List of countries
This is an alphabetical
list of countries of the world, including both
internationally recognized and
generally unrecognized independent states, inhabited
dependent territories, as well as
areas of special sovereignty. It covers all areas under the jurisdiction of the listed countries, namely
territory,
territorial waters (including internal waters and contiguous zone),
exclusive economic zone,
continental shelf, and
airspace. For a list of independent states only, see the
list of sovereign states.
The names of
countries in the list are given in English and include both an English version of the short official names (e.g.
Afghanistan) and an English version of the (longer) official names (e.g. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan).
[In some cases the government of a country adopts an official country name in English which is different from the name used conventionally in the Anglophone world. In that case the name prefered by the government is used in the list. This concerns Côte d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast, Macao/Macau, Myanmar/Burma, Pridnestrovie/Transnistria and Timor-Leste/East Timor.] The listing of any name in this article is not meant to imply an official position in any naming dispute.
On this list are 243 entities considered to be countries. This corresponds to:
*202
sovereign states:
**192
member states of the
United Nations (UN).
**1 state with general international recognition but not UN membership, governed by the
Holy See (a
UN permanent observer), the
Vatican City.
**9
states lacking general international recognition, none of which are UN members, that customary international law nonetheless defines as states under the
Montevideo Convention:
***1 state, no longer a UN member
since late 1971, recognized by
23 UN member states and the
Holy See, and currently with
de facto international relations with many others, the
Republic of China (commonly referred to as
Taiwan).
***1 state,
recognized by 46 UN member states but never admitted to the UN itself, with
most of its
claimed territory under
military occupation, the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in
Western Sahara.
***1 state, recognized by 92 UN member states (including the 2
permanent UNSC members Russia and the People's Republic of China) and the
Holy See but never admitted to the UN itself, with only partial
de facto control over any of its claimed territory exercised through the
Palestinian National Authority (a UN permanent observer), the
State of Palestine in the
Palestinian territories.
***6
de facto independent states lacking any significant measure of diplomatic recognition from other states:
****1
de facto independent state, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states except
Turkey,
Northern Cyprus.
[De facto independent state inside Cyprus, recognized by no UN member states except Turkey. Though without universal diplomatic recognition, it was accepted as an observer state of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in the name of Turkish Cypriot State since 1979. In addition, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic regards TRNC as sovereign but Azerbaijan (the sovereign state that Nakhichevan belongs to) has not followed suit. See [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cy.html The World Factbook - Cyprus] (10 January, 2006). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved January 17, 2006.]****5
de facto independent states, namely
Abkhazia,
[Abkhazia is a de facto independent state inside Georgia, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states. See Regions and territories: Abkhazia (14 December 2005). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.] Nagorno-Karabakh,
[Nagorno-Karabakh is a de facto independent state inside Azerbaijan, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states. See Regions and territories: Nagorno-Karabakh (17 January 2006). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.] Pridnestrovie,
[Pridnestrovie is a de facto independent state inside Moldova, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states, commonly known and referred to by the international community as Transnistria. See Regions and territories: Trans-Dniester (13 December 2005). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.] Somaliland,
[Somaliland is a de facto independent state inside Somalia, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states. See Regions and territories: Somaliland (30 December 2005). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.] and
South Ossetia,
[South Ossetia is a de facto independent state inside Georgia, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states. See Regions and territories: South Ossetia (14 December 2005). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.] none recognized by any UN member states.
*36 inhabited
dependent territories:
**3
external territories of
Australia (
Christmas Island,
Cocos (Keeling) Islands and
Norfolk Island).
**2 overseas countries in the
Kingdom of Denmark (
Greenland and
Faroe Islands).
**5
overseas territories of
France:
[The overseas regions/overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion are integral part of France, and therefore not listed.]***1
sui generis (unique) community (
New Caledonia).
***4
overseas communities:
****1
territorial community (
Saint Pierre and Miquelon)
****1 territory (
Wallis and Futuna)
****1
overseas country (
French Polynesia)
****1
departmental community (
Mayotte)
**2 overseas countries in the
Kingdom of the Netherlands (
Aruba and
Netherlands Antilles).
**3 dependent territories of
New Zealand:
***2 states in
free association with New Zealand (
Cook Islands and
Niue).
***1 overseas territory (
Tokelau).
**16 dependent territories of the
United Kingdom:
***3
Crown dependencies (
Guernsey,
Jersey and the
Isle of Man).
