|
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.
Types of political entities included
On this list are 245 entities of the following types:
- 193 states with general international recognition:
- 9 states lacking general international recognition, none of which are UN members, that may be defined as states in the body of customary international law, drawing on the precedent of the Montevideo Convention:
- 1 state, no longer a UN member since late 1971, recognized by 22 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, 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 state, recognized by 27 UN member states and the Republic of China (Taiwan)
[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/02/20/2003402059] and expecting further but ultimately limited recognition in coming days, the Republic of Kosovo.[Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia regards it as an integral part of its territory, 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.]
- 1 state, diplomatically recognized by no UN member states except Turkey, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
[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.]
- 5 de facto independent states, namely Abkhazia (Georgia),
[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.] Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan),[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.] Transnistria (Moldova),[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.] Somaliland (Somalia),[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.] and South Ossetia (Georgia),[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.] 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:
[The overseas regions/overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion are integral part of France, and therefore not listed.]
- 2 overseas countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba and Netherlands Antilles).
- 3 dependent territories of New Zealand:
- 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:
- 5 special entities recognized by international treaty or agreement (Ã…land in Finland, Svalbard in Norway, 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.
Key of country names
- Afghanistan (bold) - States with general international recognition
- Abkhazia (bold and italic) - States lacking general international recognition
- Akrotiri and Dhekelia (unbold) - Other non-state countries
List of countries
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
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
N
O
 Oman – Sultanate of Oman
P
Q
R
S
|
.svg/58px-Flag of Belgium (civil).svg)
 Islands.svg/58px-Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.svg)
.svg/58px-Flag of Mayotte (local).svg)
.svg/58px-Flag of Saint Barthelemy (local).svg)
.svg/58px-Flag of Saint-Martin (local).svg)
