List of sovereign states
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| Topical country articles |
| *Alphabetical *History *Politics *Subnational entities *Culture: see in Culture *Transportation *Tourism: see in Tourism |
In order to be listed here as a de facto independent country, Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention from 1933 is followed, which means that the entity should possess the following qualifications: (a) a permanent population, (b) a defined territory, (c) government, and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states. Also, the entity doesn't accept that the state de jure comprises part of the territory of another country. In the case of the inclusion of a de facto independent state, a note explains the reason for its inclusion.
The notes include information on:-
- The reason why a non-de jure state is listed (also listed at the de jure state) 1
- The overseas dependencies 2
- The federal structures if applicable 3
- The autonomous entities inside the territory of the sovereign state 4
- The names in English are the short official names (e.g. Afghanistan) and the (longer) official name (e.g. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan).
- The names in the native languages are the short and official names in the official language(s). If needed, they have been transliterated into Romanized characters, but original scripts (such as Cyrillic or Chinese characters) are included. When possible, the romanization preferred by the country has been used.
There are 201 entities on this list. It corresponds to:
- 193 countries, including:
- 191 United Nations member states
- Taiwan (Republic of China)
- Vatican City (Holy See)
- Six de-facto independent countries (Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Northern Cyprus, Somaliland, South Ossetia, Transnistria)
- Two entities recognized by many countries but de-facto not independent, Palestine and Western Sahara.
The sovereign states
A
Abkhazia1 — Republic of Abkhazia
- \Abkhazian: Aṗsny / Аҧсны
- Russian: Abchazija / Абхазия
- Georgian: Aṗẖazeṭi / აფხაზეთი
- Persian (Dari-Persian): Afġānestān / افغانستان — Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan / دولت اسلامی افغانستان
- Pushtu: Afġānistān / افغانستان
- Albanian: Shqipëria — Republika e Shqipërise
- Arabic: Al-Jazā'ir / الجمهورية الجزائرية — Al-Jumhūrīyah al-Jazā’irīyah ad-Dīmuqrāţīyah ash-Sha’bīyah / الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية
- Catalan: Andorra — Principat d’Andorra
- Portuguese: Angola - República de Angola
- English: Antigua and Barbuda
- Spanish: Argentina — Nación Argentina or República Argentina
- Armenian: Hayastan / Հայաստան — Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun / Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն<
- English: Australia — Commonwealth of Australia
- German: Österreich — Republik Österreich
- Azeri: Azərbaycan — Azərbaycan Respublikası
B
;The Bahamas — Commonwealth of the Bahamas
- English: The Bahamas — Commonwealth of the Bahamas
- Arabic: al-Baḥrayn / بحرين - Mamlakat al Bahrayn / مملكة البحرين
- Bengali: Banglādeś / বাংলাদেশ — Gana Prajātantrī Bānglādesh - গণ প্রজাতঁত্রী বাংলাদেশ
- English: Barbados
- Belarusian: Bjelarúś / Белару́сь — Respublika Biełaruś / Рэспу́бліка Белару́сь
- Russian: Bjelorússija / Белору́ссия
- Dutch: België — Koninkrijk België
- French: Belgique — Royaume de Belgique
- German: Belgien — Königreich Belgien
- English: Belize
- French: Bénin — République du Bénin
- Dzongkha: Druk Yul / འབྲུག་ཡུལ — Druk Gyal Khab
- Spanish: Bolivia — República de Bolivia
- Bosnian: Bosna i Hercegovina
- Serbian: Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина
- Croatian: Bosna i Hercegovina
- Tswana: Botswana — Lefatshe la Botswana
- English: Botswana — Republic of Botswana
- Portuguese: Brasil — República Federativa do Brasil
- Malay: Brunei Darussalam — Negara Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgarian: Bălgarija / България - Republika Bălgarija / Република България
