One would think that answering the question as to how many countries are there in the world would be an easy task. However, listing the exact number of countries in the world is quite a cumbersome task, and the answer may vary depending on the source of information. The number of countries in the world may vary from 189, 191, 192, 193, 194 to 195. As of April 26, 2009, the United Nations (UN) has 192 members listed as recognized independent countries of the world.
However, UN considers Taiwan to be a part of China, and not as an independent country, even though it meets most of the requirements of an independent nation. Taiwan has failed to emerge as an independent country due to political reasons, which is why it is clubbed with China, in the United Nations list of countries.
Moreover, since countries like the Vatican City and Kosovo are not signed up with the United Nations, they are not included in UN's final tally of 192. Sources that consider Taiwan, Vatican City and Kosovo as independent nations have managed to jot down a total of 195 countries. We all know that facts cannot be relative and need to have a definite answer. However, in the case of 'how many countries are there in the world', one has the liberty to go with the UN's tally or other citations. Let's have a look at United Nation's list of 192 countries in alphabetical order.
Number of Countries in the World
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
Y |
Z |
This table features the name of the country in the first column, with the continent it belongs to in brackets beside it. The adjacent column features the respective capital of that country.
| Country |
Capital |
| Afghanistan (AS) |
Kabul |
| Albania (EU) |
Tirane |
| Algeria (AF) |
Algers |
| Andorra (EU) |
Andorra la Vella |
| Angola (AF) |
Luanda |
| Antigua and Barbuda (NA) |
St. John's |
| Argentina (SA) |
Buenos Aires |
| Armenia (EU) |
Yerevan |
| Australia (AU) |
Canberra |
| Austria (EU) |
Vienna |
| Azerbaijan (AS) |
Baku |
| Country |
Capital |
| Bahamas (NA) |
Nassau |
| Bahrain (AS) |
Manama |
| Bangladesh (AS) |
Dhaka |
| Barbados (NA) |
Bridgetown |
| Belarus (EU) |
Minsk |
| Belgium (EU) |
Brussels |
| Belize (NA) |
Belmopan |
| Benin (AF) |
Port-Novo |
| Bhutan (AS) |
Thimphu |
| Bolivia (SA) |
Sucre |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina (EU) |
Sarajevo |
| Botswana (AF) |
Gaborone |
| Brazil (SA) |
Brasilia |
| Brunei (AS) |
Bander Seri Begawan |
| Bulgaria (EU) |
Sofia |
| Burkina Faso (AF) |
Ouagadougou |
| Burma/Myanmar (AS) |
Yangon |
| Burundi (AF) |
Bujumbura |
| Country |
Capital |
| Cambodia (AS) |
Phnom Penh |
| Cameroon (AF) |
Yaounde |
| Canada (NA) |
Ottawa |
| Cape Verde (EU - Portugal) |
Praia |
| Central African Republic (AF) |
Bangui |
| Chad (AF) |
N'Djamena |
| Chile (SA) |
Santiago |
| China (AS) |
Beijing |
| Colombia (SA) |
Bogota |
| Comoros (AF) |
Moroni |
| Congo (AF) |
Brazzaville |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of (AF) |
Kinshasa |
| Costa Rica (NA) |
San Jose |
| Cote d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast (AF) |
Yamoussoukro |
| Croatia (EU) |
Zagreb |
| Cuba (NA) |
Havana |
| Cyprus (AS) and/or (EU) |
Nicosia |
| Czech Republic (EU) |
Prague |
| Country |
Capital |
| Denmark (EU) |
Copenhagen |
| Djibouti (AF) |
Djibouti |
| Dominica (NA) |
Roseau |
| Dominican Republic (NA) |
Santo Domingo |
| Country |
Capital |
| East Timor (AS) |
Dili |
| Ecuador (SA) |
Quito |
| Egypt (AF) |
Cairo |
| El Salvador (NA) |
San Salvador |
| Equatorial Guinea (AF) |
Malabo |
| Eritrea (AF) |
Asmara |
| Estonia (EU) |
Tallinn |
| Ethiopia (AF) |
Addis Ababa |
| Country |
Capital |
| Fiji (Oceania) |
Suva |
| Finland (EU) |
Helsinki |
| France (EU) |
Paris |
| Country |
Capital |
| Gabon (AF) |
Liberville |
| Gambia (AF) |
Banjul |
| Georgia (EU) |
Tbilisi |
| Germany (EU) |
Berlin |
| Ghana (AF) |
Accra |
| Greece (EU) |
Athens |
| Grenada (NA) |
St. George's |
| Guatemala (NA) |
Guatemala City |
| Guinea (AF) |
Conakry |
| Guinea-Bissau (AF) |
Bissau |
| Guyana (SA) |
Georgetown |
| Country |
Capital |
| Haiti (NA) |
Port-au-Prince |
| Honduras (NA) |
Tegucigalpa |
| Hungary (EU) |
Budapest |
| Country |
Capital |
| Iceland (EU) |
Reykjavik |
| India (AS) |
New Delhi |
| Indonesia (AS) |
Jakarta |
| Iran (AS) |
Tehran |
| Iraq (AS) |
Baghdad |
| Ireland (EU) |
Dublin |
| Israel (AS) |
