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___ Independent States of the World

List of all Sovereign Nations and their Capital Cities.

Since the ending of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro in June 2006, Montenegro and Serbia came into existence as independent states.
That's why there are now 194 independent sovereign states in the world. (Palestinian territories and Taiwan are (until now) not recognized as sovereign states)
On this page you will find a list of all sovereign states and their capital cities. Click on a country name to get the country's profile, or you might want to have a closer look at a capital city, then use the city's link below.

The states marked with an asterisk (*) are members of the United Nations


Definition of a state:
A territory built by conquest in which one culture, one set of ideals and one set of laws have been imposed by force or threat over diverse nations by a civilian and military bureaucracy. States are ephemeral and originate and disappear with the stroke of a pen (e.g. the end of the U.S.S.R., December 25, 1991).

Another definition of an independent state you will find at the end of this page.

 
independent states of the world

Independent States

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | Y | Z
 

A
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
AFG Afghanistan * Islamic State of Afghanistan AF Kabul
ALB Albania * Republic of Albania AL Tirana
DZA Algeria * Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria DZ Algiers
AND Andorra * Principality of Andorra AD Andorra la Vella
AGO Angola * Republic of Angola AO Luanda
ATG Antigua and Barbuda *   AG Saint John's
ARG Argentina * Argentine Republic AR Buenos Aires
ARM Armenia * Republic of Armenia AM Yerevan
AUS Australia * Commonwealth of Australia AU Canberra
AUT Austria * Republic of Austria AT Vienna
AZE Azerbaijan * Azerbaijani Republic AZ Baku

B
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
BHS Bahamas, The * Commonwealth of The Bahamas BS Nassau
BHR Bahrain * State of Bahrain BH Manama
BGD Bangladesh * People's Republic of Bangladesh BD Dhaka
BRB Barbados *   BB Bridgetown
BLR Belarus * Republic of Belarus BY Minsk
BEL Belgium * Kingdom of Belgium BE Brussels
BLZ Belize *   BZ Belmopan
BEN Benin * Republic of Benin BJ Porto-Novo
BTN Bhutan * Kingdom of Bhutan BT Thimphu
BOL Bolivia * Republic of Bolivia BO La Paz (administrative)
Sucre (legisl./judiciary)
BIH Bosnia and Herzegovina *   BA Sarajevo
BWA Botswana * Republic of Botswana BW Gaborone
BRA Brazil * Federative Republic of Brazil BR Brasilia
BRN Brunei Darussalam * Negara Brunei Darussalam BN Bandar Seri Begawan
BGR Bulgaria * Republic of Bulgaria BG Sofia
BFA Burkina Faso * Burkina Faso BF Ouagadougou
MMR Burma (Myanmar) * Union of Myanmar MM Yangon
(Rangoon)
BDI Burundi * Republic of Burundi BI Bujumbura

C
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
KHM Cambodia * Kingdom of Cambodia KH Phnom Penh
CMR Cameroon * Republic of Cameroon CM Yaoundé
CAN Canada *   CA Ottawa
CPV Cape Verde * Republic of Cape Verde CV Praia
CAF Central African Republic * Central African Republic CF Bangui
TCD Chad * Republic of Chad TD N'Djamena
CHL Chile * Republic of Chile CL Santiago
CHN China * People's Republic of China CN Beijing
COL Colombia * Republic of Colombia CO Bogotá
COM Comoros * Federal Islamic Republic
of the Comoros		 KM Moroni
COG Congo (Brazzaville) * Republic of the Congo CG Brazzaville
COD Congo (Kinshasa) * Democratic Republic
of the Congo		 CD Kinshasa
CRI Costa Rica * Republic of Costa Rica CR San José
CIV Cote d'Ivoire * Republic of Côte d'Ivoire CI Yamoussoukro
HRV Croatia (Hrvatska) * Republic of Croatia HR Zagreb
CUB Cuba * Republic of Cuba CU Havana (Habana)
CYP Cyprus * Republic of Cyprus CY Nicosia
CZE Czech Republic * Czech Republic CZ Prague

D
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
DNK Denmark * Kingdom of Denmark DK Copenhagen
DJI Djibouti * Republic of Djibouti DJ Djibouti
DMA Dominica * Commonwealth of Dominica DM Roseau
DOM Dominican Republic * Dominican Republic DO Santo Domingo

