Summary. By this methodology, there are therefore 253 "countries" in the world: 194 independent nation-states, 55 dependencies, Antarctica, and 3 other areas.
Continents are Earth’s primary land divisions. However, the exact number of continents on Earth is not universally agreed upon. Many nations use a system that divides the world into seven continents, which are (from largest to smallest in terms of land area): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia/Oceania. But some countries use other systems, which divide the world into fewer continents. For example, some combine North and South America into a single continent called simply “The Americas,” or merge Europe and Asia into “Eurasia.” Some lists also exclude Antarctica because it has no countries, nor even any permanent human residents. (Note: This article observes a seven-continent system.)
How Many Countries are there in the World?
The exact number of countries in the world is an even more hotly debated subject. A country is defined as a nation or sovereign state with its own independent government or as an area of land that forms an independent political unit with its own government. As of November 2021, the United Nations recognizes 195 countries in the world. 193 of these countries are members of the United Nations (UN) and two countries are not: Vatican City/Holy See and the State of Palestine, both of which are classified as non-member observer states.
However, U.N. membership is not the last word on the subject of nationhood. There also exist dozens of “territories” which are technically not countries because they are ruled by another nation. Some of these territories are largely independent, but still part of another country—for instance, Greenland is actually part of Denmark, and Puerto Rico is officially part of the United States (though not a state).
Even more confusingly, some would-be countries have declared their independence, but haven’t yet been officially recognized by enough members of the United Nations (U.N.), and so are technically still considered territories, not countries. For example, Kosovo is treated as its own independent country by some U.N. members but still treated as part of Serbia by others. Another example is Taiwan (also known as the Republic of China), which was its own sovereign state until it was subsumed by mainland China, which prevents any attempt by the United Nations to reinstate Taiwan’s full country status.
Many territories of all types will be included on this list but will be marked to distinguish them from the U.N.-recognized countries.
One final point regarding this particular list of countries per continent: A few countries bridge the gap between two continents, such as Russia (Europe/Asia), Cyprus (Europe/Asia), and Egypt (Africa/Asia). These transcontinental countries will be tallied with whatever continent the U.N. considers them.
##Continent: Africa
Africa has a total of 54 countries, the most of any continent. The most populous of these countries is Nigeria, which has more than 211 million people. The largest country by land area in Africa is Algeria, which spans over 919,595 mi² (2,381,741 km²). Africa also has one of the world’s best-known transcontinental countries, Egypt, whose northeastern corner extends into Asia. Below are the 54 countries in Africa in alphabetical order:
Countries of Africa
Territories of Africa
- Canary Islands (Spain)
- Ceuta (Spain)
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands (France)
- Madeira (Portugal)
- Mayotte (France)
- Melilla (Spain)
- Pelagie Islands (Italy)
- Plazas de Soberania (Spain)
- Reunion (France)
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (UK)
- Socotra Archipelago (Yemen)
##Continent: Asia
Asia has the second-highest number of countries of any continent, but exactly how many that is can be tricky to determine. The United Nations recognizes 49 countries in Asia, which is the most widely accepted number. However, depending upon which territories one recognizes and which intercontinental countries one includes, Asia could be said to have as few as 45 or as many as 53 countries.
The most populous country in Asia (and the world) is China, which has more than 1.4 billion people. The largest country by land area is Russia, which is 6.6 million square miles (17.125 million square kilometers)—however, because 78% of its people live in the European part of the country, Russia is generally considered to be a European country.
In fact, Asia is the continent with the largest number of transcontinental countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, and (surprisingly to many) Egypt, some of which are counted as Asian and some of which are not. Similarly, Cyprus is geographically located close to Asia’s Middle East region but is widely considered a European country.
Finally, Asia also includes several partially recognized and/or disputed territories, such as Taiwan (claimed by China), Palestine (disputed territory), and China’s two “Special Administrative Regions,” Hong Kong and Macau. Below are all of the countries and territories in Asia, listed alphabetically:
Countries and territories of Asia
- Afghanistan
- Armenia (transcontinental - generally considered Asian)
- Azerbaijan (transcontinental - generally considered Asian)
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- British Indian Ocean Territory (UK territory)
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- China
- Cyprus (transcontinental - generally considered European)
- Egypt (transcontinental - generally considered African)
- Georgia (transcontinental - generally considered Asian)
- Hong Kong (China - Special Administrative Region)
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel (U.N. member, though partially unrecognized)
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan (transcontinental - generally considered Asian)
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Macau (China - Special Administrative Region)
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Myanmar (formerly Burma)
- Nepal
- North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine (limited recognition)
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia (transcontinental - generally considered European)
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Korea (Republic of Korea)
- Sri Lanka
- Syria
- Taiwan (limited recognition - claimed by China)
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste/East Timor
- Turkey (transcontinental - generally considered European)
- Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Yemen
##Continent: Europe
Europe has 51 independent U.N.-recognized states. The largest country by both population and land area is Russia with 145.93 million people and spanning over 6.6 million square miles (17.125 million square kilometers). Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey are considered to be transcontinental countries, meaning that they are considered to be parts of both Asia and Europe. Europe’s countries are listed below in alphabetical order:
Countries of Europe
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia (transcontinental - generally considered Asian)
- Austria
- Azerbaijan (transcontinental - generally considered Asian)
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus (generally considered European)
- Czechia/Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia (transcontinental - generally considered Asian)
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kazakhstan (transcontinental - generally considered Asian)
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia (transcontinental - generally considered European)
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey (transcontinental - generally considered European)
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vatican City (Holy See)
Territories of Europe
- Åland (Finland)
- Channel Islands (UK)
- Faroe Islands (Denmark)
- Gibraltar (UK)
- Guernsey (UK - crown dependency)
- Isle of Man (UK - crown dependency)
- Jersey (UK - crown dependency)
- Kosovo (partially recognized, claimed by Serbia)
- Northern Cyprus (not recognized, claimed by Cyprus)
- Northern Ireland (UK)
- Svalbard (Norway)
##Continent: North America
North America is made up of 23 countries and nearly as many territories. The most populated of these countries is the United States, which has a population of 329.9 million people. The largest country in North America by land area is Canada, which spans over 3.855 million square miles (9,984,670 square kilometers). Canada and the United States together occupy 79% of the continent’s total land area.
Countries of North America
Territories of North America
North America also has 22 territories, including some of the world’s most compelling non-countries. For instance, Greenland is a vast island territory many times the size of its “parent” country, Denmark, and many smaller island territories in North America are sought-after vacation destinations, including Aruba, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In alphabetical order, North America’s 23 countries are as follows:
- Anguilla (UK)
- Aruba (Netherlands)
- Bermuda (UK)
- Bonaire (Netherlands)
- British Virgin Islands (UK)
- Cayman Islands (UK)
- Clipperton Island (France)
- Curaçao (Netherlands)
- Greenland (Denmark)
- Guadeloupe (France)
- Martinique (France)
- Montserrat (UK)
- Navassa Island (USA)
- Puerto Rico (USA)
- Saba (Netherlands)
- Saint Barthélemy (France)
- Saint Martin (France)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France)
- Sint Eustatius (Netherlands)
- Sint Maarten (Netherlands)
- Turks and Caicos (UK)
- US Virgin Islands (USA)
##Continent: Oceania and Australia
Oceania has 14 countries and many overseas dependent territories. The largest country by population and land area is Australia, which is home to 25.63 million people and has 2.97 million square miles (7,692,024 square kilometers) of area. Oceania also boasts a large number of territories, many of which are controlled by the United States.
Countries of Oceania
| Australia |
|---|
| Fiji |
| Kiribati |
| Marshall Islands |
| Micronesia |
| Nauru |
| New Zealand |
| Palau |
| Papua New Guinea |
| Samoa |
| Solomon Islands |
| Tonga |
| Tuvalu |
| Vanuatu |
Territories of Oceania
- American Samoa (US)
- Ashmore and Cartier Islands (Australia)
- Baker Island (US)
- Cook Islands (New Zealand)
- Coral Sea Islands (Australia)
- Easter Island (Chile)
- French Polynesia (France)
- Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
- Guam (US)
- Howland Island (US)
- Jarvis Island (US)
- Johnston Atoll (US)
- Kingman Reef (US)
- Midway Atoll (US)
- New Caledonia (France)
- Niue (New Zealand)
- Norfolk Island (Australia)
- Northern Mariana Islands (US)
- Palmyra Atoll (US)
- Papua (Indonesia) (Not same as Papua New Guinea)
- Pitcairn Islands (UK)
- San Andrés and Providencia (Colombia)
- Tokelau (New Zealand)
- Wake Island (US)
- Wallis and Futuna (France)
- West Papua (Indonesia)
##Continent: South America
South America has 12 independent nations and a handful of dependent territories. The largest country in South America by population and land area is Brazil, which has about 211 million people and spans over 3.288 million square miles (8,515,7767 square kilometers). Brazil is also the country that contains the largest portion of the Amazon rainforest.
Countries of South America
Territories of South America
- Bouvet Island (Norway)
- Falkland Islands (UK)
- French Guinea (France)
- Nueva Esparta (Venezuela)
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK)
##Continent: Antarctica
There are technically no countries on the continent of Antarctica. However, seven sovereign states have territorial claims in Antarctica, resulting in the following territories:
Territories of Antarctica
- Adélie Land (France)
- Argentine Antarctica (Argentina)
- Australian Antarctic Territory (Australia)
- British Antarctic Territory (UK)
- Chilean Antarctic Territory (Chile)
- Peter I Island (Norway)
- Queen Maud Land (Norway)
- Ross Dependency (New Zealand)
Additionally, the United States, Russia, Peru, and South Africa have all reserved their right to claim territory in Antarctica in the future if they so desire. Similarly, Brazil currently has a “zone of interest” but does not have an actual claim.
Continent | Number of Countries |
|---|---|
Africa | 54 |
Asia | 48 |
Europe | 47 |
North America | 23 |
South America | 12 |
Oceania | 14 |
Antarctica | 0 |
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