- French: Burkina Faso
- Kirundi: Uburundi — Republika y'Uburundi
- French: Burundi — République du Burundi
C
;Cambodia — Kingdom of Cambodia
- Cambodian: Kampuchea / កម្ពុជា — Preah Reachea Nachakr Kampuchea / ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រ កម្ពុជា
- French: Cameroun — République du Cameroun
- English: Cameroon — Republic of Cameroon
- English: Canada
- French: Canada
- Portugese: Cabo Verde — República de Cabo Verde
- French: République Centrafricaine
- Sango: Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka
- French: Tchad — République du Tchad
- Arabic: Tašād / تشاد — Jumhuriyat Tašād /جمهوريّة تشاد
- Spanish: Chile — República de Chile
- Chinese: Zhōngguó / 中国 — Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó / 中华人民共和国
- Spanish: Colombia - República de Colombia
- French: Comores — Union des Comores
- Comorian: Komori — Udzima wa Komori
- Arabic: Qumur / قمر — الاتحاد القمر
- French: Congo — République Démocratique du Congo
- French: Congo — République du Congo
- Spanish: Costa Rica — República de Costa Rica
- French: Côte d'Ivoire — République de Côte d'Ivoire
- Croatian: Hrvatska — Republika Hrvatska
- Spanish: Cuba — República de Cuba
- Greek: Kypros / Κυπρος — Kypriaki Dimokratia / Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία
- Turkish: Kıbrıs — Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti
- Czech: Česko — Česká republika
D
;Denmark2 — Kingdom of Denmark
- Danish: Danmark — Kongeriget Danmark
- French:Djibouti — République de Djibouti
- Arabic: Jibuti / جيبوتي — Jumhuriyaa Jibuti / جمهورية جيبوتي
- English: Dominica — Commonwealth of Dominica
- Spanish: República Dominicana
E
;East Timor — Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
- Tetum: Timor Lorosa'e — Repúblika Demokrátika Timor Lorosa'e
- Portuguese: Timor-Leste — República Democrática de Timor-Leste
- Spanish: Ecuador — República del Ecuador
- Arabic: Mişr / مصر — Jumhuriyat Mişr al-Arabiyah / جمهوريّة مصرالعربيّة
- Spanish: El Salvador — República de El Salvador
- Spanish: Guinea Ecuatorial — Républica de Guinea Ecuatorial
- Tigrinya: Ertra / ኤርትራ — Hagere Ertra
- Arabic: Irītriyā / إريتريا
- Estonian: Eesti — Eesti Vabariik
- Amharic: Ityop'iya / ኢትዮጵያ — Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik / የኢትዮጵያ ፈደራላዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ
F
;Fiji 4 — Republic of the Fiji Islands
- English: Fiji — Republic of the Fiji Islands
- Fijian: Viti — Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti
- Finnish: Suomi — Suomen tasavalta
- Swedish: Finland — Republiken Finland
- French: France — République Française
G
;Gabon — Gabonese Republic
- French: Gabon — République Gabonaise
- English: The Gambia — Republic of the Gambia
- Georgian: Sakartvelo / საქართველო — Resp'ublik'a Sakartvelos / რესპუბლიკა საქართველოს
- German: Deutschland — Bundesrepublik Deutschland
- English: Ghana — Republic of Ghana
- Greek:Ellás / Ελλάδα — Ellinikí Dimokratía / Ελληνική Δημοκρατία
- English: Grenada
- Spanish: Guatemala — República de Guatemala
- French: Guinée — République de Guinée
- Portuguese: Guiné-Bissau — Repùblica da Guiné-Bissau
- English: Guyana — Co-operative Republic of Guyana
H
;Haiti — Republic of Haiti
- French: Haïti — République d'Haïti
- Haitian Creole: Ayiti — Repiblik Dayiti
- Spanish: Honduras — República de Honduras
- Hungarian: Magyarország — Magyar Köztársaság
I
;Iceland — Republic of Iceland
- Icelandic: Ísland — Lýðveldið Ísland
- Hindi: Bharat / भारत — Bhārat Ganarājya / भारत गणराज्य
- English: India — Republic of India
- Bahasa Indonesia: Indonesia — Republik Indonesia
- Persian: Īrān / ایران — Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Īrān — جمهوری اسلامی ایران
- Arabic: Al-ʿĪrāq / العراق — Al-Jumhuriyah Al-Iraqiyah / الجمهورية العراقية
- Kurdish: ʿIraq / Komara Iraqê / عیراق
- Irish: Éire;
- Official description: Republic of Ireland
- Hebrew: Yisra'el / ישראל — Medinat Yisra'el / מדינת ישראל
- Arabic: Isra'il / اسرائيل — Daulat Isra'il / دولة اسرائيل
