The Number of Countries in The

7/28/2019 The Number of Countries in The

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Here are additional capital relocations that have occurred in approximately the last few

centuries.

Asia

Since 1982, Sri Lankas Parliament has met in Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, but

some other government functions remain in Colombo.

Malaysia moved some of its administrative functions to Putrajaya in 1999. The

official capital remains Kuala Lumpur.

Former capitals of Iran include Esfahan and Shiraz. It is now Tehran.

A former capital of Thailand is Ayutthaya. It is now Bangkok. Hue was an ancient capital of Vietnam. It is now Hanoi.

Pakistan from Karachi to Rawalpindi to Islamabad changes occurred in 1950s

and 1960s.

Laos from Luang Prabang to Vientiane 1975

Turkey from Istanbul to Ankara - 1923

The Philippines from Quezon City to Manila 1976

Japan from Kyoto to Tokyo 1868

Israel from Tel Aviv-Jaffo to Jerusalem 1950

Oman from Salalah to Muscat 1970

Saudi Arabia from Diriyah to Riyadh 1818

Indonesia from Yogyakarta to Jakarta 1949 Bhutan from Punakha (former winter capital) to Thimpu - 1907

Uzbekistan from Samarkand to Tashkent - 1930

Afghanistan from Kandahar to Kabul - 1776

Europe

Former capitals of Italy include Turin, Florence, and Salerno. The current capital

of Italy is Rome.

Bonn was the capital of West Germany from 1949-1990. Reunified Germanys

capital began as Bonn but wasmoved to Berlin in 1999.

Kragujevac has served as the capital of Serbia several times. It is now Belgrade.

Durres was briefly capital of Albania during World War I. It is now Tirana. Lithuania from Kaunas to Vilnius - 1939

Malta from Mdina to Valetta 16th century

Poland from Krakow to Warsaw - 1596

Montenegro from Cetinje to Podgorica 1946

Greece from Nafplion to Athens 1834

Finland from Turku to Helsinki 1812
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Africa

Ghana from Cape Coast to Accra 1877

Botswana from Mafeking to Gaborone - 1965

Guinea Bissau from Madina do Boe to Bissau - 1974

Cape Verde from Cidade Velha to Praia 1858

Togo from Aneho to Lome 1897 Malawi from Zomba to Lilongwe 1974

The Americas

Trinidad and Tobago from San Jose to Port of Spain 1784

Jamaica from Port Royal to Spanish Town to Kingston 1872

Barbados from Jamestown to Bridgetown 1628

Honduras from Comayagua to Tegucigalpa 1888

Oceania

New Zealand from Auckland to Wellington 1865 The Federated States of Micronesia from Kolonia to Palikir 1989

Palau from Koror to Ngerulmud 2006

The Number of Countries in the World

Updated March 23, 2012A very frequent geographical question is "How many countries are in the world?"

Different numbers pop up when one inquires or reads about the number of countries inthe world. Each source you use often yields a different answer. Ultimately, the best

answer is that there are196 countries in the world.

United Nations

There are 193 members of the United Nations. Unfortunately, the number 193 is too often

used to represent the number of countries in the world. Although this number representsalmost all of the countries in the world, there are still independent countries such as the

Vatican City and Kosovo, that are independent and are not members of the U.N. so 193 isnot the number of countries in the world.

U.S. Department of State

The United States' State Department recognizes 195 independent countries around the

world. Their list of 195 countries reflects thepolitical agenda of the United States of
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America and its allies. Missing from the State Department's list is one entity that may or

may not be considered a country, depending on who you talk to.

The One Outsider

Taiwan meets the requirements of independent country or state status. However, due topolitical reasons, it fails to be recognized by the international community as independent.

Nonetheless, it should be considered as independent.

Taiwan was actually a member of the United Nations (and even theSecurity Council)

until 1971, when mainland China replaced Taiwan in the organization. Taiwan continuesto press for full recognition by other countries, to become "part of the club" and fully

recognized worldwide but China claims that Taiwan is simply a province of China.

Thus...

Your Guide considers there to be 196 countries in the world, which is probably the bestcurrent answer to the question, "How many countries are in the world?"

However...

Recognize that there are dozens of territories and colonies that are sometimes erroneously

called "countries" but don't count at all - they're governed by other countries. Places

commonly confused as being countries includePuerto Rico, Bermuda, Greenland,Palestine, Western Sahara, and even the components of the United Kingdom (such as

Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, andEngland - they're not fully independent countries,

states, or nation-states).