Jerusalem |
| Italy (EU) |
Rome |
| Country |
Capital |
| Jamaica (NA) |
Kingston |
| Japan (AS) |
Tokyo |
| Jordan (AS) |
Amman |
| Country |
Capital |
| Kazakstan (AS) |
Astana |
| Kenya (AF) |
Nairobi |
| Kiribati (AU - Oceania) |
Bairiki |
| Korea, North (AS) |
Pyongyang |
| Korea, South (AS) |
Seoul |
| Kuwait (AS) |
Kuwait City |
| Kyrgyzstan (AS) |
Bishkek |
| Country |
Capital |
| Laos (AS) |
Vientiane |
| Latvia (EU) |
Riga |
| Lebanon (AS) |
Beirut |
| Lesotho (AF) |
Maseru |
| Liberia (AF) |
Monrovia |
| Libya (AF) |
Tripoli |
| Liechtenstein (EU) |
Vaduz |
| Lithuania (EU) |
Vilnius |
| Luxembourg (EU) |
Luxembourg |
| Country |
Capital |
| Macedonia (EU) |
Skopje |
| Madagascar (AF) |
Antananarivo |
| Malawi (AF) |
Lilongwe |
| Malaysia (AS) |
Kuala Lumpur |
| Maldives (AS) |
Male |
| Mali (AF) |
Bamako |
| Malta (EU) |
Valletta |
| Marshall Islands (AU - Oceania) |
Majuro |
| Mauritania (AF) |
Nouakchott |
| Mauritius (AF) |
Port Louis |
| Mexico (NA) |
Mexico City |
| Micronesia (AU - Oceania) |
Palikir |
| Moldova (EU) |
Chisinau |
| Monaco (EU) |
Monaco |
| Mongolia (AS) |
Ulan Bator |
| Montenegro (EU) |
Podgorica |
| Morocco (AF) (including Western Sahara) |
Rabat |
| Mozambique (AF) |
Maputo |
| Country |
Capital |
| Namibia (AF) |
Windhoek |
| Nauru (AU - Oceania) |
No official capital |
| Nepal (AS) |
Kathmandu |
| Netherlands (EU) |
Amsterdam, The Hague |
| New Zealand (AU) |
Wellington |
| Nicaragua (NA) |
Managua |
| Niger (AF) |
Niamey |
| Nigeria (AF) |
Abuja |
| Norway (EU) |
Oslo |
| Country |
Capital |
| Oman (AS) |
Muscat |
| Country |
Capital |
| Pakistan (AS) |
Islamabad |
| Palau (AU - Oceania) |
Koror |
| Panama (NA) |
Panama City |
| Papua New Guinea (AU) |
Port Moresby |
| Paraguay (SA) |
Asuncion |
| Peru (SA) |
Lima |
| Philippines (AS) |
Manila |
| Poland (EU) |
Warsaw |
| Portugal (EU) |
Lisbon |
| Country |
Capital |
| Qatar (AS) |
Doha |
| Country |
Capital |
| Romania (EU) |
Bucharest |
| Russian Federation (AS) |
Moscow |
| Rwanda (AF) |
Kigali |
| Country |
Capital |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis (NA) |
Basseterre |
| Saint Lucia (NA) |
Castries |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (NA) |
Kingstown |
| Samoa (AU - Oceania) |
Apia |
| San Marino (EU) |
San Marino |
| Sao Tome and Principe (AF) |
Sao Tome |
| Saudi Arabia (AS) |
Riyadh |
| Senegal (AF) |
Dakar |
| Serbia (EU) |
Belgrade |
| Seychelles (AF) |
Victoria |
| Sierra Leone (AF) |
Freetown |
| Singapore (AS) |
Singapore City |
| Slovakia (EU) |
Bratislava |
| Slovenia (EU) |
Ljubljana |
| Solomon Islands (AU - Oceania) |
Honiara |
| Somalia (AF) |
Mogadishu |
| South Africa (AF) |
Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein |
| Spain (EU) |
Madrid |
| Sri Lanka (AS) |
Colombo |
| Sudan (AF) |
Khartoum |
| Suriname (SA) |
Paramaribo |
| Swaziland (AF) |
Mbabane |
| Sweden (EU) |
Stockholm |
| Switzerland (EU) |
Bern |
| Syria (AS) |
Damascus |
| Country |
Capital |
| Tajikistan (AS) |
Dushanbe |
| Tanzania (AF) |
Dodoma |
| Thailand (AS) |
Bangkok |
| Togo (AF) |
Lome |
| Tonga (AU - Oceania) |
Nuku'alofa |
| Trinidad and Tobago (NA) |
Port-of-Spain |
| Tunisia (AF) |
Tunis |
| Turkey (AS) & (EU) |
Ankara |
| Turkmenistan (AS) |
Ashgabat |
| Tuvalu (AU - Oceania) |
Funafuti |
| Country |
Capital |
| Uganda (AF) |
Kampala |
| Ukraine (EU) |
Kiev |
| United Arab Emirates (AS) |
Abu Dhabi |
| United Kingdom (EU) |
London |
| United States (NA) |
Washington D.C. |
| Uruguay (SA) |
Montevideo |
| Uzbekistan (AS) |
Tashkent |
| Country |
Capital |
| Vanuatu (AU - Oceania) |
Port-Vila |
| Venezuela (SA) |
Caracas |
| Vietnam (AS) |
Hanoi |
| Country |
Capital |
| Yemen (AS) |
Sana |
| Country |
Capital |
| Zambia (AF) |
Lusaka |
| Zimbabwe (AF) |
Harare |
Don't forget that Kosovo, Vatican city and Taiwan are not included in this list. Moreover, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all make up a single country called United Kingdom, however, some prefer to consider them as independent nations. This will further cause variation in the total tally. There are many such examples of places that are considered countries but not included in the above list of the UN.
If your country has been excluded from the above list, please do not get offended. The above list of countries simply puts down the list of countries mentioned by the United Nations.