- Italian: Italia — Repubblica Italiana
J - K
;Jamaica — Jamaica
- English: Jamaica
- Japanese: Nihon / 日本 — Nihon-koku / 日本国
- Arabic: Al-Urdun / الاردن — Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah / المملكة الأردنّيّة الهاشميّة
- Kazakh: Qazaqstan / Қазақстан — Qazaqstan Respūblīkasy / Қазақстан Республикасы
- Russian: Kazachstan / Казахстан — Respublika Kazachstan / Республика Казахстан
- English: Kenya — Republic of Kenya
- Swahili: Kenya — Jamhuri ya Kenya
- Kiribati: Kiribati — Ribaberikin Kiribati
- English: Kiribati — Republic of Kiribati
- Korean: Chosŏn / 조선 — Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk / 조선민주주의인민공화국
- Korean: Hanguk / 한국; - Daehan Minguk / 대한 민국
- Arabic: Al-Kuwayt / الكويت — Dawlat al Kuwayt / دولة الكويت
- Kyrgyz: Kyrgyzstan / Кыргызстан — Kyrgyz Respublikasy / Кыргыз Республикасы
- Russian: Kyrgyzstan / Кыргызстан — Kyrgyzskaya respublika - Кыргызская республика
L
;Laos — Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Laotian: Lao / ນລາວ — Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao / ສາທາລະນະລັດປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ
- Latvian: Latvija — Latvijas Republika
- Arabic: Lubnān / لبنان — Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah / الجمهوريّة البنانيّة
- English: Lesotho — Kingdom of Lesotho
- Sotho: Lesotho — Mmuso wa Lesotho
- English: Liberia — Republic of Liberia
- Arabic: Lībiyah / ليبية — al-Jamāhīrīyah al-‘Arabīya al-Lībīyah ash-Sha‘bīyah al-Ishtirākīyah al-Uzma / الجماهيرية العربية الليبية الشعبية الإشتراكية العظمى
- German: Liechtenstein — Fürstentum Liechtenstein
- Lithuanian: Lietuva — Lietuvos Respublika
- Luxembourgian: Lëtzebuerg — Groussherzogdem Lëtzebuerg
- French: Luxembourg — Grand-Duché de Luxembourg
- German: Luxemburg — Großherzogtum Luxemburg
M
;Macedonia (FYROM)5 — Republic of Macedonia
- Macedonian: Makedonija / Македонија — Republika Makedonija / Република Македонија
- Albanian (not a national language): Maqedoni
- Malagasy: Madagasikara — Repoblikan'i Madagasikara
- French: Madagascar — Republique de Madagascar
- English: Malawi — Republic of Malawi
- Chewa: Malaŵi — Mfuko la Malaŵi
- Malay: Malaysia — Persekutuan Malaysia
- Divehi: Divehi Rājje / ގުޖޭއްރާ ޔާއްރިހޫމްޖު — Divehi Rājje ge Jumhuriyyā / ހިވެދި ގުޖޭއްރާ ޔާއްރިހޫމްޖު
- French: Mali — République de Mali
- Maltese: Malta — Repubblika ta' Malta
- English: Marshall Islands — Republic of the Marshall Islands
- Arabic: Mūrītāniyyah / موريتانية — Al-Jumhuriyah al-Islamiyah al-Mūrītāniyah / الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية
- French: Mauritanie — République Islamique de la Mauritanie
- English: Mauritius — Republic of Mauritius
- French: Maurice — République de Maurice
- Spanish: México — Estados Unidos Mexicanos
- English: Micronesia — Federates States of Micronesia
- Romanian/Moldovan: Moldova — Republica Moldova
- French: Monaco — Principauté de Monaco
- Mongolian: Mongol Uls / Монгол Улс
- Arabic: al-Maġrib / مغرب — Al Mamlakah al-Maghribiyah / المملكة المغربية
- Portuguese: Moçambique — República de Moçambique
- Burmese: Myanma / ဴမန္မာ — Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw / ဴပည္ေထာင္စုဴမန္မာနုိင္ငံေတာ္
N - O
Nagorno-Karabakh1 — Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
- Armenian: Lernayin Gharabagh / Լեռնային Ղարաբաղ
- English: Namibia — Republic of Namibia
- Nauran: Naoero — Republik Naoero
- English: Nauru — Republic of Nauru
- Nepali: Nepāl / नेपाल — Nepal Adhirajya / नेपाल अधिराज्य
- Dutch: Nederland — Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
- English: New Zealand
- Maori: Aotearoa
- Spanish: Nicaragua — República de Nicaragua
- French: Niger — République du Niger
- English: Nigeria — Federal Republic of Nigeria
- Turkish: Kuzey Kıbrıs — Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti
- Norwegian (bokmål): Norge — Kongeriket Norge
- Norwegian (nynorsk): Noreg — Kongeriket Noreg
- Arabic: ʿUmmān / عمان — Saltanat Uman / سلطنة عُمان
P
;Pakistan — Islamic Republic of Pakistan