Official Listing of Countries by

World Region

Matt Rosenberg's Official Eight Regional Groupings of

the World
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The countries of the world can be divided into various geographic regions. (Official

White House Photo by Pete Souza)

White House/Pete Souza

Updated December 05, 2011

I have divided the 196 countries of the world into eight regions. These eight regions

provide a clear division of the world's countries.

Enjoy the list and if, however, you wish to question or challenge this list, please post

them as a comment on the blog.

Asia

There are 27 countries in Asia; Asia stretches from former "stans" of the USSR to thePacific Ocean.

Bangladesh

Bhutan

BruneiCambodia

ChinaIndiaIndonesia

Japan

KazakhstanNorth Korea

South Korea

Kyrgyzstan

LaosMalaysia

Maldives

MongoliaMyanmar

Nepal

PhilippinesSingapore

Sri Lanka

Taiwan

Tajikistan
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Thailand

Turkmenistan

UzbekistanVietnam

Middle East, North Africa, and Greater ArabiaThe 23 countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia include somecountries not traditionally part of the Middle East but their cultures cause their placement

in this region (such as Pakistan).

Afghanistan

AlgeriaAzerbaijan*

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

IraqIsrael**

JordanKuwait

Lebanon

LibyaMorocco

Oman

PakistanQatar

Saudi Arabia

SomaliaSyriaTunisia

Turkey

United Arab EmiratesYemen

* The former republics of the Soviet Union are typically lumped into one region, even

twenty years after independence. In this listing, they've been placed where most

appropriate.

** Israel may be located in the Middle East but it is certainly an outsider and perhapsbetter belongs attached to Europe, like its seaward neighbor and European Union member

state, Cyprus.

Europe

With 48 countries, there aren't many surprises on this list. However, this region stretches

from North America and back to North America as it encompasses Iceland and all of

Russia.
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Albania

Andorra

ArmeniaAustria

Belarus

BelgiumBosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

CroatiaCyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

EstoniaFinland

France

Georgia

GermanyGreece

HungaryIceland*

Ireland

ItalyKosovo

Latvia

Liechtenstein

LithuaniaLuxembourg

Macedonia

MaltaMoldova

Monaco

MontenegroNetherlands

Norway

Poland

PortugalRomania

Russia

San MarinoSerbia

Slovakia

SloveniaSpain

Sweden

Switzerland

Ukraine


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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland**

Vatican City

* Iceland straddles the Eurasian plate and the North American plate so geographically itis halfway between Europe and North America. However, its culture and settlement is

clearly European in nature.

** The United Kingdom is the country composed of the constituent entities known as

England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

North America

Economic powerhouse North America only includes three countries but it is most of a

continent and thus a region onto itself.

CanadaGreenland*

MexicoUnited States of America

* Greenland is not yet an independent country.

Central America and the Caribbean

There are no landlocked countries among these twenty countries of Central America and

the Caribbean.

Antigua and BarbudaThe Bahamas

BarbadosBelize

Costa RicaCuba

Dominica

Dominican RepublicEl Salvador

Grenada

GuatemalaHaiti

Honduras

JamaicaNicaraguaPanama

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint LuciaSaint Vincent and the Grenadines

Trinidad and Tobago


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South America

Twelve countries occupy this continent that stretches from the equator to nearly the

Antarctic Circle.

Argentina

BoliviaBrazilChile

Colombia

Ecuador

GuyanaParaguay

Peru

SurinameUruguay

Venezuela

Sub-Saharan Africa

There are 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This region of Africa is often called Sub-Saharan Africa but some of these countries are actually Intra-Saharan (within the Sahara

Desert).

Angola

BeninBotswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

CameroonCape Verde

Central African RepublicChad

Comoros

Republic of the CongoDemocratic Republic of the Congo

Cote d'Ivoire

Djibouti

Equatorial GuineaEritrea

EthiopiaGabonThe Gambia

Ghana

GuineaGuinea-Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho
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Liberia

Madagascar

MalawiMali

Mauritania

MauritiusMozambique

Namibia

NigerNigeria

Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe

SenegalSeychelles

Sierra Leone

South Africa

South SudanSudan

SwazilandTanzania

Togo

UgandaZambia

Zimbabwe

Australia and Oceania

These fifteen countries vary widely in their cultures and occupy a large swath of the

world ocean although (with the exception of the continent-country Australia), do notoccupy much land.

Australia

East Timor*Fiji

Kiribati

Marshall IslandsFederated States of Micronesia

Nauru

New Zealand

PalauPapua New Guinea

Samoa

Solomon IslandsTonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu


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* While East Timor lies on an Indonesian (Asian) island, its eastern location requires that

it be located with the Oceania nations of the world.

Capital City Relocation

Countries That Have Moved Their Capital Cities

Updated September 04, 2011The capital of a country is often a very populated city where much history has been made

due to the high-level political and economic functions that occur there. However,sometimes government leaders decide to move the capital from one city to another.Capital relocation has been done hundreds of times throughout history. The ancient

Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese changed their capital frequently. Some countries choose

new capitals that are more easily defended in a time of invasion or war. Some new

capitals are planned and built in previously undeveloped areas to spur development. Newcapitals are sometimes in regions deemed neutral to competing ethnic or religious groups

as this could promote unity, security, and prosperity. Here are some notable capital

moves throughout modern history.

United States

During and after the American Revolution, the United States Congress met in eight cities,including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York City. The construction of a new capital

city in a separate federal district was outlined in the United States Constitution (ArticleOne, Section Eight), and President George Washington selected a site near the Potomac

River. Virginia and Maryland donated land. Washington, D.C. was designed and built

and became the United States capital in 1800. The site was a compromise involving

southern slave-holding economic interests and northern states who wanted war debtsrepaid.

Russia

Moscow was the capital of the Russian Empire from the 14th century until 1712. It then

moved to St. Petersburg to be closer to Europe so that Russia would become morewestern. The Russian capital was moved back to Moscow in 1918.

Canada

In the 19th century, the legislature of Canada alternated between Toronto and Quebec

City. Ottawa became the capital of Canada in 1857. Ottawa was then a small town in a
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largely undeveloped region, but was chosen to be the capital city because it was close to

the boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Australia

In the 19th century, Sydney and Melbourne were the two largest cities in Australia. They

both wanted to become Australias capital, and neither would concede to the other. As acompromise, Australia decided to build a new capital city. After an extensive search and

survey, a section of land was carved out of New South Wales and became the AustralianCapital Territory. The city of Canberra was planned and became Australias capital city

in 1927. Canberra is located about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne but it is not a

coastal city.

India

Calcutta, in Eastern India, was the capital of British India until 1911. To better administerall of India, the capital moved by the British to the northern city of Delhi. The city of

New Delhi was planned and built, and was proclaimed the capital in 1947.

Brazil

Brazils capital relocation from very overcrowded Rio de Janeiro to the planned, builtcity of Brasilia occurred in 1961. This capital change had been considered for decades.

Rio de Janeiro was thought to be too far from many parts of this large country. To

encourage the development of the interior of Brazil, Brasilia was built from 1956-1960.

Upon its establishment as Brazil's capital, Brasilia experienced very rapid growth.Brazils capital change was considered very successful, and many countries have been

inspired by Brazils capital relocation achievement.

Belize

In 1961, Hurricane Hattie badly damaged Belize City, the former capital of Belize. In1970, Belmopan, an inland city, became the new capital of Belize to protect the

governments functioning, documents, and people in case of another hurricane.

Tanzania

In the 1970s, Tanzanias capital moved from coastal Dar es Salaam to centrally located

Dodoma, but even after many decades, the move is not complete.

Cote dIvoire

In 1983, Yamoussoukro became the capital of Cote dIvoire. This new capital was the

hometown of the President of Cote dIvoire, Felix Houphouet-Boigny. He wanted to spur

development in the central region of Cote dIvoire. However, many government officesand embassies remain in the former capital, Abidjan.

Nigeria

In 1991, the capital of Nigeria, Africas most populated country, was moved from Lagos

because of overcrowding. Abuja, a planned city in central Nigeria, was deemed to be a


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more neutral city regarding Nigerias many ethnic and religious groups. Abuja also had a

less tropical climate.

Kazakhstan

Almaty, in southern Kazakhstan, was the Kazakh capital when the country gained

independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Government leaders moved the capital tothe northern city of Astana, formerly known as Aqmola, in December 1997. Almaty had

little room to expand, could experience an earthquake, and was very close to other newlyindependent countries which could experience political turbulence. Almaty was also far

from the region where ethnic Russians, who comprise about 25% of Kazakhstans

population, live.

