 of December 4, 2020: Recognizing the Sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco Over the Western Sahara (Federal Register, vol. 85, no. 241, 15 December 2020) link, 85 FR 81329. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
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4.
Claim: The African Union lists the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic as a member that joined the OAU on 22 February 1982.
- African Union, Member States of the African Union (African Union) link, Northern Africa table. Source record
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5.
Claim: In Western Sahara a sand wall known as the berm separates Moroccan and Frente POLISARIO military forces.
- United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, MINURSO: Background (United Nations) link, para. 11. Source record
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6.
Claim: The United Nations never recognised Indonesia’s 1976 integration of East Timor and continued to regard Portugal as the administering power.
- United Nations Department of Public Information, East Timor – UNTAET: Background (United Nations, May 2002) link, para. 1. Source record