imported>Derek Harkness |
imported>Donald Albury |
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| <td>[[Republic of China|China, Republic of]]<ref>The Republic of China is commonly known as [[Taiwan]] after the island which comprises the bulk of its territory, to distinguish it from the People's Republic of China.</ref></td><td>[[Taipei]]</td><td>Taiwan Dollar</td> | | <td>[[Republic of China|China, Republic of]]<ref>The Republic of China is commonly known as [[Taiwan]] after the island which comprises the bulk of its territory, to distinguish it from the People's Republic of China.</ref></td><td>[[Taipei]]</td><td>Taiwan Dollar</td> |
| <td><p>22,858,872<ref>{{cite web|title=The World Factbook, Taiwan|publisher=C.I.A.|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/tw.html}}</ref></p></td> | | <td><p>22,858,872<ref>{{cite web|title=The World Factbook, Taiwan|publisher=C.I.A.|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kv.html}}</ref></p></td> |
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| <td>[[Kosovo]]</td><td>[[Priština]]</td><td>[[Euro]]</td><td>No data available<br>Census in progress</td> | | <td>[[Kosovo]]</td><td>[[Priština]]</td><td>[[Euro]]</td><td>2,126,708 (2007 est.) <ref>{{cite web|title=The World Factbook, Kosovo|publisher=C.I.A.|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/tw.html}}</ref></td> |
| </tr> | | </tr> |
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The word country is not defined easily. In its simplest form, a country is just an area of land. However, it is also commonly used to refer to the State that controls the land or to refer to the nation that lives on the land. This is often additionally confused since the territory, state (government) and nation frequently share the same name. So we could consider a country to be the entity that is formed by all three parts, State (government), Nation (people) and territory (land).
However, complications can arise. For example the territory of the islands of Ireland are not coterminous with the territory controlled by a single Irish State. There are clear cultural affinities north and south of a border between two sovereign entities, but almost all the inhabitants of the Irish islands still consider themselves Irish and living in the country of Ireland. In other cases, such as the American aboriginals, the nation remains but has been stripped of its territory. Without territory, it cannot be considered a country.
This list tries to use an inclusive definition. For the most part, it contains internationally recognised countries with a fully autonomous and independent state with recognised territory that is home to the population of that State. However, at the bottom of the page we have also listed some states or territories that are disputed. We have also tried to explain in brief the reason for the dispute.
Some territories, commonly referred to as countries, make up part of a larger State through union. For example Scotland, England and Wales are all commonly known as countries. However, they are not independent of each other. While Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have a level of autonomy through recent devolution of powers, they remain a constituent part of the United Kingdom. Other territories display a high level of autonomy but are considered to belong to or be dependant upon a larger state. We have not listed such territories in column 1 of the table but rather listed them as a division of the parent state.
Widely Recognised Countries
| Name | Capital | Currency[1] | Population 2005
(Thousands) |
| Afghanistan | Kabul | Afghani |
29,863 |
| Albania | Tirana | Lek |
3,130 |
| Algeria | Algiers | Algerian dinar |
32,854 |
| Andorra | Andorra la Vella | Euro |
67 |
| Angola | Luanda | Kwanza |
15,941 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Saint John's | East Caribbean dollar |
81 |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | Argentine peso |
38,747 |