Myanmar

Myanmars capital was formerly Rangoon, also known as Yangon. In November 2005,government workers were suddenly told by the military junta to move to the more

northern city of Naypyidaw, which had been constructed since 2002 but not publicized.

The entire world still doesnt have a clear explanation why Myanmar's capital wasrelocated. This controversial capital change was possibly based on astrological advice

and political fears. Yangon was the largest city in the country, and the restrictive

government probably did not want crowds of people to protest against the government.Naypyidaw was also considered more easily defensible in case of a foreign invasion.

South Sudan

In September 2011, just a few months after independence, South Sudan's Council of

Ministers approved a move of the new country's capital city from the initial temporary

capital of Juba to Ramciel, located closer to the center of the country. The new capitalwill be a located within an independent capital territory not part of the surrounding Lake

State. It is expected that the move will take approximately five years to complete.

Iran - Possible Future Capital Change

Iran is considering relocating its capital from Tehran, which lies on about 100 fault lines

and could experience a catastrophic earthquake. If the capital were a different city, thegovernment could better manage the crisis and reduce casualties. However, some Iranians

believe that the government wants to move the capital to avoid protests against the

government, similar to Myanmar. Political leaders and seismologists are studying regionsnear Qom and Isfahan as possible places to build a new capital, but this would probably

take decades and an enormous amount of money to complete.

See page two for a comprehensive listing of additional recent capital cityrelocations!

Capital Relocation Rationale

Finally, countries sometimes change their capital because they expect some type of

political, social, or economic benefit. They hope and expect that the new capitals willsurely develop into cultural gems and hopefully make the country a more stable place.
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(Continued from Page 1)

Here are additional capital relocations that have occurred in approximately the last fewcenturies.

Asia Since 1982, Sri Lankas Parliament has met in Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, but

some other government functions remain in Colombo.

Malaysia moved some of its administrative functions to Putrajaya in 1999. The

official capital remains Kuala Lumpur.

Former capitals of Iran include Esfahan and Shiraz. It is now Tehran.

A former capital of Thailand is Ayutthaya. It is now Bangkok.

Hue was an ancient capital of Vietnam. It is now Hanoi.

Pakistan from Karachi to Rawalpindi to Islamabad changes occurred in 1950s

and 1960s.

Laos from Luang Prabang to Vientiane 1975

Turkey from Istanbul to Ankara - 1923 The Philippines from Quezon City to Manila 1976

Japan from Kyoto to Tokyo 1868

Israel from Tel Aviv-Jaffo to Jerusalem 1950

Oman from Salalah to Muscat 1970

Saudi Arabia from Diriyah to Riyadh 1818

Indonesia from Yogyakarta to Jakarta 1949

Bhutan from Punakha (former winter capital) to Thimpu - 1907

Uzbekistan from Samarkand to Tashkent - 1930

Afghanistan from Kandahar to Kabul - 1776

Europe Former capitals of Italy include Turin, Florence, and Salerno. The current capital

of Italy is Rome.

Bonn was the capital of West Germany from 1949-1990. Reunified Germanys

capital began as Bonn but wasmoved to Berlin in 1999.

Kragujevac has served as the capital of Serbia several times. It is now Belgrade.

Durres was briefly capital of Albania during World War I. It is now Tirana.

Lithuania from Kaunas to Vilnius - 1939

Malta from Mdina to Valetta 16th century

Poland from Krakow to Warsaw - 1596

Montenegro from Cetinje to Podgorica 1946

Greece from Nafplion to Athens 1834 Finland from Turku to Helsinki 1812

Africa

Ghana from Cape Coast to Accra 1877

Botswana from Mafeking to Gaborone - 1965

Guinea Bissau from Madina do Boe to Bissau - 1974
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Cape Verde from Cidade Velha to Praia 1858

Togo from Aneho to Lome 1897

Malawi from Zomba to Lilongwe 1974

The Americas

Trinidad and Tobago from San Jose to Port of Spain 1784 Jamaica from Port Royal to Spanish Town to Kingston 1872

Barbados from Jamestown to Bridgetown 1628

Honduras from Comayagua to Tegucigalpa 1888

Oceania

New Zealand from Auckland to Wellington 1865

The Federated States of Micronesia from Kolonia to Palikir 1989

Palau from Koror to Ngerulmud 2006

The Number of Countries in The

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