Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
List of sovereign states
This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states.
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 are given in English and in the official language(s) of the state.
- 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.
The listing of any name in this article is not meant to imply an official position in any naming dispute. Entities considered to be micronations that are internationally not recognized are not included.
| Contents |
The count
As of November 2004, there are 201 entities on this list. It corresponds to:
- 193 countries in List of countries by area, including:
- 191 United Nations member states
- Republic of China (Taiwan)
- Vatican City
- 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.
Not listed below are various disputed territories which fall into neither of the last two categories, including Jubaland, Puntland, Cabinda, Kosovo, Kurdistan (Iraq), and Kurdistan (Turkey).
The sovereign states
| Short and official name in English | Short and official names in native government language |
|---|---|
| Abkhazia1 - Republic of Abkhazia |
|
| Afghanistan - Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
|
| Albania - Republic of Albania |
|
| Algeria - People's Democratic Republic of Algeria |
|
| Andorra - Principality of Andorra |
|
| Angola: Republic of Angola |
|
| Antigua and Barbuda4 |
|
| Argentina3: Argentine Nation or Argentine Republic |
|
| Armenia: Republic of Armenia |
|
| Australia3 - Commonwealth of Australia |
|
| Austria4 - Republic of Austria |
|
| Azerbaijan1, 4 - Republic of Azerbaijan |
|
| The Bahamas - 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 |
|
| Bhutan - Kingdom of Bhutan |
|
| Bolivia - Republic of Bolivia |
|
| Bosnia and Herzegovina4 |
|
| Botswana - Republic of Botswana |
|
| Brazil3 - Federative Republic of Brazil |
|
| Brunei - State of Brunei Darussalam |
|
| Bulgaria - Republic of Bulgaria |
|
| Burkina Faso |
|
| Burundi - Republic of Burundi |
|
| Cambodia - Kingdom of Cambodia |
|
| Cameroon - Republic of Cameroon |
|
| Canada3 - Canada |
|
| Cape Verde - Republic of Cape Verde |
|
| Central African Republic - Central African Republic |
|
| Chad - Republic of Chad |
|
| Chile - Republic of Chile |
|
| China (PRC)4 - People's Republic of China |
|
| Colombia - Republic of Colombia |
|
| Comoros3 - Union of the Comoros |
|
| Congo-Kinshasa - Democratic Republic of Congo |
|
| Congo-Brazzaville - Republic of Congo |
|
| Costa Rica - Republic of Costa Rica |
|
| Côte d'Ivoire10 - Republic of Côte d'Ivore |
|
| Croatia - Republic of Croatia |
|
| Cuba - Republic of Cuba |
|
| Cyprus - Republic of Cyprus |
|
| Czech Republic - Czech Republic |
|
| Denmark2 - Kingdom of Denmark |
|
| Djibouti - Republic of Djibouti |
|
| Dominica - Commonwealth of Dominica |
|
| Dominican Republic |
|
| 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 |
|
| Ethiopia3 - Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia |
|
| Fiji4 - Republic of the Fiji Islands |
|
| Finland4 - Republic of Finland |
|
| France2 - French Republic |
|
| Gabon - Gabonese Republic |
|
| The Gambia - Republic of the Gambia |
|
| Georgia1,4 |
|
| Germany3 - Federal Republic of Germany |
|
| Ghana - Republic of Ghana |
|
| Greece4 - Hellenic Republic |
|
| Grenada4 |
|
| Guatemala - Republic of Guatemala |
|
| Guinea - Republic of Guinea |
|
| Guinea-Bissau - Republic of Guinea-Bissau |
|
| Guyana - Co-operative Republic of Guyana |
|
| Haiti - Republic of Haiti |
|
| Honduras - Republic of Honduras |
|
| Hungary - Republic of Hungary |
|
| Iceland - Republic of Iceland |
|
| India3 - Republic of India |
|
| Indonesia - Republic of Indonesia |
|
| Iran - Islamic Republic of Iran |
|
| Iraq - Republic of Iraq |
|
| Ireland |
|
| Israel - State of Israel |
|
| Italy - Italian Republic |
|
| Jamaica |
|
| Japan - Japan |
|
| Jordan - Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan |
|
| Kazakhstan - Republic of Kazakhstan |
|
| Kenya - Republic of Kenya |
|
| Kiribati - Republic of Kiribati |
|
| Korea (North) - Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
|
| Korea (South) - Republic of Korea |
|
| Kuwait - State of Kuwait |
|
| Kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyz Republic |
|
| 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 |
|
| Macedonia (FYROM)5 - Republic of Macedonia |
|
