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Sovereign Nation 2023

What is a sovereign nation? A sovereign nation is a nation that has one centralized government that has the power to govern a specific geographic area. Under the definition set by international law, a sovereign nation has a defined territory with just one government. These nations have a permanent population and can enter into relations with other sovereign countries. While most major sovereign nations are well known throughout the world, many smaller or less prominent nations are relatively unknown countries.

The precise number of sovereign nations in the world is almost impossible to determine. Despite the fact that the United Nations currently recognizes 206 total states—193 member nations, two observer states, and 11 "other" states, there are also nearly a hundred additional regions that are considered sovereign nations by some sources—but not by others. These regions have a wide range of classifications and labels, including unrecognized countries, disputed territories, dependent territories, autonomous regions, administrative areas, partially recognized territories, crown dependencies, and more. These regions may or may not be considered sovereign. For example, of the United Nations' 206 states, 15 have disputed sovereignty. These regions range from the relatively obscure Northern Cyprus, with a modest area of 3,355 km² (1,295 mi²) and a population of roughly 400,000, to China, the most populous country in the world:

15 United Nations States Whose Sovereignty is Disputed:

  1. Abkhazia — is claimed by Georgia
  2. Artsakh — is claimed by Azerbaijan
  3. China (the People's Republic of China) — is partially unrecognized and is claimed by Taiwan (the Republic of China)
  4. Cyprus (Republic of Cyprus) — is not recognized by Turkey
  5. Israel — is partially unrecognized. As of December 2019, 162 UN nations have recognized Israel as a sovereign nation
  6. Kosovo — is claimed by Serbia. As of March 2020, UN 115 nations have recognized Kosovo as a sovereign state. However, some have also retracted or declined to confirm their recognition due to political pressure
  7. North Korea (The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) — is claimed by South Korea
  8. Northern Cyprus (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) — is claimed by the Cyprus (Republic of Cyprus)
  9. Palestine — is partially recognized and is disputed by Israel. As of 2019, UN 138 nations have recognized Palestine as a sovereign state
  10. Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic — is claimed by Morocco
  11. Somaliland — is claimed by Somalia
  12. South Korea (The Republic of Korea) — is claimed by North Korea
  13. South Ossetia — is claimed by Georgia
  14. Taiwan (Republic of China) — is claimed by mainland China (the People’s Republic of China). As of 2019, only 14 UN nations have recognized Taiwan as a sovereign nation, largely due to China's interference.
  15. Transnistria — is claimed by Moldova

Sovereign nations around the world

As the list above demonstrates, whether a state is considered sovereign or not often depends upon the source of the information. In the opinion of the government of Somaliland, the nation is indeed a sovereign state. However, the government of Somalia, in which Somaliland is located, holds the opinion that Somaliland is not sovereign, but a disputed part of Somalia. Other instances are even more politically complex, such as both North and South Korea claiming to be the rightful government of a united Korea, or Taiwan—to which the previous Chinese government retreated when a communist revolution took over mainland China after WWII—claiming to be the rightful government of all of China.

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Country
Sovereign Nation
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
DR Congo
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
North Korea
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of the Congo
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
showing: 196 rows

How many sovereign nations are there?

Depending on the sources, the number varies. The consensus is 206 countries. The United Nations lists 195 sovereign countries, with another 11 states in dispute.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources