Subregion

A subregion is a smaller part of a bigger area, like a region or a continent. We often use directions such as north, south, east, and west to help describe these smaller parts. There are many ways to decide how to make subregions, but this article focuses on a special system used by the United Nations. This system is called the United Nations geoscheme. It changes over time and is used to help organize information for the United Nations. The system is based on important ideas about how places are governed and how many people live there, which are known as political geography and demography.

United Nations subregions

Main article: United Nations geoscheme

Further information: List of countries and territories by the United Nations geoscheme

The Statistics Division of the United Nations helps collect and share information about the world. In 1999, they created a way to group bigger areas, like continents, into smaller parts called subregions. This helps them track progress on important global goals. These groups are only for making it easier to study and compare data, and they don’t mean anything about political ties between countries.

Subregions by landmass and continent

The following is a non-exhaustive list of subregions, arranged alphabetically by region (i.e., by continent); in the UN geoscheme, higher-level, macro-geographical regions are arranged to the extent possible according to continents.

Sequence used in the list (not all criteria are applied to each continent):

• by the UN Statistics Division's geoscheme
• by geography
• by physiography
• by geopolitics
• by human geography
• by economics
• by culture
• by language
• by religion
• by biogeography
• by historical division
• by geology

Afro-Eurasia

Afro-Eurasia is a continental landmass comprising the continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Africa

• by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme (see also: UN geoscheme for Africa):

• by geography:

• by physiography:

• by economics:

• by biogeography:

• by historical division:

• by geology:

Eurasia

Eurasia is a continental mainland comprising the continents of Asia and Europe.

Asia

• by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme (see also: UN geoscheme for Asia):

• by geography:

• by physiography:

• by geopolitics:

• by economics:

• by culture:

• by religion:

• by biogeography:

• by historical division:

• by geology:

Europe

• by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme (see also: UN geoscheme for Europe):

• by geography:

• by physiography:

• by geopolitics:

• by economics:

• by culture:

• by language:

• by religion:

• by biogeography:

• by historical division:

• by geology:

Americas

See also: Americas (terminology)

The Americas is a continental landmass comprising the continents of North America and South America.

• by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme (see also: UN geoscheme for the Americas):

• by culture:

• by economics:

North America

• by geography:

• by physiography:

• by geopolitics:

• by economics:

• by culture:

• by biogeography:

• by geology:

South America

• by geography:

• by physiography:

• by economics:

• by geology:

Antarctica

• by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme:

• by geography:

Oceania

• by the United Nations Statistics Division's geoscheme (see also: UN geoscheme for Oceania):

• by geography:

• by human geography:

• by economics:

• by biogeography:

• by geology (see also: Geology of Australia):