| Armenia | Yerevan | Armenian dram |
3,016 |
| Australia | Canberra | Australian dollar |
20,155 |
| Austria | Vienna | Euro |
8,189 |
| Azerbaijan | Baku | Azerbaijani manat |
8,411 |
| Bahamas | Nassau | Bahamian dollar |
323 |
| Bahrain | Manama | Bahraini dinar |
727 |
| Bangladesh | Dhaka | Taka |
141,822 |
| Barbados | Bridgetown | Barbadian dollar |
270 |
| Belarus | Minsk | Belarusian rouble |
9,755 |
| Belgium | Brussels | Euro |
10,419 |
| Belize | Belmopan | Belizean Dollar |
270 |
| Benin | Porto Novo (Official)
Cotonou (De facto) | CFA franc |
8,439 |
| Bhutan | Thimphu | Ngultrum |
2,163 |
| Bolivia | Sucre (Judicial)
La Paz (Administrative) | Boliviano |
9,182 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sarajevo | convertible mark |
3,907 |
| Botswana | Gaborone | Botswana pula |
1,765 |
| Brazil |
Brasilia |
Brazilian real |
186,405 |
| Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan | Bruneian dollar |
374 |
| Bulgaria | Sofia | Lev |
7,726 |
| Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou | CFA franc |
13,228 |
| Burundi | Bujumbura | Burundi franc |
7,548 |
| Cambodia | Phnom Penh | Cambodian riel |
14,071 |
| Cameroon | Yaoundé | CFA franc |
16,322 |
| Canada | Ottawa | Canadian dollar |
32,623[2] |
| Cape Verde | Praia | Cape Verdean escudo |
507 |
| Central African Republic | Bangui | CFA franc |
4,038 |
| Chad | N'Djamena | CFA franc |
9,749 |
| Chile | Santiago | Chilean peso |
16,295 |
| China, People's Republic of |
Beijing |
Renminbi
Hong Kong Dollar
Macao pataca |
1,315,844 |
| Colombia | Bogota | Colombian peso |
45,600 |
| Comoros | Moroni | Comorian franc |
798 |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the... | Kinshasa | Congolese franc |
57,549 |
| Congo, Republic of the | Brazzaville | CFA franc |
3,999 |
| Costa Rica | San José | Costa Rican colón |
4,327 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Yamoussoukro | CFA franc |
18,154 |
| Croatia | Zagreb | Kuna |
4,551 |
| Cuba | Havana | Cuban peso |
11,269 |
| Cyprus[3] | Nicosia | Cypriot pound |
835 |
| Czech Republic | Prague | Czech koruna |
10,220 |
| Denmark | Copenhagen | Danish krone |
5,431 |
| Djibouti | Djibouti | Djibouti franc |
793 |
| Dominica | Roseau | East Caribbean dollar |
79 |
| Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo | Dominican peso |
8,895 |
| Ecuador | Quito | United States dollar |
13,228 |
| Egypt | Cairo | Egyptian pound |
74,033 |
| El Salvador | San Salvador | El Salvador colón
United States dollar |
6,881 |
| Equatorial Guinea | Malabo | CFA franc |
504 |
| Eritrea | Asmara | Nakfa |
4,401 |
| Estonia | Tallinn | Kroon |
1,330 |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | Birr |
77,431 |
| Fiji | Suva | Fiji dollar |
848 |
| Finland | Helsinki | Euro |
5,249 |
| France | Paris | Euro |
60,496 |
| Gabon | Libreville | CFA franc |
1,384 |
| Gambia | Banjul | Dalasi |
1,517 |
| Georgia | Tbilisi | Lari |
4,474 |
| Germany | Berlin | Euro |
82,689 |
| Ghana | Accra | Cedi |
22,113 |
| Greece | Athens | Euro |
11,120 |
| Grenada | St. George's | East Caribbean dollar |
103 |
| Guatemala | Guatemala City | Quetzal
United States dollar |
12,599 |
| Guinea | Conakry | Guinea franc |
9,402 |
| Guinea-Bissau | Bissau | CFA franc |
1,586 |
| Guyana | Georgetown | Guyana dollar |
751 |
| Haiti | Port-au-Prince | Gourde |
8,528 |
| Honduras | Tegucigalpa | Lempira |
7,205 |
| Hungary | Budapest | Forint |
10,098 |
| Iceland | Reykjavik | Icelandic Króna |
295 |
| India | New Delhi | Indian rupee |
1,103,371 |
| Indonesia | Jakarta | Rupiah |
222,781 |
| Iran | Tehran | Iranian rial |
69,515 |
| Iraq | Baghdad | Iraqi dinar |
28,807 |
| Ireland[4] | Dublin | Euro |
4,240[5] |
| Israel | Jerusalem[6] | New (Israeli) Sheqel (NIS) |
6,725 |
| Italy |
Rome |
Euro |
58,093 |
| Jamaica | Kingston | Jamaican dollar |
2,651 |
| Japan | Tokyo | Yen |
128,085 |
| Jordan | Amman | Jordanian dinar |
5,703 |
| Kazakhstan | Astana | Tenge |
14,825 |