***13
overseas territories (
Anguilla,
Bermuda,
British Virgin Islands,
Cayman Islands,
Falkland Islands,
Gibraltar,
Montserrat,
Pitcairn Islands,
Saint Helena (and its dependencies
Ascension Island and
Tristan da Cunha),
Turks and Caicos Islands, and the
Sovereign Base Areas of
Akrotiri and Dhekelia).
**5
unincorporated territories of the
United States:
***2
commonwealths (
Northern Mariana Islands and
Puerto Rico).
***2
organized insular territories (
Guam and
U.S. Virgin Islands).
***1
de facto organized insular territory lacking an
Organic Act (
American Samoa).
*5 areas of special sovereignty:
**4
special entities recognized by international treaty or agreement (
Ã…land in
Finland,
Svalbard in
Norway, as well as the
special administrative regions of
Hong Kong and
Macau in the
People's Republic of China).
**1 UN
protectorate inside the
de jure territory of a sovereign state (
Kosovo in
Serbia under
UN interim civilian administration).
In the
Annex, an outline is given on the entities not included in this list.
A
*
Abkhazia â€" Republic of Abkhazia
*
Afghanistan â€" Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
*
Akrotiri and Dhekelia â€" Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (
UK overseas territory)
*
Ã…land â€" Ã…land Islands (
Autonomous province of Finland)
*
Albania â€" Republic of Albania
*
Algeria â€" People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
*
American Samoa â€" Territory of American Samoa (
US overseas territory)
*
Andorra â€" Principality of Andorra
*
Angola â€" Republic of Angola
*
Anguilla (
UK overseas territory)
*
Antigua and Barbuda*
Argentina â€" Argentine Republic
[Argentina is also named Argentine Nation for purposes of legislation.]*
Armenia â€" Republic of Armenia
*
Aruba (
Self-governing country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
*
Ascension Island (
Dependency of the UK overseas territory of Saint Helena)
*
Australia â€" Commonwealth of Australia
*
Austria â€" Republic of Austria
*
Azerbaijan â€" Republic of Azerbaijan
[See also Nagorno-Karabakh.]B
*
Bahamas, The â€" Commonwealth of The Bahamas
*
Bahrain â€" Kingdom of Bahrain
*
Bangladesh â€" People's Republic of Bangladesh
*
Barbados*
Belarus â€" Republic of Belarus
*
Belgium â€" Kingdom of Belgium
*
Belize*
Benin â€" Republic of Benin
*
Bermuda (
UK overseas territory)
*
Bhutan â€" Kingdom of Bhutan
*
Bolivia â€" Republic of Bolivia
*
Bosnia and Herzegovina*
Botswana â€" Republic of Botswana
*
Brazil â€" Federative Republic of Brazil
*
Brunei â€" Negara Brunei Darussalam
*
Bulgaria â€" Republic of Bulgaria
*
Burkina Faso*
See Myanmar for Burma*
Burundi â€" Republic of Burundi
C
*
Cambodia â€" Kingdom of Cambodia
*
Cameroon â€" Republic of Cameroon
*
Canada[Canada is officially also (but infrequently) referred to as Dominion of Canada.]*
Cape Verde â€" Republic of Cape Verde
*
Cayman Islands (
UK overseas territory)
*
Central African Republic[The Central African Republic is also infrequently rendered as Central Africa.]*
Chad â€" Republic of Chad
*
Chile â€" Republic of Chile
*
China (People's Republic of) â€" People's Republic of China
[The People's Republic of China is occasionally rendered as mainland China in the relationship with its special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau as well as its relations with the Republic of China.]*
China (Republic of) â€" Republic of China
[The Republic of China (ROC) is a country commonly referred to as Taiwan by the international community. It is also diplomatically occassionally known as Chinese Taipei or other names and regarded by UN as Taiwan, Province of China (see One-China policy). The ROC is no longer an UN member since late 1971. It is currently recognized by the Holy See and 23 UN member states and with de facto international relations with most others. The political status of the ROC and the legal status of Taiwan (alongside the territories currently under the ROC jurisdiction) are in dispute. The ROC should not be confused with the so-called Republic of Taiwan proposed by supporters of Taiwan independence.]*
Christmas Island â€" Territory of Christmas Island (
Australian overseas territory)
*
Cocos (Keeling) Islands â€" Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (
Australian overseas territory)
*
Colombia â€" Republic of Colombia
*
Comoros â€" Union of the Comoros
*
Congo (Democratic Republic of) â€" Democratic Republic of the Congo
[The Democratic Republic of the Congo is formerly and popularly known as Zaire. It is referred to as Congo-Kinshasa to distinguish it from the Republic of the Congo.]*
Congo (Republic of) â€" Republic of the Congo
[The Republic of the Congo is referred to as Congo-Brazzaville to distinguish it from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.]*
Cook Islands (
Associated state of New Zealand)
*
Costa Rica â€" Republic of Costa Rica
*
Côte d'Ivoire â€" Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
*
Croatia â€" Republic of Croatia
*
Cuba â€" Republic of Cuba
*
Cyprus â€" Republic of Cyprus
[See also Northern Cyprus.]*
Czech Republic[The Czech Republic is also infrequently rendered as Czechia. See Names of the Czech Republic.]D
*
Denmark â€" Kingdom of Denmark
*
See Akrotiri and Dhekelia for Dhekelia*
Djibouti â€" Republic of Djibouti
*
Dominica â€" Commonwealth of Dominica
*
Dominican RepublicE
See Timor-Leste for East Timor*
Ecuador â€" Republic of Ecuador
*
Egypt â€" Arab Republic of Egypt
*
El Salvador â€" Republic of El Salvador
*
Equatorial Guinea â€" Republic of Equatorial Guinea
*
Eritrea â€" State of Eritrea
*
Estonia â€" Republic of Estonia
*
Ethiopia â€" Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
F
*
Falkland Islands (
UK overseas territory)
[Falkland Islands is also claimed by Argentina as Islas Malvinas.]*
Faroe Islands (
Self-governing country in the Kingdom of Denmark)
*
Fiji â€" Republic of the Fiji Islands
*
Finland â€" Republic of Finland
*
France â€" French Republic
*
French Polynesia (
French overseas community)
G
*
Gabon â€" Gabonese Republic
*
Gambia, The â€" Republic of The Gambia
*
Georgia[See also Abkhazia and South Ossetia.]*
Germany â€" Federal Republic of Germany
*
Ghana â€" Republic of Ghana
*
Gibraltar (
UK overseas territory)
*
Greece â€" Hellenic Republic
*
Greenland (
Self-governing country in the Kingdom of Denmark)
*
Grenada*
Guam â€" Territory of Guam (
US overseas territory)
*
Guatemala â€" Republic of Guatemala
*
Guernsey â€" Bailiwick of Guernsey (
British Crown dependency)
[The Bailiwick of Guernsey includes its self-governing dependencies Alderney, Herm and Sark.]*
Guinea â€" Republic of Guinea
*
Guinea-Bissau â€" Republic of Guinea-Bissau
*
Guyana â€" Co-operative Republic of Guyana
H
*
Haiti â€" Republic of Haiti
*
Honduras â€" Republic of Honduras
*
Hong Kong â€" Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (
Area of special sovereignty)
[Hong Kong is a Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. It is diplomatically known as Hong Kong, China.]*
Hungary â€" Republic of Hungary
I
*
Iceland â€" Republic of Iceland
*
India â€" Republic of India
*
Indonesia â€" Republic of Indonesia
*
Iran â€" Islamic Republic of Iran
*
Iraq â€" Republic of Iraq
*
Ireland[Ireland is commonly referred to as the Republic of Ireland as the official "description" of the state in order to distinguish it from the island of Ireland as a whole.]*
See Falkland Islands for Islas Malvinas *
Isle of Man (
British Crown dependency)
*
Israel â€" State of Israel
*
Italy â€" Italian Republic
*
See Côte d'Ivoire for Ivory CoastJ
*
Jamaica*
Japan*
Jersey â€" Bailiwick of Jersey (
British Crown dependency)
*
Jordan â€" Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
K
*
Kazakhstan â€" Republic of Kazakhstan
*
Kenya â€" Republic of Kenya
*
Kiribati â€" Republic of Kiribati
*
Korea (Democratic People's Republic of) â€" Democratic People's Republic of Korea
[The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is popularly known as North Korea.]*
Korea (Republic of) â€" Republic of Korea
[The Republic of Korea is popularly known as South Korea.]*
Kosovo â€" Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohia (
Autonomous province of Serbia under UN protectorate)
[Kosovo is an autonomous province of Serbia currently administered by the Provisional Institution of Self-Government under the supervision of the UN Interim Administration Mission.]*
Kuwait â€" State of Kuwait
*
Kyrgyzstan â€" Kyrgyz Republic
[Kyrgyzstan is also sometimes rendered as Kirghizia.]L
*
Laos â€" Lao People's Democratic Republic
*
Latvia â€" Republic of Latvia
*
Lebanon â€" Republic of Lebanon
*
Lesotho â€" Kingdom of Lesotho
*
Liberia â€" Republic of Liberia
*
Libya â€" Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
*
Liechtenstein â€" Principality of Liechtenstein
*
Lithuania â€" Republic of Lithuania
*
Luxembourg â€" Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
M
*
Macao â€" Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (
Area of special sovereignty)
[Macao is a Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. It is diplomatically known as Macao, China. ]*
Macedonia â€" Republic of Macedonia
[Macedonia is referred to by UN and a number of countries and international organizations as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.]*
Madagascar â€" Republic of Madagascar
*
Malawi â€" Republic of Malawi
*
Malaysia*
Maldives â€" Republic of Maldives
*
Mali â€" Republic of Mali
*
Malta â€" Republic of Malta
*
Marshall Islands â€" Republic of the Marshall Islands
*
Mauritania â€" Islamic Republic of Mauritania
*
Mauritius â€" Republic of Mauritius
*
Mayotte (
French overseas community)
*
Mexico â€" United Mexican States
*
Micronesia â€" Federated States of Micronesia
*
Moldova â€" Republic of Moldova
[See also Pridnestrovie.]*
Monaco â€" Principality of Monaco
*
Mongolia*
Montenegro â€" Republic of Montenegro
*
Montserrat (
UK overseas territory)
*
Morocco â€" Kingdom of Morocco
[See also Western Sahara.]*
Mozambique â€" Republic of Mozambique
*
Myanmar â€" Union of Myanmar
N
*
Nagorno-Karabakh â€" Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
*
Namibia â€" Republic of Namibia
*
Nauru â€" Republic of Nauru
*
Nepal â€" Kingdom of Nepal
*
Netherlands â€" Kingdom of the Netherlands
[Legally the Netherlands refers to the mainland European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with the latter consisting of the Netherlands and two overseas countries, namely Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.]*
Netherlands Antilles (
Self-governing country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
*
New Caledonia â€" Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies (
French community sui generis)
*
New Zealand*
Nicaragua â€" Republic of Nicaragua
*
Niger â€" Republic of Niger
*
Nigeria â€" Federal Republic of Nigeria
*
Niue (
Associated state of New Zealand)
*
See Korea (Democratic People's Republic of) for North Korea*
Norfolk Island â€" Territory of Norfolk Island (
Australian overseas territory)
*
Northern Cyprus â€" Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
*
Northern Mariana Islands â€" Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (
US overseas commonwealth)
*
Norway â€" Kingdom of Norway
O
*
Oman â€" Sultanate of Oman
P
*
Pakistan â€" Islamic Republic of Pakistan
*
Palau â€" Republic of Palau
*
Palestine â€"
State of Palestine[The State of Palestine in the Palestinian territories is currently recognized by the Holy See and 93 UN member states. It has never been admitted as a full UN member (only granted with a permanent observer status) but is a member of the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The State claims the whole Palestinian territories but only exercises de facto control over part of the territories administered through its shadow organ, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). It is further supported by other countries according the PNA a pivotal role in the process that may involve their eventually recognizing the State as sovereign.]*
Panama â€" Republic of Panama
*
Papua New Guinea â€" Independent State of Papua New Guinea
*
Paraguay â€" Republic of Paraguay
*
Peru â€" Republic of Peru
*
Philippines â€" Republic of the Philippines
*
Pitcairn Islands â€" Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands (
UK overseas territory)
*
Poland â€" Republic of Poland
*
Portugal â€" Portuguese Republic
*
Pridnestrovie â€" Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic
*
Puerto Rico â€" Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (
US overseas commonwealth)
Q
*
Qatar â€" State of Qatar
R
*
Romania*
Russia â€" Russian Federation
*
Rwanda â€" Republic of Rwanda
S
*
Saint Helena (
UK overseas territory)
*
Saint Kitts and Nevis â€" Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis
*
Saint Lucia*
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (
French overseas community)
*
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines*
Samoa â€" Independent State of Samoa
*
San Marino â€" Most Serene Republic of San Marino
*
São Tomé and PrÃncipe â€" Democratic Republic of São Tomé and PrÃncipe
*
Saudi Arabia â€" Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
*
Senegal â€" Republic of Senegal
*
Serbia â€" Republic of Serbia
[See also Kosovo.]*
Seychelles â€" Republic of Seychelles
*
Sierra Leone â€" Republic of Sierra Leone
*
Singapore â€" Republic of Singapore
*
Slovakia â€" Slovak Republic
*
Slovenia â€" Republic of Slovenia
*
Solomon Islands*
Somalia[Somalia is presently fragmented with its Transitional National Government in exile. See also Somaliland.]*
Somaliland â€" Republic of Somaliland
*
South Africa â€" Republic of South Africa
*
See Korea (Republic of) for South Korea*
South Ossetia â€" Republic of South Ossetia
*
Spain â€" Kingdom of Spain
*
Sri Lanka â€" Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
*
Sudan â€" Republic of the Sudan
*
Suriname â€" Republic of Suriname
*
Svalbard (
Territory of Norway)
[Svalbard is an overseas territory of Norway recognized by international treaty.]*
Swaziland â€" Kingdom of Swaziland
*
Sweden â€" Kingdom of Sweden
*
Switzerland â€" Swiss Confederation
*
Syria â€" Syrian Arab Republic
T
See China (Republic of) for the country that is commonly referred to as Taiwan*
Tajikistan â€" Republic of Tajikistan
*
Tanzania â€" United Republic of Tanzania
*
Thailand â€" Kingdom of Thailand
*
Timor-Leste â€" Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
*
Togo â€" Togolese Republic
*
Tokelau (
Overseas territory of New Zealand)
*
Tonga â€" Kingdom of Tonga
*
See Pridnestrovie for Transnistria*
Trinidad and Tobago â€" Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
*
Tristan da Cunha (
Dependency of the UK overseas territory of Saint Helena)
*
Tunisia â€" Tunisian Republic
*
Turkey â€" Republic of Turkey
*
Turkmenistan*
Turks and Caicos Islands (
UK overseas territory)
*
TuvaluU
*
Uganda â€" Republic of Uganda
*
Ukraine*
United Arab Emirates*
United Kingdom â€" United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
*
United States â€" United States of America
*
Uruguay â€" Oriental Republic of Uruguay
*
Uzbekistan â€" Republic of Uzbekistan
V
*
Vanuatu â€" Republic of Vanuatu
*
Vatican City â€" State of the Vatican City
[Vatican City is administered by a Governor appointed by the Pope, with the latter being the head of the Holy See and that of the Vatican City concurrently.]*
Venezuela â€" Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
*
Vietnam â€" Socialist Republic of Vietnam
*
Virgin Islands (British) â€" British Virgin Islands (
UK overseas territory)
*
Virgin Islands (United States) â€" United States Virgin Islands (
US overseas territory)
W
*
Wallis and Futuna â€" Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands (
French overseas community)
*
Western Sahara â€"
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic[The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in Western Sahara is currently recognized by 46 UN member states. It has never been admitted to the UN but is a member of the African Union. It claims the whole territory of Western Sahara but only exercises effective control over the territory east of Moroccan Wall, while a large portion of the territory is occupied by and integrated into Morocco.]Y
*
Yemen â€" Republic of Yemen
Z
*
Zambia â€" Republic of Zambia
*
Zimbabwe â€" Republic of Zimbabwe
Countries
*
by native names*
countries and capitals in native languages*
names in various languages*
alternative names*
unrecognized countries*
island countries*
by capital city*
by area*
by agriculture*
by industry*
by services*
by continent*
by gross domestic product*
by date of nationhood *
by population*
by population density*
by highest point*
by time zone*
by number of active troops*
by Human Development Index (HDI)*
named after peopleOther entities
*
of sovereign states*
of dependent territories*
of special entities recognized by international treaty or agreement*
of United Nations member states*
of confederations*
of federations*
of autonomous entities*
of subnational entities*
of enclaves*
of disputed or occupied territories*
of active autonomist and secessionist movements*
of governments in exile*
of micronations*
of extinct states*
of fictitious countriesFor more sources, see
Geographic references.
*
List of Territories (2004).
United Nations Cartographic Section. Retrieved
17 January 2006.
*
Countries and currencies (2004).
European Commission. Retrieved
17 January 2006.
*[https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html The World Factbook] (2006).
Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved
17 January 2006.
*
Lists by country*
List of international rankings*
Wikipedia Almanac *
Geography*
The Earth*
Continent*
How many countries are there in the world? an article by David Madore on this unanswarable question
fiu-vro:Maailma riike lipuq