E
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
ECU Ecuador * Republic of Ecuador EC Quito
EGY Egypt * Arab Republic of Egypt EG Cairo
SLV El Salvador * Republic of El Salvador SV San Salvador
GNQ Equatorial Guinea * Republic of Equatorial Guinea GQ Malabo
ERI Eritrea * State of Eritrea ER Asmara
EST Estonia * Republic of Estonia EE Tallinn
ETH Ethiopia * Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia ET Addis Ababa

F
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
FJI Fiji * Republic of the Fiji Islands FJ Suva
FIN Finland * Republic of Finland FI Helsinki
FRA France * French Republic FR Paris

G
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
GAB Gabon * Gabonese Republic GA Libreville
GMB Gambia, The * Republic of The Gambia GM Banjul
GEO Georgia *   GE T'bilisi
DEU Germany * Federal Republic of Germany DE Berlin
GHA Ghana * Republic of Ghana GH Accra
GRC Greece * Hellenic Republic GR Athens
GRD Grenada *   GD Saint George's
GTM Guatemala * Republic of Guatemala GT Guatemala
GIN Guinea * Republic of Guinea GN Conakry
GNB Guinea-Bissau * Republic of Guinea-Bissau GW Bissau
GUY Guyana * Co-operative
Republic of Guyana		 GY Georgetown

H
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
HTI Haiti * Republic of Haiti HT Port-au-Prince
VAT Holy See (Vatican City State) Holy See VA Vatican City
HND Honduras * Republic of Honduras HN Tegucigalpa
HUN Hungary * Republic of Hungary HU Budapest

I
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
ISL Iceland * Republic of Iceland IS Reykjavik
IND India * Republic of India IN New Delhi
IDN Indonesia * Republic of Indonesia ID Jakarta
IRN Iran * Islamic Republic of Iran IR Tehran
IRQ Iraq * Republic of Iraq IQ Baghdad
IRL Ireland *   IE Dublin (City)
ISR Israel * State of Israel IL Jerusalem (claimed)
ITA Italy * Italian Republic IT Rome

J
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
JAM Jamaica *   JM Kingston
JPN Japan *   JP Tokyo
JOR Jordan * Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan JO Amman

K
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
KAZ Kazakhstan * Republic of Kazakhstan KZ Astana
KEN Kenya * Republic of Kenya KE Nairobi
KIR Kiribati Republic of Kiribati KI Tarawa
PRK Korea (North) * Democratic People's Republic of Korea KP P'yongyang
KOR Korea (South) * Republic of Korea KR Seoul
KWT Kuwait * State of Kuwait KW Kuwait (City)
KGZ Kyrgyzstan * Kyrgyz Republic KG Bishkek

L
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
LAO Lao PDR * Lao People's Democratic Republic LA Vientiane
LVA Latvia * Republic of Latvia LV Riga
LBN Lebanon * Lebanese Republic LB Beirut
LSO Lesotho * Kingdom of Lesotho LS Maseru
LBR Liberia * Republic of Liberia LR Monrovia
LBY Libya * Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya LY Tripoli
LIE Liechtenstein * Principality of Liechtenstein LI Vaduz
LTU Lithuania * Republic of Lithuania LT Vilnius
LUX Luxembourg * Grand Duchy of Luxembourg LU Luxembourg

M
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
MKD Macedonia, Rep. of * The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia MK Skopje
MDG Madagascar * Republic of Madagascar MG Antananarivo
MWI Malawi * Republic of Malawi MW Lilongwe
MYS Malaysia *   MY Kuala Lumpur
MDV Maldives * Republic of Maldives MV Male
MLI Mali * Republic of Mali ML Bamako
MLT Malta *   MT Valletta
MHL Marshall Islands * Republic of the
Marshall Islands		 MH Majuro
MRT Mauritania * Islamic Republic of Mauritania MR Nouakchott
MUS Mauritius * Republic of Mauritius MU Port Louis
MEX Mexico * United Mexican States MX Mexico City
FSM Micronesia * Federated States of Micronesia FM Palikir
MDA Moldova * Republic of Moldova MD Chisinau
MCO Monaco * Principality of Monaco MC Monaco
MNG Mongolia *   MN Ulaanbaatar
Montenegro Flag Montenegro Republic of Montenegro   Podgorica
MAR Morocco * Kingdom of Morocco MA Rabat
MOZ Mozambique * Republic of Mozambique MZ Maputo
MMR Myanmar * Union of Myanmar MM Yangon
(Rangoon)

