The member states of the United Nations comprise 193 sovereign states. The United Nations (UN) is the world's largest
The … See more

The criteria for admission of new members to the UN are established in Chapter II, Article 4 of the UN Charter:
• Membership in the United Nations is open to all states which accept the obligations contained i… See more

The UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, after ratification of the United Nations Charter by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the Republic of China, France, the Soviet Union, … See more

The start of the Cold War led to membership conflicts almost immediately, with the United States refusing to admit countries in Eastern Europe while the Soviet Union refused to admit countries in Western Europe. … See more

The Republic of China (ROC) joined the UN as an original member on 24 October 1945, and as set out by the United Nations Charter, Chapter V, Article 23, became one of the five permanent members of the United Nati… See more

A member state may be suspended or expelled from the UN, according to the United Nations Charter. From Chapter II, Article 5:
A Member of the United Nations against which prev… See more

In addition to the member states, there are two United Nations General Assembly non-member observer states: the Holy See and the State of Palestine.
• The Holy See holds sovereignty over the state of … See more