| Kenya | Nairobi | Kenyan shilling |
34,256 |
| Kiribati | South Tarawa | Australian dollar |
99 |
| Korea, Democratic People's Republic of | Pyongyang | North Korean won |
22,488 |
| Korea, Republic of | Seoul | South Korean won |
47,817 |
| Kuwait | Kuwait City | Kuwaiti dinar |
2,687 |
| Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek | Kyrgyz som |
5,264 |
| Laos | Vientiane | Kip |
5,924 |
| Latvia | Riga | Lats |
2,307 |
| Lebanon | Beirut | Lebanese pound |
3,577 |
| Lesotho | Maseru | Loti
South African rand |
1,795 |
| Liberia | Monrovia | Liberian dollar |
3,283 |
| Libya | Tripoli | Libyan dinar |
5,853 |
| Liechtenstein | Vaduz | Swiss franc |
35 |
| Lithuania | Vilnius | Litas |
3,431 |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Euro |
465 |
| Macedonia, former Yugoslav Republic of | Skopje | Macedonian denar |
2,034 |
| Madagascar | Antananarivo | Malagasy ariary
Malagasy franc |
18,606 |
| Malawi | Lilongwe | Malawian kwacha |
12,884 |
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | Ringgit |
25,347 |
| Maldives | Malé | Rufiyaa |
329 |
| Mali | Bamako | CFA franc |
13,518 |
| Malta | Valletta | Maltese lira |
402 |
| Marshall Islands | Majuro | United States dollar |
62 |
| Mauritania | Nouakchott | Ouguiya |
3,069 |
| Mauritius | Port Louis | Mauritius rupee |
1,245 |
| Mexico | Mexico City | Mexican peso |
107,029 |
| Micronesia, Federated States of... | Palikir | United States dollar |
110 |
| Moldova | Chisinau | Moldovan leu |
4,206 |
| Monaco | Monaco | Euro |
35 |
| Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar | Tugrik (tögrög) |
2,646 |
| Montenegro | Podgorica | Euro |
620[1] |
| Morocco | Rabat | Moroccan dirham |
31,478 |
| Mozambique | Maputo | Metecal |
19,792 |
| Myanmar (Burma)[7] | Naypyidaw | Kyat |
50,519 |
| Namibia | Windhoek | Namibian dollar |
2,031 |
| Nauru | none | Australian dollar |
14 |
| Nepal | Kathmandu | Nepalese rupee |
27,133 |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam[8] | Euro |
16,299 |
| New Zealand | Wellington | New Zealand Dollar |
4,028 |
| Nicaragua | Managua | Córdoba |
5,487 |
| Niger | Niamey | CFA franc |
13,957 |
| Nigeria | Abuja | Naira |
131,530 |
| Norway | Oslo | Norwegian Krone |
4,620 |
| Oman | Muscat | Omani riyal |
2,567 |
| Pakistan | Islamabad | Pakistani rupee |
157,935 |
| Palau | Melekeok | United States dollar |
20 |
| Panama | Panama City | Balboa |
3,232 |
| Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby | Kina |
5,887 |
| Paraguay | Asuncion | Guarani |
6,158 |
| Peru | Lima | Peruvian sol |
27,968 |
| Philippines | Manila | Philippine peso |
83,054 |
| Poland | Warsaw | Polish złoty |
38,530 |
| Portugal | Lisbon | Euro |
10,495 |
| Qatar | Doha | Qatari riyal |
813 |
| Romania | Bucharest | Romanian leu |
21,711 |
| Russia | Moscow | Ruble |
143,202 |
| Rwanda | Kigali | Rwandan franc |
9,038 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Basseterre | East Caribbean dollar |
43 |
| Saint Lucia | Castries | East Caribbean dollar |
161 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Kingstown | East Caribbean dollar |
119 |
| Samoa | Apia | Tala |
185 |
| San Marino | San Marino | Euro |
28 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Sao Tome | Dobra |
157 |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | Sudi Arabian riyal |
24,573 |
| Senegal | Dakar | CFA franc |
11,658 |
| Serbia | Belgrade | Serbian dinar
Euro |
10,503 |
| Seychelles | Victoria | Seychelles rupee |
81 |
| Sierra Leone | Freetown | Leone |
5,525 |
| Singapore | Singapore | Singapore dollar |
4,326 |
| Slovakia | Bratislava | Netherland Antilles |
5,401 |
| Slovenia | Ljubljana | Euro |
1,967 |
| Solomon Islands | Honiara | Solomon Islands dollar |
478 |
| Somalia | Mogadishu | Somali shilling |
8,228 |
| South Africa | Pretoria (executive)
Cape Town (legislative)
Bloemfontein (judicial) | Rand |
47,432 |
| Spain | Madrid | Euro |
43,064 |
| Sri Lanka | Colombo | Sri Lankan rupee |
20,743 |
