The marked territories on this global map from theUnited Nations are mostly of countries which aresovereign states with full international recognition (brackets denote the country of a marked territory that is not a sovereign state). Some territories are countries in their own right but arenot recognized as such (e.g.Taiwan), some few marked territories aredisputed about which country they belong to (e.g.Kashmir) or if they are countries in their own right (e.g.Western Sahara (territory) orthe state known by the same name).
The definition and usage of the word "country" are flexible and have changed over time.The Economist wrote in 2010 that "any attempt to find a clear definition of a country soon runs into a thicket of exceptions and anomalies."[7]
Areas much smaller than a political entity may be referred to as a "country", such as theWest Country in England, "big sky country" (used in various contexts of theAmerican West), "coal country" (used to describecoal-mining regions), or simply "the country" (used to describe arural area).[8][9] The term "country" is also used as a qualifier descriptively, such ascountry music orcountry living.[10]
Etymology
The wordcountry comes fromOld Frenchcontrée, which derives fromVulgar Latin (terra)contrata ("(land) lying opposite"; "(land) spread before"), derived fromcontra ("against, opposite"). It most likely entered the English language after theFranco-Norman invasion during the 11th century.[11][better source needed]
Definition of a country
In English, the word has increasingly become associated with political divisions, so that one sense, associated with theindefinite article – "a country" – is now frequently applied as a synonym for a state or a former sovereign state. It may also be used as a synonym for "nation". Taking as examplesCanada,Sri Lanka, andYugoslavia, cultural anthropologistClifford Geertz wrote in 1997 that "it is clear that the relationships between 'country' and 'nation' are so different from one [place] to the next as to be impossible to fold into a dichotomous opposition as they are into a promiscuous fusion."[12]
Areas much smaller than a political state may be referred to as countries, such as theWest Country in England, "big sky country" (used in various contexts of theAmerican West), "coal country" (used to describecoal-mining regions in several sovereign states) and many other terms.[8] The word "country" is also used for the sense ofnative sovereign territory, such as the widespread use ofIndian country in the United States.[13]The term "country" in English may also be wielded to describerural areas, or used in the form "countryside."Raymond Williams, a Welsh scholar, wrote in 1975:[14]
'Country' and 'city' are very powerful words, and this is not surprising when we remember how much they seem to stand for in the experience of human communities. In English, 'country' is both a nation and a part of a 'land'; 'the country' can be the whole society or its rural area. In the long history of human settlements, this connection between the land from which directly or indirectly we all get our living and the achievements of human society has been deeply known.
The unclear definition of "country" in modern English was further commented upon by philosopherSimon Keller:[15]
Often, a country is presumed to be identical with a collection of citizens. Sometimes, people say that a country is a project, or an idea, or an ideal. Occasionally, philosophers entertain more metaphysically ambitious pictures, suggesting that a country is an organic entity with its own independent life and character, or that a country is an autonomous agent, just like you or me. Such claims are rarely explained or defended, however, and it is not clear how they should be assessed. We attribute so many different kinds of properties to countries, speaking as though a country can feature wheat fields waving or be girt by sea, can have a founding date and be democratic and free, can be English speaking, culturally diverse, war torn or Islamic.
— New Waves In Political Philosophy, "Making Nonsense of Loyalty to Country", page 96
...What is this thing country? What does countrymean? ... I spoke with others who said country meant Home, but who added the caveat that Home resided in people rather than places – a kind of portable Country... I tried to tease out some ways in which non-Indigenous people have understood country. I made categories: Country as Economy. Country as Geography. Country as Society. Country as Myth. Country as History. For all that I walked, slept, breathed and dreamed Country, the language still would not come.
When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to asovereign state,state with limited recognition,constituent country, ordependent territory.[3][4] A sovereign state is apolitical entity that has supreme legitimate authority over a part of the world.[17] There is no universal agreement on the number of "countries" in the world since several states have disputed sovereignty status, and a number of non-sovereign entities are commonly called countries.[6] No definition is binding on all the members of the community of nations on the criteria for statehood.[18][6] State practice relating to the recognition of a country typically falls somewhere between thedeclaratory andconstitutive approaches.[19][20][21][22][23]
UN member states that at least one other UN member state does not recognise
Non-UN member states recognised by at least one UN member state
Non-UN member states recognised only by other non-UN member states
According to theconstitutive theory, a state is a legal entity of international law if, and only if, it is recognised as sovereign by at least one other country.[34] Because of this, new states could not immediately become part of the international community or be bound by international law, and recognised nations did not have to respect international law in their dealings with them.[35] In 1912,L. F. L. Oppenheim said the following, regarding constitutive theory:
International Law does not say that a State is not in existence as long as it is not recognised, but it takes no notice of it before its recognition. Through recognition only and exclusively a State becomes an International Person and a subject of International Law.[36]
...the recognition of an independent and sovereign state is an act of sovereignty pertaining each member of the international community, an act to be taken individually, and it is, therefore, up to member states and each OAU power [to decide] whether to recognise or not the newly independent state.
