How Many Countries Are There In The World

How Many Countries Are There In The World?  It seems like a straightforward question.  So, there must be a simple answer.

But that is far from the truth.  Everyone seems to have their own opinion and most of them result in a different answer.

With my podcast, Counting Countries, I interview the world’s most traveled people.  Those who have traveled to every country in the world or are in the process of completing that goal.  I have interviewed people like Gunnar Garfors, Babis Bizas, and Slawek Muturi.  These three men have traveled to every country in the world, twice.

UN – 193

A lot of people view the United Nations as the starting point.  The UN recognizes 193 sovereign nations.  The UN was formed in 1945 with 45 original members.  It has quadrupled in size over the years with some growth spurts.  In the 1960s many African countries gained their independence.  In the 1990s, both the Soviet Union collapsed and splintered into many different countries.

It is not a simple process to join the UN.  First, all five members of the UN Security Council must approve your application.  Those five countries are China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States.  Then at least four more members of the rotating, non-permanent members of the Security Council must also approve.  The application is then brought to the floor of the General Assembly, where two thirds of members most vote affirmatively.

The most recent country to join the UN is South Sudan, which joined in 2011.  Sudan was effectively split into two pieces, with the southern piece gaining its independence.  This ended a five-year civil war.  Sudan (in the north) is primarily Arab who practice Islam while South Sudan is mostly comprised of black citizens who practice Christianity and indigenous religions.

Other recent countries that joined:

2006 Montenegro

2002 Switzerland, Timor-Leste

2000 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Tuvalu

1999 Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga

1994 Palau

UN Observer States – 2

The United Nations also recognizes two Observer States; the Holy See better known as the Vatican and the State of Palestine.  These two countries have limited recognition in the UN meaning that these countries can not vote nor propose regulations.

The Vatican is the home of the Catholic church and is considered by some to be the smallest country in the world with less than 1000 people.  The Vatican is located in the city of Rome in Italy.

The Palestinian State is bisected in two with the Gaza Strip and the West Bank separated by Israel.

credit: عشاق الرسم و التصوير

Partial UN Recognition – 6

OK, now things are getting more interesting.  We have a category of countries, which are recognized by some UN countries but not others.  So these countries are not recognized members of the UN.  These partially recognized countries mostly due to political reasons can not get full recognition.

Kosovo is recognized by 112 UN member countries.  Kosovo used to be part of Yugoslavia and after that Serbia.  Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.  But Serbia was against Kosovo independence as well as Russia, a big brother to Serbia.  The US with Bill Clinton at the helm with Europe were pro-independence.  Regardless, today it functions as an independent country.

Credit: Fanny Schertzer

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is recognized by 44 UN member countries.  SADR is not a household name but does garner a fair amount of recognition.  Western Sahara is a large piece of desert land sandwiched between Morocco and Mauritania.  Western Sahara was administered by Spain until 1975, when it passed administration to both Morocco and Mauritania.  War broke out between Morocco and Mauritania while a Sahrawi nationalist movement also took root. The Sahrawi are native to these lands.  Morocco gained de facto control over 75-80% of Western Sahara with SADR controlling a skinny strip of the interior bordering a snippet of Algeria and Mauritania.  A cease fire was signed between Morocco and SADR with the UN believing the Sahrawi people have the right to determination.  No UN member has officially recognized Morocco sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Credit: Michele Benericetti

Taiwan is recognized by 14 UN member countries.  Taiwan is officially known as the Republic of China, and was one of the founding members of the UN in 1945 but lost its seat in 1971 to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), when China was voted in as a member.  At one point, 117 countries recognized ROC, but over time PRC has chipped away, persuading more countries to recognize China over Taiwan.  China refuses to have any diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes Taiwan and is not shy about using its influence, whether a carrot or a stick to pry countries away from Taiwan.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia are recognized by 5 UN member countries each.  These two countries are found within the country Georgia, not the US state.  In 2008, there was a war between Russia and Georgia, and the end result was the birth of these two de facto countries.  Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia have a large population of ethnic Russians.  This provided Russia with a rationalization to sever these territories from Georgia.  Georgia and Russia have had a fraught relationship since Georgian independence from the USSR.  Only Russia and four of its allies (Syria, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Nauru) have recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign nations.  But at some level these two countries act as de facto nations, with their own governments, flags, borders, and required visas.  De facto mean “as a fact”, not according to law.

Abkhazia                                                                                      South Ossetia (Credit: Mil.ru)

Northern Cyprus is recognized by one UN member country.  Turkey is the only UN country in the world that recognizes Northern Cyprus.  A 1974 coup in Cyprus prompted the Turks to invade this sovereign nation.  The end result was the island nation was portioned in two with ethnic Greeks and Turks resettling to their respective sides of the island.  The Turks maintain a large military presence which has been denounced by the international community.  Nicosia the capital sits on the line of partition and is the only capital in the world which recognizes two different time zones.  The part of the capital that is part of Northern Cyprus reset their clocks to sync with Turkey.

Credit: Jpakotal

Self-Declared Independent Nations – 2

There are two other countries that are self-declared independent nations but are not recognized by any UN countries.  They are only recognized by other non-UN countries.  These two countries have their own governments, flags, national anthems, borders and even visas.

Republic Of Artsakh is recognized by three other non-UN countries; Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria.  Artsakh has been Armenian land for centuries yet had been placed in the territory of Azerbaijan in 1920 when this region was subsumed by the Soviet Union.  After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the Armenians of Artsakh voted for independence from Azerbaijan.  A war ensued between Azerbaijan and Artsakh.  Artsakh prevailed and became a de facto nation.  To visit Artsakh you need a visa, and you can only enter via a land crossing from neighboring Armenia.  There is no operating airport.

