Countries

How many countries are there in the world?

According to the United Nations there is 193 internationally recognized countries as at January 2023. However if we account for unique territories this number is more like 330. On this page you can find detailed listings about the names of places that exist, but it is by no means exhaustive. See the Territories List for more information.

Countries with most visitors per year

Flags List

Distinct territories and people are commonly represented by flags. There is a two-letter country code called ISO 3166-1 which is used to generate over 258 flag character codes. Please note that this include all people and is just for explorative purposes only.

Territories

If you dig deeper the actual figure of all countries closer to 330. This is because the United Nations bases each country on a single government claim. A country can consist of several territories which is one reason the number is much smaller.  It's also important to point out that each territory can be the home to groups of people whose ethnic group is unique from the government in power. Some countries live in unity without any issue, however sometimes disagreements lead to conflict and war and territories change hands.

^ This map and listing considers all countries and territories and has widespread recognition as one of the most accurate collections of countries and territories amongst serious travellers.

PACIFIC OCEAN (40)

NORTH AMERICA (6)

CENTRAL AMERICA (7)

SOUTH AMERICA (14)

CARIBBEAN (31)

ATLANTIC OCEAN (14)

EUROPE & MEDITERRANEAN (68)

ANTARCTICA (7)

AFRICA (55)

MIDDLE EAST (21)

INDIAN OCEAN (15)


ASIA (52)

What is a Country?

A country is a self proclaimed land that a ruling entity, usually government has declared control over. This is usually achieved by giving the land a name, defined its borders, and then enforcing laws. Not all people who live in a country might agree with the ruling entity, and not all claims are recognised by other governments. Unfortunately this situation can lead conflict and wars, however in recent years there has been much more peace.