List of parties to the Ramsar Convention

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This is a list of parties contracting to the Ramsar Convention, which is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. The Convention's mission is "“the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”. It calls upon contracting parties to recognize the interdependence of humans and the environment as well as the ecological functions of wetlands, such as wildlife habitat, nutrient cycling, and flood control.

The Ramsar Convention is the oldest multilateral international conservation convention and the only one to deal with one habitat or ecosystem type, wetlands. The Convention's headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland, and it works closely with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.^[1][2][3]

The Convention was held in the city of Ramsar, Iran in February 1971 and was originally contracted by seven countries when it came into force on 21 December 1975. As of May 2015 there are 169 contracting parties and over 2,000 designated sites covering over 200,000,000 hectares (490,000,000 acres). Every contracting country has at least one Ramsar site, and 31 of the contracting countries have only one site. The country with the most sites is the United Kingdom with 170. To become a Ramsar site, a site must be nominated by a contracting country, meet at least one of nine criteria, and undergo scientific review. The Convention was most recently ratified by Kuwait on 5 May 2015.

The table lists the countries contracting to the convention, the entry date of each country to the convention, the number of Ramsar sites in each country, and the total area of all Ramsar sites in each country.

Ramsar Convention contracting parties^[4]

Country	Entry date[5]	Ramsar sites	Area
hectares	acres
Albania	29 February 1996	4	98,181	242,610
Algeria	4 March 1984	50	2,991,013	7,390,950
Andorra	23 November 2012	3	6,870	17,000
Antigua and Barbuda	2 October 2005	1	3,600	8,900
Argentina	4 September 1992	22	5,625,407	13,900,680
Armenia	6 November 1993	3	493,511	1,219,490
Australia	21 December 1975	65	8,320,157	20,559,560
Austria	16 April 1983	23	124,968	308,800
Azerbaijan	21 September 2001	2	99,560	246,000
Bahamas	7 June 1997	1	32,600	81,000
Bahrain	27 February 1998	2	6,810	16,800
Bangladesh	21 September 1992	2	611,200	1,510,000
Barbados	12 April 2006	1	33	82
Belarus	25 August 1991	20	684,739.94	1,692,029.2
Belgium	4 July 1986	9	46,944.06	116,001.3
Belize	22 August 1998	2	23,592	58,300
Benin	24 May 2000	4	1,179,354	2,914,250
Bhutan	7 September 2012	2	256	630
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	27 October 1990	11	14,842,405	36,676,380
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1 March 1992	3	56,779	140,300
Botswana	9 April 1997	1	5,537,400	13,683,000
Brazil	24 September 1993	12	7,225,687	17,855,060
Bulgaria	24 January 1976	11	49,912.75	123,337.1
Burkina Faso	27 October 1990	15	652,502	1,612,370
Burundi	5 October 2002	4	78,515	194,010
Cambodia	23 October 1999	4	75,942	187,660
Cameroon	20 July 2006	7	827,060	2,043,700
Canada	15 May 1981	37	13,086,771	32,338,120
Cape Verde	18 November 2005	4	535	1,320
Central African Republic	5 April 2006	2	376,300	930,000
Chad	13 October 1990	6	12,405,068	30,653,590
Chile	27 November 1981	13	361,761	893,930
China	31 July 1992	49	4,112,423.56	10,162,019.9
Colombia	18 October 1998	6	708,683.91	1,751,196.1
Comoros	9 June 1995	3	16,030	39,600