Dependent territories and their sovereign states. All territories are labeled according toISO 3166-1[note 1] or with numbers.[note 2] Colored areas without labels are integral parts of their respective countries.Antarctica is shown as acondominium instead ofindividual claims.
Symbols of a country may incorporatecultural,religious orpolitical symbols of any nation that the country includes. Many categories of symbols can be seen in flags, coats of arms, or seals.[50]
A number of non-sovereign entities nevertheless have country codes, such as PF (French Polynesia) and TK (Tokelau)
Most countries have a longname[note 3] and a short name.[note 4][51] The long name is typically used in formal contexts[note 5] and often describes the country's form of government. The short name is the country's common name by which it is typically identified.[note 6][52][53][54][55] Unlike the short name, the long name canchange more often when the government changes.[note 7] For certain states, the long form and the short form are identical.[note 8]
Originally, flags representing a country would generally be the personal flag of its rulers; however, over time, the practice of using personal banners as flags of places was abandoned in favor of flags that had some significance to the nation, often its patron saint. Early examples of these were themaritime republics such asGenoa which could be said to have a national flag as early as the 12th century.[60] However, these were still mostly used in the context of marine identification.[61]
Although some flags date back earlier, widespread use of flags outside of military or naval context begins only with the rise of the idea of thenation state at the end of the 18th century and particularly are a product of theAge of Revolution. Revolutions such as those inFrance andAmerica called for people to begin thinking of themselves ascitizens as opposed tosubjects under a king, and thus necessitated flags that represented the collective citizenry, not just the power and right of a ruling family.[62][63] Withnationalism becoming common across Europe in the 19th century, national flags came to represent most of the states of Europe.[62] Flags also began fostering a sense of unity between different peoples, such as theUnion Jack representing a union betweenEngland andScotland, or began to represent unity between nations in a perceived shared struggle, for example, thePan-Slavic colors or laterPan-Arab colors.[64]
As Europeanscolonized significant portions of the world, they exported ideas of nationhood and national symbols, including flags, with the adoption of a flag becoming seen as integral to thenation-building process.[65] Political change, social reform, and revolutions combined with a growing sense of nationhood among ordinary people in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the birth of new nations and flags around the globe.[66] With so many flags being created, interest in these designs began to develop and the study of flags,vexillology, at both professional and amateur levels, emerged. After World War II, Western vexillology went through a phase of rapid development, with many research facilities and publications being established.[67]
Early version of the "Wilhelmus" as preserved in a manuscript of 1617 (Brussels,Royal Library, MS 15662, fol. 37v-38r)[68]
A national anthem is apatrioticmusical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation.[69] Though the custom of an officially adopted national anthem became popular only in the 19th century, some national anthems predate this period, often existing as patriotic songs long before designation as national anthem.[citation needed] Several countries remain without an official national anthem. In these cases, there are establishedde facto anthems played at sporting events or diplomatic receptions. These include the United Kingdom ("God Save the King") and Sweden (Du gamla, Du fria). Some sovereign states that are made up of multiple countries or constituencies have associated musical compositions for each of them (such as with theUnited Kingdom,Russia, and theSoviet Union). These are sometimes referred to as national anthems even though they are not sovereign states (for example, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" is used for Wales, part of the United Kingdom).[70]
A positive emotional connection to a country a person belongs to is calledpatriotism. Patriotism is a sense of love for, devotion to, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, and language relating to one's homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political, or historical aspects. It encompasses a set of concepts closely related tonationalism, mostlycivic nationalism and sometimescultural nationalism.[71][72]
Several organizations seek to identify trends to produce economy country classifications. Countries are often distinguished asdeveloping countries ordeveloped countries.[73]
TheUnited Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs annually produces theWorld Economic Situation and Prospects Report classifying states as developed countries, economies in transition, or developing countries. The report classifies country development based on per capitagross national income (GNI)[74] and identifies subgroups within broad categories based on geographical location or ad hoc criteria. Geographic regions with developing economies are Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Economies in transition are in the former Soviet Union and South-Eastern Europe. Regions with developed countries are in Northern America, Europe, and Asia and the Pacific. The majority of economies in transition and developing countries are found in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.[75]
TheWorld Bank also classifies countries based on GNI per capita. TheWorld Bank Atlas method classifies countries as low-income economies, lower-middle-income economies, upper-middle-income economies, or high-income economies. For the 2020 fiscal year, the World Bank defines low-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita of $1,025 or less in 2018; lower-middle-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita between $1,026 and $3,995; upper-middle-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita between $3,996 and $12,375; high-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita of $12,376 or more..[76]
It also identifies regional trends. The World Bank defines its regions as East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Lastly, the World Bank distinguishes countries based on its operational policies. The three categories includeInternational Development Association (IDA) countries,International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) countries, and Blend countries.[76]
^Alsoofficial name,formal name,full name,state title orprotocol name, e.g. Czech Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, Hellenic Republic, State of Israel, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Principality of Monaco, Kingdom of Norway, Sultanate of Oman, Swiss Confederation, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America.