| Madagascar - Republic of Madagascar |
|
| Malawi - Republic of Malawi |
|
| Malaysia3 - Federation of 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 |
|
| Mexico3 - United Mexican States |
|
| Micronesia3 - Federated States of Micronesia |
|
| Moldova1,4 - Republic of Moldova |
|
| Monaco - Principality of Monaco |
|
| Mongolia |
|
| Morocco6 - Kingdom of Morocco |
|
| Mozambique - Republic of Mozambique |
|
| Myanmar11 - Union of Myanmar |
|
| Nagorno-Karabakh1 - Nagorno-Karabakh Republic |
|
| Namibia - Republic of Namibia |
|
| Nauru - Republic of Nauru |
|
| Nepal - Kingdom of Nepal |
|
| Netherlands2 - Kingdom of the Netherlands |
|
| New Zealand2 |
|
| Nicaragua - Republic of Nicaragua |
|
| Niger - Republic of Niger |
|
| Nigeria3 - Federal Republic of Nigeria |
|
| Northern Cyprus1 - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus |
|
| Norway2 - Kingdom of Norway |
|
| Oman - Sultanate of Oman |
|
| Pakistan - Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
|
| Palau - Republic of Palau |
|
| Palestine7 - State of Palestine |
|
| Panama - Republic of Panama |
|
| Papua New Guinea - Independent State of Papua New Guinea |
|
| Paraguay - Republic of Paraguay |
|
| Peru - Republic of Peru |
|
| Philippines - Republic of the Philippines |
|
| Poland - Republic of Poland |
|
| Portugal4 - Portuguese Republic |
|
| Qatar - State of Qatar |
|
| Romania |
|
| Russia3 - Russian Federation |
|
| Rwanda - Republic of Rwanda |
|
| Saint Kitts and Nevis4 - Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis |
|
| Saint Lucia - |
|
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
|
| Samoa - Independent State of Samoa |
|
| San Marino - Most Serene Republic of San Marino |
di San Marino |
| São Tomé and Príncipe4 - Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe |
São Tomé e Príncipe |
| Saudi Arabia - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
|
| Senegal - Republic of Senegal |
|
| Serbia and Montenegro3,4,8 - State Community of Serbia and Montenegro |
Државна заједница Србија и Црна Гора |
| Seychelles - Republic of Seychelles |
|
| Sierra Leone - Republic of Sierra Leone |
|
| Singapore - Republic of Singapore |
|
| Slovakia - Slovak Republic |
|
| Slovenia - Republic of Slovenia |
|
| Solomon Islands |
|
| Somalia1,9 |
|
| Somaliland1 - Republic of Somaliland |
|
| South Africa - Republic of South Africa |
|
| South Ossetia1 - Republic of South Ossetia |
|
| Spain3 - Kingdom of Spain |
|
| Sri Lanka - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka |
|
| Sudan - Republic of the Sudan |
|
| Suriname - Republic of Suriname |
|
| Swaziland - Kingdom of Swaziland |
|
| Sweden - Kingdom of Sweden |
|
| Switzerland3 - Swiss Confederation |
|
| Syria - Syrian Arab Republic |
|
| Taiwan (ROC)1 - Republic of China |
|
| Tajikistan4 - Republic of Tajikistan |
|
| Tanzania - United Republic of Tanzania |
|
| Thailand - Kingdom of Thailand |
|
| Togo - Togolese Republic |
|
| Tonga - Kingdom of Tonga |
|
| Transnistria1 - Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic |
|
| Trinidad and Tobago4 - Republic of Trinidad and Tobago |
|
| Tunisia - Republic of Tunisia |
|
| Turkey - Republic of Turkey |
|
| Turkmenistan |
|
| Tuvalu |
|
| Uganda - Republic of Uganda |
|
| Ukraine4 |
|
| United Arab Emirates3 |
|
| United Kingdom2,3 - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
|
| United States2,3 - United States of America |
|
| Uruguay - Eastern Republic of Uruguay |
|
| Uzbekistan4 - Republic of Uzbekistan |
|
| Vanuatu - Republic of Vanuatu |
|
| Vatican City/Holy See - State of the Vatican City |
|
| Venezuela 3 - Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela |
|
| Viet Nam - Socialist Republic of Vietnam |
|
| Western Sahara6 - Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic |
|
| Yemen - Republic of Yemen |
|
| Zambia - Republic of Zambia |
|
| 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 1988 and recognized by a series of Arab and Muslim countries, see also: proposals for a Palestinian state and Palestinian territories. Gaza Strip, West Bank, Israel include country articles about areas in the Palestine region.
- 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 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 amount of active troops
For more sources, see Geographic references.
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
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