- Urdu: Pākistān / پاکستان — Islami Jamhuria Pākistān / اسلامی جمہوریت پاکستان
- Palauan: Belau — Beluu er a Belau
- English: Palau — Republic of Palau
- Arabic: Filastīn / فلسطين — Daulat Filastin / دولةفلسطين
- Spanish: Panamá — República de Panamá
- English: Papua New Guinea — Independent State of Papua New Guinea
- Spanish: Paraguay — República del Paraguay
- Guarani: Paraguái — Têta Paraguái
- Spanish: Perú — República del Perú
- Filipino: Pilipinas — Republika ng Pilipinas
- English: Philippines — Republic of the Philippines
- Polish: Polska — Rzeczpospolita Polska
- Portuguese: Portugal — República Portuguesa
Q - R
;Qatar — State of Qatar
- Arabic: Qaṭar / قطر — Dawlat Qatar / دولة قطر
- Romanian: România
- Russian: Rossija / Россия — Rossijskaja Federacija / Российская Федерация
- Rwandese: Rwanda — Repubulika y'u Rwanda
- French: Rwanda — République du Rwanda
- English: Rwanda — Republic of Rwanda
S
;Saint Kitts and Nevis4 — Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
- English: Saint Kitts and Nevis — Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
- English: Saint Lucia
- English: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- English: Samoa — Independent State of Samoa
- Samoan: Samoa — Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa
- Italian: San Marino — Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino
- Portuguese: São Tomé e Príncipe - República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe
- Arabic: Al-ʿArabiyyah as-Saʿūdiyyah / العربية السعودية — Al-Mamlakah al-'Arabiyah as-Sa'udiyah / المملكة العربيّة السّعوديّة
- French: Sénégal — République du Sénégal
- Serbian: Srbija i Crna Gora / Србија и Црна Гора — Državna zajednica Srbija i Crna Gora / Државна заједница Србија и Црна Гора
- English: Seychelles — Republic of Seychelles
- French: Seychelles — République des Seychelles
- Seselwa: Sesel — Repiblik Sesel
- English: Sierra Leone — Republic of Sierra Leone
- Malay: Singapura — Republik Singapura
- Chinese: Xinjiapo / 新加坡 — Xīnjīapō Gònghéguó / 新加坡共和国
- Tamil: Čiṅkappūr / சிங்கப்பூர் — Cingkappūr Kudiyarasu / சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு
- English: Singapore — Republic of Singapore
- Slovak: Slovensko — Slovenská Republika
- Slovenian: Slovenija — Republika Slovenija
- English: Solomon Islands
- Somalian: Soomaaliya
- Somalian: Somaliland
- English: South Africa — Republic of South Africa
- Afrikaans: Suid-Afrika — Republiek van Suid-Afrika
- Xhosa: Mzantsi Afrika — IRiphabliki yaseMzantsi Afrika
- Zulu: Ningizimu Afrika — IRiphabliki yaseNingizimu Afrika
- Ossetian: Xussar Iryston / Хуссар Ирыстон — Respublikae Xussar Iryston / Республикæ Хуссар Ирыстон
- Russian: Južnaja Osetia / Южная Осетия — Respublika Južnaja Osetija/ Республика Южная Осетия
- Spanish: España — Reino de España
- Basque: Espainia — Espainiako Erresuma
- Catalan: Espanya — Regne d'Espanya
- Galician: España — Reino de España
- Sinhala: Sri Lanka — Sri Lankā Prajathanthrika Samajavadi Janarajaya
- Tamil: Llankai / இலங்கை — Illankai Chananaayaka Chosalisa Kudiyarasu
- Arabic: As-Sūdān / السودان — Jumhuriyat as-Sudan / جمهورية السودان
- Dutch: Suriname — Republiek Suriname
- English: Swaziland — Kingdom of Swaziland
- Swazi: eSwatini — Umbuso weSwatini
- Swedish: Sverige — Konungariket Sverige
- German: Schweiz — Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft
- French: Suisse — Confédération suisse
- Italian: Svizzera — Confederazione Svizzera
- Raeto-Romance: Svizra — Confederaziun Svizra
- Arabic: Sūriyyah / سورية — Al-Jumhuriyah al-'Arabiyah al-Suriyah / الجمهوريّة العربيّة السّوريّة
T
;Taiwan (ROC)1 — Republic of China
- Chinese: Táiwān / 台灣 — JhongHuá MínGuó / 中華民國
- Persian (Tajiki-Persian): Tojikistan / Тоҷикистон — Jumhurii Tojikiston
- Swahili: Tanzania — Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania
- Thai: Prathēt Thai / ราชอาณาจักรไทย — Ratcha Anachak Thai
- French: Togo — République Togolaise
- Tongan: Tonga — Pule'anga Fakatu'i 'o Tonga
- English: Tonga — Kingdom of Tonga