^Alsogeographical name, e.g. Czechia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Luxembourg, Monaco, Oman, Norway, Switzerland, Vietnam, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, United States.
^The long form (official title) is used when the state is targeted as alegal entity: 1: This Decision is addressed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 2: The French Republic is authorised to … 3: If the recurrence of the name of a state in the text leads to a preference for using the short form, it can be introduced with the phrase ‘hereinafter referred to as …’.
^The short form (short name) is used when the state is referred to geographically or economically: 1: Workers residing in France. 2: Exports from Greece …
^E.g. Kingdom of France, French Republic (but France), Tsardom of Russia, Russian Empire, Russian Republic, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian Federation (but Russia), Kingdom of Romania, Romanian People's Republic, Socialist Republic of Romania (but Romania), German Reich, Greater German Reich, German Democratic Republic, Federal Republic of Germany (but Germany), Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Czechoslovak Federal Republic, Czech and Slovak Federal Republic (but Czechoslovakia), Libyan Arab Republic, Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, State of Libya (but Libya).
^E.g. Central African Republic, Dominican Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Hungary, Ireland, Romania, Turkmenistan, Ukraine.
^USITC Publication. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1993. p. 20. Retrieved20 November 2025.
^abFowler, Michael Ross; Bunck, Julie Marie (1996). "What constitutes the sovereign state?".Review of International Studies.22 (4). Cambridge University Press (CUP):381–404.doi:10.1017/s0260210500118637.ISSN0260-2105.S2CID145809847.
^Williams, Raymond (1973).The country and the city. New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-519736-4.OCLC624711.
^Keller, Simon (2009). "Making Nonsense of Loyalty to Country". In De Bruin, Boudewijn; Zurn, Christopher F. (eds.).New waves in political philosophy. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 96.ISBN978-0-230-23499-4.OCLC441874932.
^D’Aspremont, Jean (29 August 2019). "Statehood and Recognition in International Law: A Post-Colonial Invention".The Global Community Yearbook of International Law and Jurisprudence 2018. Oxford University Press. pp. 139–152.doi:10.1093/oso/9780190072506.003.0005.ISBN978-0-19-007250-6.
^"Greenland and the Faroe Islands". The Danish Parliament – EU Information Centre. 15 January 2020.Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved25 January 2021.
^M. de Bruin, "Het Wilhelmus tijdens de Republiek", in: L.P. Grijp (ed.),Nationale hymnen. Het Wilhelmus en zijn buren. Volkskundig bulletin 24 (1998), p. 16-42, 199–200; esp. p. 28 n. 65.
^Miscevic, Nenad (29 November 2001)."Nationalism". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved3 November 2013.
Barraclough, E.M.C. (1971).Flags of the World. Great Britain: William Cloves & Sons Ltd.ISBN0723213380.
Bartlett, Ralph G. C. (2011).Unity in Flags(PDF). 24th International Congress of Vexillology. Alexandria, Virginia: International Federation of Vexillological Associations.Archived(PDF) from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved12 December 2022.
Inglefield, Eric; Mould, Tony (1979).Flags. Ward Lock.ISBN978-0706356526.
Virmani, Arundhati (August 1999). "National Symbols under Colonial Domination: The Nationalization of the Indian Flag, March-August 1923".Past & Present (164). Oxford University Press:169–197.doi:10.1093/past/164.1.169.JSTOR651278.
Xing, Fei (2013).The Study of Vexillology in China(PDF). 25th International Congress of Vexillology. Rotterdam: International Federation of Vexillological Associations.Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved12 December 2022.
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