List of countries
Template:List of countries
This list of countries, arranged alphabetically, gives an overview of countries of the world. It includes territories that are independent states (both those that are internationally recognized and generally unrecognized), inhabited dependent territories, and areas of special sovereignty.
Such inclusion criteria means the list does not treat the word "country" as synonymous with "sovereign state," as one may often find in colloquial usage. Note, that in certain circumstances and in certain languages the term country is understood in the most restrictive sense, thus including only the 193 entities mentioned under the first item below.
The list covers all areas under the jurisdiction of the listed countries, namely territory, territorial waters (including internal waters and contiguous zones), exclusive economic zone, continental shelf, and airspace.
The names of countries in the list are given in English and include both an English version of the short official or normative names (e.g. Afghanistan) and an English version of the (longer) official names (e.g. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan). The listing of any name in this article is not meant to imply an official position in any naming dispute.
Contents: | Included entities - Entities not included A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z |
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Types of political entities included
On this list are 245 entities of the following types:
- 193 states with general international recognition:
- 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): Vatican City.
- 8 states lacking general international recognition, none of which are UN members, that may be defined as states in the body of customary international law and drawing on the precedent of the Montevideo Convention:
- 1 state, no longer a UN member since late 1971, recognized by 23 UN member states and the Holy See (Vatican City), and currently with de facto international relations with many others, the Republic of China (commonly referred to as Taiwan).
- 1 state, member of the African Union and the Asian-African Strategic Partnership formed at the 2005 Asian-African Conference, recognized by 46 UN member states but never admitted to the UN itself, with most of its claimed territory under Moroccan de facto administration, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in Western Sahara.
- 1 de facto independent state, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states except Turkey, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.[1]
- 5 de facto independent states, namely Abkhazia (Georgia),[2] Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan),[3] Transnistria (Moldova),[4] Somaliland (Somalia),[5] and South Ossetia (Georgia),[6] none recognized by any UN member states.
- 38 inhabited dependent territories:
- 3 external territories of Australia (Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Norfolk Island).
- 2 overseas countries in the Kingdom of Denmark (Faroe Islands and Greenland).
- 7 overseas territories of France:[7]
- 1 sui generis (unique) community (New Caledonia).
- 6 overseas collectivities:
- 1 overseas country (French Polynesia)
- 1 departmental collectivity (Mayotte)
- 1 territorial collectivity (Saint Pierre and Miquelon)
- 2 collectivities (Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin)
- 1 territory (Wallis and Futuna)
- 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 British dependencies:
- 13 overseas territories of the United Kingdom (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).
- 3 Crown dependencies (Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man).
- 5 unincorporated territories of the United States:
- 2 commonwealths (Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico).
- 2 organized territories (Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands).
- 1 de facto organized territory lacking an Organic Act (American Samoa).
- 6 special entities recognized by international treaty or agreement (Åland in Finland, Svalbard in Norway, Kosovo in Serbia, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as the 2 special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China - Hong Kong and Macau).
In the Annex to the list of countries, an outline is given on the entities not included in this list. This includes distinct political and legal entities which are countries but are considered integral parts of a sovereign state, notably the constituent countries of the United Kingdom and the Länder of Germany.
List of countries
A
- Abkhazia – Republic of Abkhazia[2]
- Afghanistan – Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
- Akrotiri and Dhekelia – Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (UK overseas territory)
- Åland – Åland Islands (Autonomous province of Finland)
- Albania – Republic of Albania
- Algeria – People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
- American Samoa – Territory of American Samoa (US territory)
- Andorra – Principality of Andorra
- Angola – Republic of Angola
- Anguilla (UK overseas territory)
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina – Argentine Republic[8]
- Armenia – 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 – Commonwealth of Australia
- Austria – Republic of Austria
- Azerbaijan – Republic of Azerbaijan[9]
B
- Bahamas, The – Commonwealth of The Bahamas
- Bahrain – Kingdom of Bahrain
- Bangladesh – People's Republic of Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus – Republic of Belarus
- Belgium – Kingdom of Belgium
- Belize
- Benin – Republic of Benin
- Bermuda (UK overseas territory)
- Bhutan – Kingdom of Bhutan
- Bolivia – Republic of Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina[10]
- Botswana – Republic of Botswana
- Brazil – Federative Republic of Brazil
- Brunei – Negara Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria – Republic of Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- For "Burma", see Myanmar
- Burundi – Republic of Burundi
C
- Cambodia – Kingdom of Cambodia
- Cameroon – Republic of Cameroon
- Canada[11]
- Cape Verde – Republic of Cape Verde
- Cayman Islands (UK overseas territory)
- Central African Republic[12]
- Chad – Republic of Chad
- Chile – Republic of Chile
- China – People's Republic of China[13]
- For "Republic of China", see Taiwan
- Christmas Island – Territory of Christmas Island (Australian overseas territory)
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands – Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australian overseas territory)
- Colombia – Republic of Colombia
- Comoros – Union of the Comoros
- Congo – Democratic Republic of the Congo[14]
- Congo – Republic of the Congo[15]
- Cook Islands (Associated state of New Zealand)
- Costa Rica – Republic of Costa Rica
- Côte d'Ivoire – Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
- Croatia – Republic of Croatia
- Cuba – Republic of Cuba
- Cyprus – Republic of Cyprus[16]
- Czech Republic[17]
D
- Denmark – Kingdom of Denmark
- For "Dhekelia", see Akrotiri and Dhekelia
- Djibouti – Republic of Djibouti
- Dominica – Commonwealth of Dominica
- Dominican Republic
E
- East Timor – Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
- Ecuador – Republic of Ecuador
- Egypt – Arab Republic of Egypt
- El Salvador – Republic of El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea – Republic of Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea – State of Eritrea
- Estonia – Republic of Estonia
- Ethiopia – Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
F
- Falkland Islands (UK overseas territory)[18]
- Faroe Islands (Self-governing country in the Kingdom of Denmark)
- Fiji – Republic of the Fiji Islands
- Finland – Republic of Finland
- France – French Republic
- French Polynesia (French overseas collectivity)
G
- Gabon – Gabonese Republic
- Gambia, The – Republic of The Gambia
- Georgia[19]
- Germany – Federal Republic of Germany
- Ghana – Republic of Ghana
- Gibraltar (UK overseas territory)
- Greece – Hellenic Republic
- Greenland (Self-governing country in the Kingdom of Denmark)
- Grenada
- Guam – Territory of Guam (US organized territory)
- Guatemala – Republic of Guatemala
- Guernsey – Bailiwick of Guernsey (British Crown dependency)[20]
- Guinea – Republic of Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau – Republic of Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana – Co-operative Republic of Guyana
H
- Haiti – Republic of Haiti
- Honduras – Republic of Honduras
- Hong Kong – Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Area of special sovereignty)[21]
- Hungary – Republic of Hungary
I
- Iceland – Republic of Iceland
- India – Republic of India
- Indonesia – Republic of Indonesia
- Iran – Islamic Republic of Iran
- Iraq – Republic of Iraq
- Ireland - Republic of Ireland[22]
- Isle of Man (British Crown dependency)
- Israel – State of Israel
- Italy – Italian Republic
- For "Ivory Coast", see Côte d'Ivoire
J
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jersey – Bailiwick of Jersey (British Crown dependency)
- Jordan – Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
K
- Kazakhstan – Republic of Kazakhstan
- Kenya – Republic of Kenya
- Kiribati – Republic of Kiribati
- Korea, North – Democratic People's Republic of Korea[23]
- Korea, South – Republic of Korea[24]
- Kosovo[25]
- Kuwait – State of Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyz Republic[26]
L
- Laos – Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Latvia – Republic of Latvia
- Lebanon – Republic of Lebanon
- Lesotho – Kingdom of Lesotho
- Liberia – Republic of Liberia
- Libya – Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
- Liechtenstein – Principality of Liechtenstein
- Lithuania – Republic of Lithuania
- Luxembourg – Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
M
- Macao – Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Area of special sovereignty)[27]
- Macedonia – Republic of Macedonia[28]
- Madagascar – Republic of Madagascar
- Malawi – Republic of Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives – Republic of Maldives
- Mali – Republic of Mali
- Malta – Republic of Malta
- Marshall Islands – Republic of the Marshall Islands
- Mauritania – Islamic Republic of Mauritania
- Mauritius – Republic of Mauritius
- Mayotte – Departmental Collectivity of Mayotte (French overseas collectivity)
- Mexico – United Mexican States
- Micronesia – Federated States of Micronesia
- Moldova – Republic of Moldova[29]
- Monaco – Principality of Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro – Republic of Montenegro
- Montserrat (UK overseas territory)
- Morocco – Kingdom of Morocco[30]
- Mozambique – Republic of Mozambique
- Myanmar – Union of Myanmar
N
- Nagorno-Karabakh – Nagorno-Karabakh Republic[3]
- Namibia – Republic of Namibia
- Nauru – Republic of Nauru
- Nepal – State of Nepal
- Netherlands – Kingdom of the Netherlands[31]
- Netherlands Antilles (Self-governing country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
- New Caledonia – Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies (French community sui generis)
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua – Republic of Nicaragua
- Niger – Republic of Niger
- Nigeria – Federal Republic of Nigeria
- Niue (Associated state of New Zealand)
- Norfolk Island – Territory of Norfolk Island (Australian overseas territory)
- Northern Cyprus – Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus[1]
- Northern Mariana Islands – Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US commonwealth)
- For "North Korea", see Korea, North
- Norway – Kingdom of Norway
O
- Oman – Sultanate of Oman
P
- Pakistan – Islamic Republic of Pakistan
- Palau – Republic of Palau
- Palestine – Occupied Palestinian Territories[32]
- Panama – Republic of Panama
- Papua New Guinea – Independent State of Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay – Republic of Paraguay
- For "People's Republic of China", see China
- Peru – Republic of Peru
- Philippines – Republic of the Philippines
- Pitcairn Islands – Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands (UK overseas territory)
- Poland – Republic of Poland
- Portugal – Portuguese Republic
- For "Pridnestrovie", see Transnistria
- Puerto Rico – Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (US commonwealth)
Q
- Qatar – State of Qatar
R
S
- Saint Barthélemy – Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy (French overseas collectivity)
- Saint Helena (UK overseas territory)
- Saint Kitts and Nevis – Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin – Collectivity of Saint Martin (French overseas collectivity)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon – Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French overseas collectivity)
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa – Independent State of Samoa
- San Marino – Most Serene Republic of San Marino
- São Tomé and Príncipe – Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
- Saudi Arabia – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Senegal – Republic of Senegal
- Serbia – Republic of Serbia[33]
- Seychelles – Republic of Seychelles
- Sierra Leone – Republic of Sierra Leone
- Singapore – Republic of Singapore
- Slovakia – Slovak Republic
- Slovenia – Republic of Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia[34]
- Somaliland – Republic of Somaliland[5]
- South Africa – Republic of South Africa
- For "South Korea", see Korea, South
- South Ossetia – Republic of South Ossetia[6]
- Spain – Kingdom of Spain
- Sri Lanka – Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
- Sudan – Republic of the Sudan
- Suriname – Republic of Suriname
- Svalbard (Territory of Norway)[35]
- Swaziland – Kingdom of Swaziland
- Sweden – Kingdom of Sweden
- Switzerland – Swiss Confederation
- Syria – Syrian Arab Republic
T
- Taiwan – Republic of China[36]
- Tajikistan – Republic of Tajikistan
- Tanzania – United Republic of Tanzania
- Thailand – Kingdom of Thailand
- For "Timor-Leste", see East Timor
- Togo – Togolese Republic
- Tokelau (Overseas territory of New Zealand)
- Tonga – Kingdom of Tonga
- Transnistria - Transnistrian Moldovan Republic[4]
- Trinidad and Tobago – Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
- Tristan da Cunha (Dependency of the UK overseas territory of Saint Helena)
- Tunisia – Tunisian Republic
- Turkey – Republic of Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Turks and Caicos Islands (UK overseas territory)
- Tuvalu
U
- Uganda – Republic of Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- United States – United States of America
- Uruguay – Eastern Republic of Uruguay
- Uzbekistan – Republic of Uzbekistan
V
- Vanuatu – Republic of Vanuatu
- Vatican City – State of the Vatican City[37]
- Venezuela – Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
- Vietnam – Socialist Republic of Vietnam
- Virgin Islands, British – British Virgin Islands (UK overseas territory)
- Virgin Islands, United States – United States Virgin Islands (US organized territory)
W
- Wallis and Futuna – Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands (French overseas collectivity)
- Western Sahara[38]
Y
- Yemen – Republic of Yemen
Z
See also
- Annex to the list of countries
- List of international rankings
- List of unrecognized states
- Geography
- The Earth
- Continent
References
- Template:PDFlink (2004). United Nations Cartographic Section. Retrieved 17 January 2006.
- Countries or areas, codes and abbreviations (2006). United Nations Statistics Division. Retrieved 18 October 2006 .
- Countries and currencies (2006). European Commission. Retrieved 27 October 2006.
- The World Factbook (2006). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 17 January 2006.
- ISO 3166 country code list (2006) ISO 3166-1 Retrieved 18 October 2006 .
Footnotes
- ^ a b The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a de facto independent state inside the de jure territory of the Republic of 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 legislature of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic regards TRNC as sovereign but Azerbaijan, who exercises sovereignty over Nakhichevan, has not followed suit. See The World Factbook - Cyprus (10 January, 2006). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- ^ a b Abkhazia is a de facto independent state inside the de jure territory of Georgia, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states. See Regions and territories: Abkhazia (14 December 2005). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- ^ a b Nagorno-Karabakh is a de facto independent state inside the de jure territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states. See Regions and territories: Nagorno-Karabakh (17 January 2006). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- ^ a b Transnistria is a de facto independent state inside the de jure territory of the Republic of Moldova, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states, commonly known and referred to internationally as Transnistria, but sometimes referred to as "Pridnestrovie" (along with the corresponding long-form name "Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic"). See Regions and territories: Trans-Dniester (13 December 2005). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- ^ a b Somaliland is a de facto independent state inside the de jure territory of the Somali Republic, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states. See Regions and territories: Somaliland (30 December 2005). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- ^ a b South Ossetia is a de facto independent state inside the de jure territory of Georgia, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states. See Regions and territories: South Ossetia (14 December 2005). BBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2006.
- ^ The overseas regions/overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion are integral part of France, and therefore not listed.
- ^ Argentina is also named Argentine Nation for purposes of legislation.
- ^ See also Nagorno-Karabakh.
- ^ See also entities Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, as well as District Brčko.
- ^ Canada is officially also (but infrequently) referred to as Dominion of Canada.
- ^ The Central African Republic is also infrequently rendered as Central Africa.
- ^ Commonly known as China, the area under the domain of the People's Republic of China is occasionally rendered as mainland China in the relationship with its special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao as well as its relations with the Republic of China.
- ^ The Democratic Republic of the Congo is referred to as Congo-Kinshasa to distinguish it from the Republic of the Congo. It is also often referred to as Zaire, its official name from 1971 to 1997.
- ^ The Republic of the Congo is referred to as Congo-Brazzaville to distinguish it from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- ^ See also Northern Cyprus.
- ^ The Czech Republic is also infrequently rendered as Czechia. See Names of the Czech Republic.
- ^ Falkland Islands is also claimed by Argentina as Islas Malvinas.
- ^ See also Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
- ^ The Bailiwick of Guernsey includes its self-governing dependencies Alderney, Herm and Sark.
- ^ Hong Kong is a Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. It is often diplomatically known as Hong Kong, China.
- ^ Ireland is often 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.
- ^ The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is popularly known as North Korea.
- ^ The Republic of Korea is popularly known as South Korea.
- ^ Kosovo is a de jure autonomous province of Serbia, the formal name of which is "Kosovo and Metohija". It has been under United Nations administration since 1999 under the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 that ended the Kosovo conflict. That resolution reaffirmed the sovereignty of Serbia over Kosovo but required the UN administration to promote the establishment of 'substantial autonomy and self-government' for Kosovo pending a 'final settlement' for negotiation between the parties. See also Constitutional status of Kosovo.
- ^ Kyrgyzstan is also sometimes rendered as Kirghizia.
- ^ Macao is a Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. It is diplomatically known as Macao, China.
- ^ Republic of Macedonia is referred to by UN and a number of countries and international organizations as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
- ^ See also Transnistria.
- ^ See also Western Sahara.
- ^ Legally the Netherlands refers to the 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.
- ^ The Occupied Palestinian Territories are those portions of the former British Mandate of Palestine captured and administered by Jordan and Egypt in the late 1940's, and later by Israel following the 1967 Six-Day War. They include Gaza Strip and West Bank, both of which are now divded into 3 areas (Area A, Area B, and Area C) and 16 governorates under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority in accordance with the Oslo Accords. The permanent legal and political status of these places are subject to further negotiation between the government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
- ^ See also Kosovo - under UN administration.
- ^ Somalia is presently fragmented with its Transitional National Government in exile. See also Somaliland.
- ^ Svalbard is an overseas territory of Norway recognized by international treaty.
- ^ The Republic of China (ROC) is a state commonly referred to as Taiwan. It is also diplomatically occasionally known as Chinese Taipei or other names. The ROC is no longer an United Nations member since late 1971 and regarded by UN as Taiwan, Province of China (see also One-China policy and Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China). 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 Republic of Taiwan proposed by supporters of Taiwan independence.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony which was in 1960s put on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories subject to decolonization. It is claimed by the Kingdom of Morocco which currently rules large portion of it, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) which exercises effective control over the area east of Moroccan Wall. SADR is a member of the African Union and the Asian-African Strategic Partnership formed at the 2005 Asian-African Conference. It is currently recognized by 46 UN member states but has never been admitted to UN itself. UN has attempted to hold a referendum through the mission United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), and is holding direct talks between Morocco and the Polisario Front (the ruling party of SADR). Despite these attempts, however, the legal and political status of Western Sahara remain unresolved. See also Legal status of Western Sahara.
External links
- How many countries are there in the world? an article by David Madore on this unanswerable question