- Russian: Pridnestrovje / Приднестровье - Приднестровская Молдавская Республика
- Romanian/Moldovan (unofficial): Stînga Nistrului - Republica Moldovenească Nistreană / Република Молдовеняскэ Нистрянэ
- English: Trinidad and Tobago — Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
- Arabic: Tūnis / تونس — Al Jumhuriyya at-Tūsiyya / الجمهرية التونسية
- Turkish: Türkiye — Türkiye Cumhuriyeti
- Turkmen: Türkmenistan
- Tuvaluan: Tuvalu
- English: Tuvalu
U
;Uganda — Republic of Uganda
- English: Uganda — Republic of Uganda
- Ukrainian: Ukrajina / Україна
- Arabic: Al-Imarat Al-Arabiyah Al-Muttahidah / الإمارات العربيّة المتّحدة
- English: United Kingdom — United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- English: United States — United States of America
- Spanish: Uruguay — República Oriental del Uruguay
- Uzbek: O'zbekiston — O‘zbekiston Respublikasi
V - Z
;Vanuatu — Republic of Vanuatu
- Bislama: Vanuatu — Ripablik blong Vanuatu
- English: Vanuatu — Republic of Vanuatu
- French: Vanuatu — République du Vanuatu
- Latin: Civitas Vaticana — Status Civitatis Vaticanæ
- Italian: Città del Vaticano — Stato della Città del Vaticano
- Spanish: Venezuela — República Bolivariana de Venezuela
- Vietnamese: Việt Nam — Cộng Hòa Xã Hội Chủ Nghĩa Việt Nam
- Arabic: Al-Saḥrāwiyyah / صحراوية — Al-Jumhūrīyâ al-Arabīyâ as-Sahrāwīyâ ad-Dīmuqrātīyâ / الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية
- Arabic: Al-Yaman / اليمن — Al-Jumhuriyah al-Yamaniyah / الجمهوريّة اليمنية
- English: Zambia — Republic of Zambia
- English: Zimbabwe — Republic of Zimbabwe
Notes
- 1: This list includes de facto independent countries. More information can be found at the list of unrecognized countries.
- 2: Some sovereign states have overseas dependencies, generally not part of the territory of the state. More information can be found at the List of dependent countries.
- 3: Some sovereign states have more or less federal structures. More information can be found at a List of federations.
- 4: Some sovereign states have autonomous entities as part of the territory of the state. More information can be found at the list of autonomous entities.
- 5: The Republic of Macedonia is known also as "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", see Foreign relations of the Republic of Macedonia.
- 6: Western Sahara: see Politics of Western Sahara
- 7: Palestine: "State of Palestine" was declared in 1988 and is as of 2004 is recognized by 93 countries. The international status of Palestine is further supported, short of further present recognition as a state, by non-recognizing countries' according the (at least closely associated) Palestinian Authority a pivotal role in the process that may involve their eventually recognizing a State of Palestine. See also: proposals for a Palestinian state and Palestinian territories. Gaza Strip, West Bank, Israel include country articles about areas proposed for inclusion in various versions of a future more widely recognized state.
- 8: Kosovo (Kosova - Kosovo i Metohija / Косово и Метохија), a Serbian autonomous province, is under UN administration since 1999
- 9: Somalia is a country that currently only exists in a de jure capacity
- 10: Also known as Ivory Coast (which was formerly its official name)
- 11: Also known as Burma (which was formerly its official name)
Other listings
- of countries
- of unrecognized countries
- of autonomous entities
- of dependent territories
- disputed or occupied areas
- of active autonomist and secessionist movements
- of imaginary countries
- of micronations
- of former countries
- by area
- by capital city
- by continent
- by gross domestic product
- of island countries
- by date of nationhood
- by population
- by population density
- by time zone
- by highest point
- by number of active troops
Related topics
- Lists by country
- List of reference tables
- Geography
- The Earth
- Continent
- list of countries and capitals in native languages
- list of country names in various languages
- list of alternative country names
- Micronations