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-Stan Countries 2024

The suffix “-stan” is of Indo-European and Indo-Iranian origin. The suffix means “country” or “place of” in Persian. Countries and regions bearing this prefix are located throughout Asia, Russia, and other areas where Persian culture has been adopted. Seven countries have the suffix “-stan” in their English names: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Of these nations, Kazakhstan is the largest by area. The smallest is Tajikistan. By population, Pakistan is the largest with a population of over 207 million. The smallest by population is Turkmenistan, which has a population of over 5.1 million.

There are also several nations whose Armenian, Persian, or Turkish names utilize the -stan suffix. In Armenian, this includes Armenia (Hayastan), Georgia (Vrastan), Greece (Hunastan), and Poland (Lehastan). In Persian, this includes Armenia (Armanestan), England (Engelestan), Georgia (Gorjestan), Hungary (Majarestan), India (Hindustan), Mongolia (Mogholestan), and Serbia (Serbestan). In Turkish, this includes Bulgaria (Bulgaristan), Croatia (Hirbatistan), Greece (Yunanistan), Hungary (Macaristan), India (Hindistan), Mongolia (Mogolistan), Saudi Arabia (Suudi Arabistan), and Serbia (Sirbistan).

There are also several sub-national regions and cities that feature the -stan suffix. These include the cities of Arghistan and Gulistan in Afghanistan, Burastan and Aygestan in Armenia, Takestan and Larestan in Iran, and other areas throughout Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, and Kazakhstan.

Country
"-Stan" Country
Population
Density (/km²)
Afghanistan42,647,50065
Kazakhstan20,592,6008
Kyrgyzstan7,186,01037
Pakistan251,269,000326
Tajikistan10,590,90076
Turkmenistan7,494,50016
Uzbekistan36,361,90083

How many 'stan' countries are there?

There are 7 'stan' countries.

What are the Stans countries?

The suffix 'stan' means 'country.' The Stans are countries of Persian culture and influence throughout Asia and Russia. They include Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Why are countries called Stan?

-stan' is a suffix with Indo-European and Indo-Iranian roots and means 'country' or 'place' in Persian.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources