Many country names have only six letters. While the length of a country's name has little to do with other factors such as its overall land area, its annual GDP, its level of development, or consumption of beer, name length can still be an interesting way to group the world's countries.
There are a total of 31 countries with six-letter names in the world (not counting non-country territories such as Jersey or partially recognized countries such as Kosovo). These include seven countries in Africa; seven countries in Asia; one in Oceania; two countries in each of Central, South, and North America; and ten countries in Europe.
Six-letter countries are the second-most-common type of country in the world, ranking well ahead of not only the 12 four-letter and 26 five-letter countries, but also the 26 eight-letter countries, 14 nine-letter countries, 19 ten-letter countries, as well as those that have 11, 12, 13, or more letters. Only seven-letter countries are more numerous.
Two of the largest countries in North America are six-letter countries. First is Canada, which also ranks among the safest countries in the world, and the second is Mexico, one of the world's leading producers of both cocoa.
Just south of Mexico, the Central American countries of Belizeโthe only Central American country whose official language is Englishโand the hispanic country Panama both have six-letter names. Finally, South America includes two six-letter countries: Guyana, where the most popular sport is cricket, and Brazil, the world's largest producer of coffee beans.
Europe has more six-letter countries than any of Earth's other continents. These include Sweden, one of the least racist countries in the world; France (one of the world's biggest wine producers); the slavic countries Poland and Serbia; and Latvia, one of the world's biggest consumers of alcohol.
The list of six-letter countries in Europe continues with Norway, which is considered by many to be the best country in the world to live in, as well as Cyprus, Greece, and the tiny coastal country of Monaco, the smallest country in the world other than Vatican City. Additionally, two transcontinental countries, located in both Europe and Asia, have six-letter names: the emerging country Turkey and Russia, the largest country in the world.
The African continent is home to several six-letter countries, nearly all of which have names that end in the letter "a". First of these (alphabetically speaking) is Angola, a country with one of the highest birth rates in the world. This is followed by Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa; Guinea, one of only four countries in the world (all in Africa) that lacks physical telephone lines; the landlocked country of Malawi, the โLand of a Thousand Hillsโ Rwanda; the equator country Uganda; and Zambia, home of Lake Kariba, the world's largest man-made lake. All seven of Africa's six-letter countries rank among the least-developed countries in the world.
The Asian six-letter country of Taiwan ranks as the world's friendliest country by some metrics. The obscure country Brunei also has six letters, as do Bhutan, the first country in the world to write environmental protections into its constitution; and the Middle Eastern countries of Israel (one of the world's most educated countries, the [arab country] of Jordan, and the oil-rich Kuwait. Lastly, the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is Oceania's lone six-letter country.
Country | Official Name | UN Member |
---|---|---|
Angola | Republic of Angola | |
Belize | Belize | |
Bhutan | Kingdom of Bhutan | |
Brazil | Federative Republic of Brazil | |
Brunei | Nation of Brunei, Abode of Peace | |
Canada | Canada | |
Cyprus | Republic of Cyprus | |
France | French Republic | |
Gambia | Republic of the Gambia | |
Greece | Hellenic Republic | |
Guinea | Republic of Guinea | |
Guyana | Co-operative Republic of Guyana | |
Israel | State of Israel | |
Jersey | Bailiwick of Jersey | |
Jordan | Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | |
Kuwait | State of Kuwait | |
Latvia | Republic of Latvia | |
Malawi | Republic of Malawi | |
Mexico | United Mexican States | |
Monaco | Principality of Monaco | |
Norway | Kingdom of Norway | |
Panama | Republic of Panama | |
Poland | Republic of Poland | |
Russia | Russian Federation | |
Rwanda | Republic of Rwanda | |
Serbia | Republic of Serbia | |
Sweden | Kingdom of Sweden | |
Taiwan | Republic of China | |
Turkey | Republic of Turkey | |
Tuvalu | Tuvalu | |
Uganda | Republic of Uganda | |
Zambia | Republic of Zambia |
Number of Letters | Number of Countries | Countries |
---|---|---|
4 | 12 | Chad, Cuba, Fiji, Guam, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Mali, Niue, Oman, Peru, Togo |
5 | 26 | Aruba, Benin, Chile, China, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Haiti, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Libya, Macau, Malta, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Palau, Qatar, Samoa, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tonga, Yemen |
6 | 32 | Angola, Belize, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, France, Gambia, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Israel, Jersey, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Malawi, Mexico, Monaco, Norway, Panama, Poland, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, Zambia |
7 | 47 | Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Burundi, Comoros, Croatia, Curacao, Denmark, DR Congo, Ecuador, Eritrea, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Mayotte, Moldova, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Reunion, Romania, Senegal, Somalia, Tokelau, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vietnam |
8 | 28 | Anguilla, Barbados, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Djibouti, Dominica, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guernsey, Honduras, Hong Kong, Kiribati, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Zimbabwe |
9 | 16 | Argentina, Australia, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Gibraltar, Greenland, Guatemala, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Lithuania, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Palestine, San Marino, Singapore, Venezuela |
10 | 25 | Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Guadeloupe, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Martinique, Mauritania, Micronesia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, New Zealand, North Korea, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, South Korea, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Uzbekistan |
11 | 12 | Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cook Islands, Netherlands, Philippines, Saint Martin, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sint Maarten, South Africa, Switzerland, Vatican City |
12 | 6 | Faroe Islands, French Guiana, Guinea-Bissau, New Caledonia, Turkmenistan, United States |
13 | 6 | American Samoa, Cayman Islands, Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom, Western Sahara |
14 | 3 | North Macedonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands |
15 | 5 | Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, Marshall Islands, Saint Barthelemy, Wallis and Futuna |
16 | 1 | Equatorial Guinea |
There are 32 countries (including territories) with 6 letters in their name.
The countries with 6 letters are: Angola, Belize, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, France, Gambia, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Israel, Jersey, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Malawi, Mexico, Monaco, Norway, Panama, Poland, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda and Zambia.