Congo	18 October 1998	13	13,758,740.91	33,998,589.2
Costa Rica	27 April 1992	12	569,742	1,407,860
Côte d'Ivoire	27 June 1996	6	127,344	314,670
Croatia	25 June 1991	5	94,358	233,160
Cuba	12 August 2001	6	1,188,411	2,936,630
Cyprus	11 November 2001	1	1,107	2,740
Czech Republic	1 January 1993	14	60,207	148,770
Democratic Republic of Congo	18 May 1996	3	7,435,624	18,373,830
Denmark	2 January 1978	43	2,315,386	5,721,440
Djibouti	22 March 2003	1	3,000	7,400
Dominican Republic	15 September 2002	4	135,096.63	333,831.0
Ecuador	7 January 1991	18	286,651	708,330
Egypt	9 September 1988	4	415,532	1,026,800
El Salvador	22 May 1999	7	207,387	512,460
Equatorial Guinea	2 October 2003	3	136,000	340,000
Estonia	29 July 1994	17	304,778	753,120
Fiji	11 August 2006	1	615	1,520
Finland	21 December 1975	49	799,518	1,975,650
France	1 December 1986	44	3,567,384.46	8,815,199.0
Gabon	30 April 1987	9	2,818,469	6,964,590
Gambia	16 January 1997	3	31,244	77,210
Georgia	7 June 1997	2	34,480	85,200
Germany	26 June 1976	34	868,226	2,145,430
Ghana	22 June 1988	6	176,134.48	435,237.8
Greece	21 December 1975	10	163,501	404,020
Grenada	22 September 2012	1	518	1,280
Guatemala	26 October 1990	7	628,592	1,553,280
Guinea	18 March 1993	16	6,422,361	15,870,000
Guinea-Bissau	14 May 1990	4	1,189,633.18	2,939,647.6
Honduras	23 October 1993	9	270,224	667,740
Hungary	11 August 1979	29	256,948	634,930
Iceland	2 April 1978	6	128,666	317,940
India	1 February 1982	26	689,131	1,702,880
Indonesia	8 August 1992	7	1,372,976	3,392,700
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	21 December 1975	24	1,486,438	3,673,070
Iraq	17 February 2008	4	537,900	1,329,000
Ireland	15 March 1985	45	66,994	165,550
Israel	12 March 1997	2	366	900
Italy	14 April 1977	52	60,223	148,810
Jamaica	7 February 1998	4	37,847	93,520
Japan	17 October 1980	50	148,002	365,720
Jordan	10 May 1977	1	7,372	18,220
Kazakhstan	2 May 2007	10	3,281,398	8,108,510
Kenya	5 October 1990	6	265,449	655,940
Kiribati	3 August 2013	1	1,033	2,550
Kuwait	5 September 2015	1	50,948	125,900
Kyrgyzstan	12 March 2003	3	679,408	1,678,850
Lao People's Democratic Republic	28 October 2010	2	14,760	36,500
Latvia	25 November 1995	6	150,318	371,440
Lebanon	16 August 1999	4	1,075	2,660
Lesotho	1 November 2004	1	434	1,070
Liberia	2 November 2003	5	95,879	236,920
Libya	5 August 2000	2	83	210
Liechtenstein	6 December 1991	1	101	250
Lithuania	20 December 1993	7	65,581	162,050
Luxembourg	15 August 1998	2	17,213	42,530
Madagascar	25 January 1999	10	1,347,628.5	3,330,063
Malawi	14 March 1997	1	224,800	555,000
Malaysia	10 March 1995	6	134,158	331,510
Mali	25 September 1987	4	4,204,640	10,389,900
Malta	30 January 1989	2	16	40
Marshall Islands	13 November 2004	2	70,119	173,270
Mauritania	22 February 1983	4	1,240,600	3,066,000
Mauritius	30 September 2001	3	401	990
Mexico	4 November 1986	142	8,643,579.52	21,358,750.1
Monaco	20 December 1997	1	23	57
Mongolia	8 April 1998	11	1,439,530	3,557,200
Montenegro	3 June 1996	2	20,150	49,800
Morocco	20 October 1980	24	272,010	672,200
Mozambique	3 December 2004	2	4,534,872	11,205,910
Myanmar	17 March 2005	2	58,243.38	143,922.5
Namibia	23 December 1995	5	676,564	1,671,830
Nepal	17 April 1988	10	60,561	149,650
Netherlands	23 September 1980	54	903,731.2	2,233,168
New Zealand	13 December 1976	6	55,512	137,170
Nicaragua	30 November 1997	9	406,852	1,005,350
Niger	30 August 1987	12	4,317,869	10,669,690
Nigeria	2 February 2001	11	1,076,728	2,660,650
Norway	21 December 1975	63	889,504	2,198,010
Oman	19 August 2013	1	106.83	264.0