Transnistria (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic) is recognized by Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Artsakh.  Transnistria was a territory within Moldova which was part of the Soviet Union.  After the Soviet Union in 1991 collapsed, a civil war between the territory of Transnistria and Moldova erupted.  The de facto country of Transnistria was created after the ending of the hostilities.  Transnistria is a client state of Russia with a contingent of Russian troops acting as a tripwire in addition to financial support.  Visiting Transnistria today is like visiting communist Soviet Union.  There are many Lenin statues throughout the country.  And even Transnistria’s flag depicts a hammer and sickle.

Countries Whose Passports Are Recognized -2

The next category is a bit odd.  These two countries passports are recognized but not the countries.

Somaliland is another defacto country like Artsahk and Transnistria.  Somaliland declared its independence in the early 1990s and is carved out of the UN country, Somalia.  Somaliland has its own government, flag, visa, army, and its own unique currency.  One of the highlights of visiting Somaliland is visiting its money market.

No country in the world recognizes Somaliland, but several countries recognize Somaliland’s passports.  Meaning these following nine countries allow Somaliland citizens travel on their passports but do not recognize Somaliland as a country.

• Belgium
• Djibouti
• Ethiopia
• France
• Kenya
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• The United Kingdom

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is another country whose passports are recognized.  This country is a non-state sovereign entity.   It does not control any land except for a handful of buildings in Italy and Malta.  It is an elective monarchy which is ruled by a Prince and a Grand Master.  But Italy and Malta have given the Order special jurisdiction from local law in the buildings they hold.

Despite not having land and borders like a traditional country, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta has established full diplomatic relations with 107 sovereign states.  So that means its passport is accepted by over 100 nations.  There are only about 500 people who hold this passport.  This is truly a unique country.

Photo credit: High Contrast

United Nations List Of Non-Self Governing Territories – 17

This list was created in 1946 by the United Nations.  The UN deems these places to be “non-self-governing” and subject to the decolonization process.  Meaning these places should become independent countries one day.  Or maybe not.

Over the years, this list has had dozens of names on it, but today, there are only 17 names remaining.

One territory that used to be on this list was Portuguese Angola, but in 1975 this African country gained its independence from Portugal, and now it is just simply the independent nation of Angola.

Another example would be the Falkland Islands, which is still on the list, this is an island found off the coast of Argentina in the Atlantic Ocean.  It is part of the United Kingdom (while claimed by Argentina and known as Malvinas).

In March of 2013, the autonomous government of the Falkland Islands organized a referendum.  The territory would vote if it should remain a British Overseas Territory.  Only three islanders voted in favor of independence while 99.8% voted for the status quo.

And a fun fact … the Falkland Islands love their sheep, there are only 3,000 residents on the island but there are over 450,000 sheep.

Photo Credit: Amanderson2

And here is a list of the 17 territories –

American Samoa

Anguilla

Bermuda

British Virgin Islands

Cayman Islands

Falkland Islands

French Polynesia

Gibraltar

Guam

Montserrat

New Caledonia

Pitcairn

Saint Helena

Tokelau

Turks and Caicos Islands

United States Virgin Islands

Western Sahara

Free Association With New Zealand – 2

I told you that this would not be a simple exercise.  There are two countries in this category which some people consider to be a country; Cook Islands and Niue.  These are two small Pacific Island nations that both recognize the New Zealand Dollar … but both islands have full treaty making capacity meaning that they can interact within the international community as a sovereign and independent state.   So they are not recognized as full UN members and have opted to be in Free Association With New Zealand, which means they opt to have New Zealand act on their behalf on the international stage on many occasions.

Photo Credit: EwanSmith

There are three well known organizations (well, two extremely well known) that define their own country count.  These organizations are the Olympics, FIFA, and the ISO.

The Olympics – 206

Everyone knows the Olympics, one of the world’s most famous events that is truly global in nature.  The Olympics which holds events every two years, states that there are 206 countries.  And how do they get there?

The Olympics includes all 193 UN member states and one Observer State, Palestine.  They also recognize two partially recognized states of Kosovo and Taiwan.

Then the Olympics adds in 10 more territories such as Hong Kong, which is part of China, and the Cayman Islands, which is part of the UK.

All 206 countries participate under their own flag.  And did you know the symbol of the Olympics, the 5 colored rings, represent the 5 inhabited continents?  Did I say 5?  Yes, the designer, Pierre de Coubertin, in 1913 counted North and South America as one continent.

Photo Credit: The Department Of Culture, Media And Sport

FIFA – 211

What is the universal language of the globe? French, English, Mandarin?  Many would say football (or in the US, soccer)!  FIFA stands for Federation Internationale de Football Association, which was founded in 1904, many years before the UN.  It is estimated that football has over 3.5 billion fans worldwide, that is more than double the size of china!

And FIFA, the international body of football states that there are 211 countries! Let’s do the math.

FIFA includes 186 countries out of the UN 193.  Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Monaco, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands and the Vatican City are not part of FIFA.   And one Observer State being Palestine same as the Olympics.  Then there are two partially recognized countries, Taiwan and Kosovo.

The United Kingdom is counted as 4 countries instead of one as it is in the UN.  FIFA counts England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland as individual countries.

And then there are 18 additional territories which are technically part of other countries, ranging from American Samoa to the US Virgin Islands.  And that brings us to 211 countries!

Photo Credit: (WT-shared) OldPine at wts wikivoyage