| Sudan | Khartoum | Sudanese dinar |
36,233 |
| Suriname | Paramaribo | Suriname guilder |
449 |
| Swaziland | Mbabane | Emalangeni
South African rand |
1,032 |
| Sweden | Stockholm | Swedish krona |
9,041 |
| Switzerland | Bern | Swiss Franc |
7,252 |
| Syria | Damascus | Syrian pound |
19,043 |
| Tajikistan | Dushanbe | Somoni |
6,507 |
| Tanzania | Dodoma | Tanzanian shilling |
38,329 |
| Thailand | Bangkok | Bahr |
64,233 |
| Timor-Leste | Dili | CFA franc |
947 |
| Togo | Lomé | CFA franc |
6,145 |
| Tonga | Nuku'alofa | Pa'anga |
102 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Port of Spain | Trinidad and Tobago dollar |
1,305 |
| Tunisia | Tunis | Tunisian dinar |
10,102 |
| Turkey | Ankara | Turkish Lira |
73,193 |
| Turkmenistan | Ashgabat | Turkmen manat |
4,833 |
| Tuvalu | Funafuti | Australian dollar |
10 |
| Uganda | Kampala | Ugandan shilling |
28,816 |
| Ukraine | Kiev | Hryvnia |
46,481 |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates dirham |
4,496 |
| United Kingdom[9] |
London |
Pound sterling |
59,668 |
| United States of America |
Washington |
United States dollar |
298,213 |
| Uruguay | Montevideo | Uruguayan peso |
3,463 |
| Uzbekistan | Tashkent | Uzbek som |
26,593 |
| Vanuatu | Port Vila | Vatu |
211 |
| Vatican City[10] | Vatican | Euro |
0.253 |
| Venezuela | Caracas | Venezuelan bolivar |
26,749 |
| Vietnam | Ha Noi | Vietnamese dong |
84,238 |
| Yemen | Sana | Yemeni rial |
20,975 |
| Zambia | Lusaka | Zambian kwacha |
11,668 |
| Zimbabwe | Harare | Zimbabwean dollar |
13,010 |
Other less well recognised countries
Some territories effectively behave as independent countries but have, for one reason or another, not received wide recognition, or they are disputed or claimed by another country.
| Name | Capital | Currency | Population |
| China, Republic of[11] | Taipei | Taiwan Dollar |
22,858,872[12] |
| Kosovo | Priština | Euro | 2,126,708 (2007 est.) [13] |
| Northern Cyprus | Nicosia | Turkish New Lira |
264,172 (2006) |
| Palestine | Jerusalem (claimed), Ramallah de facto | |
3,900,000[14] |
| Transnistria | Tiraspol | Transnistrian ruble |
555,347 |
| Western Sahara | Laâyoune | Moroccan dirham |
341,000[1] |
Notes and References
- List of recognised counties sourced from UN member states list
- Population data sourced from [# | Add address here]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 (2007 Fourth Edition.) The Times Atlas of the World, Compact Edition.. Times Books, London., 160. ISBN ISBN 978-0-00-723374-8.
- ↑ Statistics Canada, 2006
- ↑ The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which adminsters part of the island, is recognised only by Turkey.
- ↑ Excludes Northern Ireland, administered by the UK.
- ↑ Irish Census, 2006
- ↑ Most countries' embassies are in Tel Aviv because international law does not recognise Jerusalem as the capital. See CIA - The World Factbook - Israel.
- ↑ Many countries, but not the UN, do not recognise this name as it was the choice of the junta that took power in 1989. 'Burma' is widely used in the English-speaking world.
- ↑ Another city, The Hague, is actually the seat of government but not a capital.
- ↑ The UK is a country composed of four counties joined in union: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- ↑ The Vatican is a city state so forms its own capital.
- ↑ The Republic of China is commonly known as Taiwan after the island which comprises the bulk of its territory, to distinguish it from the People's Republic of China.
- ↑ The World Factbook, Taiwan. C.I.A..
- ↑ The World Factbook, Kosovo. C.I.A..
- ↑ This is an estimate by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. The last census by the Bureau of Statistics reported a population of 2,890,630 in the year 1998. This included: West bank 1.65 million; Gaza Strip 1.02 million; East Jerusalem 210,000; Overseas 325,000. These numbers do no tally with Israeli census data. A new census is in progress and is expected to report in February 2008.