Pakistan	23 November 1976	19	1,343,627	3,320,170
Palau	18 February 2003	1	500	1,200
Panama	26 November 1990	5	183,992	454,650
Papua New Guinea	16 July 1993	2	594,924	1,470,090
Paraguay	7 October 1995	6	785,970	1,942,200
Peru	30 March 1992	13	6,784,042	16,763,730
Philippines	8 November 1994	6	154,409	381,550
Poland	22 March 1978	13	145,075	358,490
Portugal	24 March 1981	31	132,487	327,380
Republic of Korea	28 July 1997	21	18,624	46,020
Republic of Moldova	20 October 2000	3	94,705	234,020
Romania	21 September 1991	19	1,156,448	2,857,650
Russian Federation	11 February 1977 (ratified as Soviet Union)	35	10,323,767	25,510,580
Rwanda	1 April 2006	1	0	0
Saint Lucia	19 June 2002	2	85	210
Samoa	6 February 2005	1	470	1,200
Sao Tome and Principe	21 December 2006	1	23	57
Senegal	11 November 1977	5	99,993	247,090
Serbia	27 April 1992 (ratified as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)	10	63,919	157,950
Seychelles	22 March 2005	3	44,025	108,790
Sierra Leone	13 April 2000	1	295,000	730,000
Slovakia	1 January 1993	14	40,697	100,560
Slovenia	25 June 1991	3	8,205	20,270
South Africa	21 December 1975	22	555,678	1,373,110
South Sudan	10 October 2013	1	5,700,000	14,000,000
Spain	4 September 1982	74	303,090	749,000
Sri Lanka	15 October 1990	6	198,172	489,690
Sudan	7 May 2005	3	2,489,600	6,152,000
Suriname	22 November 1985	1	12,000	30,000
Swaziland	15 June 2013	3	0	0
Sweden	21 December 1975	66	651,683	1,610,340
Switzerland	16 May 1976	11	14,688	36,290
Syrian Arab Republic	5 July 1998	1	10,000	25,000
Tajikistan	18 November 2001	5	94,600	234,000
Thailand	13 September 1998	14	399,714	987,710
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	8 September 1991	2	21,616	53,410
Togo	4 November 1995	4	1,210,400	2,991,000
Trinidad and Tobago	21 April 1993	3	15,919	39,340
Tunisia	24 March 1981	41	840,363	2,076,580
Turkey	13 November 1994	14	184,487	455,880
Turkmenistan	3 July 2009	1	267,124	660,080
Uganda	4 July 1988	12	454,303	1,122,610
Ukraine	1 December 1991	33	744,651	1,840,070
United Arab Emirates	29 December 2007	5	20,278	50,110
United Kingdom	5 May 1976	170	1,278,923	3,160,290
United Republic of Tanzania	13 August 2000	4	4,868,424	12,030,140
United States of America	18 December 1986	38	1,860,760.77	4,598,040.0
Uruguay	22 September 1984	3	435,837	1,076,980
Uzbekistan	8 February 2002	2	558,400	1,380,000
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	23 November 1988	5	263,636	651,460
Viet Nam	20 January 1989	8	117,813	291,120
Yemen	8 February 2008	1	580	1,400
Zambia	28 December 1991	8	4,030,500	9,960,000
Zimbabwe	3 May 2013	7	233,794.35	577,718.4

See also

• List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance
• Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Type
• Ramsar Convention
• Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award

References

1. "A brief history of the Ramsar Convention". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. 27 October 2011. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
2. "Contracting Parties of the Ramsar Convention". Retrieved 19 June 2013.
3. Heinen, Joel (20 June 2007). Hite, Kirsten, ed. "Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat". Encyclopedia of Earth. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
4. "Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. 13 February 2013. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
5. This is the date the Convention came into force for the state, not the date of the ratification of the treaty.