N
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
NAM Namibia * Republic of Namibia NA Windhoek
NRU Nauru Republic of Nauru NR Yaren District
(no Capital City)
NPL Nepal * Kingdom of Nepal NP Kathmandu
NLD Netherlands * Kingdom of the Netherlands NL Amsterdam
The Hague (seat of gov't)
NZL New Zealand *   NZ Wellington
NIC Nicaragua * Republic of Nicaragua NI Managua
NER Niger * Republic of Niger NE Niamey
NGA Nigeria * Federal Republic of Nigeria NG Abuja
NOR Norway * Kingdom of Norway NO Oslo

O
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
OMN Oman * Sultanate of Oman OM Muscat

P
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
PAK Pakistan * Islamic Republic of Pakistan PK Islamabad
PLW Palau * Republic of Palau PW Melekeok
PSE Palestinian territories Gaza Strip and West Bank -- Jerusalem (claimed)
PAN Panama * Republic of Panama PA Panama (City)
PNG Papua New Guinea * Independent State of Papua New Guinea PG Port Moresby
PRY Paraguay * Republic of Paraguay PY Asunción
PER Peru * Republic of Peru PE Lima
PHL Philippines * Republic of the Philippines PH Manila
POL Poland * Republic of Poland PL Warsaw
PRT Portugal * Portuguese Republic PT Lisbon

Q
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
QAT Qatar * State of Qatar QA Doha (Al-Dawhah)

R
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
ROM Romania *   RO Bucharest
RUS Russia * Russian Federation RU Moscow
RWA Rwanda * Rwandese Republic RW Kigali

S
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
KNA Saint Kitts and Nevis * Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis KN Basseterre
LCA Saint Lucia *   LC Castries
VCT Saint Vincent and Grenadines *   VC Kingstown
WSM Samoa * Independent State of Samoa WS Apia
SMR San Marino * Republic of San Marino SM San Marino
STP Sao Tome and Principe * Democratic Republic of
Sao Tome and Principe		 ST São Tomé
SAU Saudi Arabia * Kingdom of Saudi Arabia SA Riyadh
SEN Senegal * Republic of Senegal SN Dakar
SCG Serbia * Republic of Serbia CS Belgrade
SYC Seychelles * Republic of Seychelles SC Victoria
SLE Sierra Leone * Republic of Sierra Leone SL Freetown
SGP Singapore * Republic of Singapore SG Singapore
SVK Slovakia * Slovak Republic SK Bratislava
SVN Slovenia * Republic of Slovenia SI Ljubljana
SLB Solomon Islands *   SB Honiara
SOM Somalia *   SO Mogadishu
ZAF South Africa * Republic of South Africa ZA Pretoria (administrative)
Cape Town (legislative)
Bloemfontein (judiciary)
ESP Spain * Kingdom of Spain ES Madrid
LKA Sri Lanka * Democratic Socialist
Republic of Sri Lanka		 LK Colombo
SDN Sudan * Republic of the Sudan SD Khartoum
SUR Suriname * Republic of Suriname SR Paramaribo
SWZ Swaziland * Kingdom of Swaziland SZ Mbabane (administrative)
Lobamba (legislative)
SWE Sweden * Kingdom of Sweden SE Stockholm
CHE Switzerland * Swiss Confederation CH Bern
SYR Syria * Syrian Arab Republic SY Damascus

T
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
TWN Taiwan Taiwan, Republic of China TW Taipei
TJK Tajikistan * Republic of Tajikistan TJ Dushanbe
TZA Tanzania * United Republic of Tanzania TZ Dar es Salaam
Dodoma (legislative)
THA Thailand * Kingdom of Thailand TH Bangkok
TIB Tibet (Xizang - Under Sovereignty of China) - Lhasa
TLS Timor-Leste   TL Dili
TGO Togo * Togolese Republic TG Lomé
TON Tonga Kingdom of Tonga TO Nuku'alofa
TTO Trinidad and Tobago * Republic of Trinidad and Tobago TT Port-of-Spain
TUN Tunisia * Republic of Tunisia TN Tunis
TUR Turkey * Republic of Turkey TR Ankara
TKM Turkmenistan *   TM Ashgabat
TUV Tuvalu   TV Funafuti

U
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
UGA Uganda * Republic of Uganda UG Kampala
UKR Ukraine *   UA Kiev
ARE United Arab Emirates * United Arab Emirates AE Abu Dhabi
GBR United Kingdom * United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland UK London
USA United States * United States of America US Washington D.C.
URY Uruguay * Oriental Republic of Uruguay UY Montevideo
UZB Uzbekistan * Republic of Uzbekistan UZ Tashkent

V
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
VUT Vanuatu * Republic of Vanuatu VU Port-Vila
VEN Venezuela * Republic of Venezuela VE Caracas
VNM Viet Nam * Socialist Republic of Vietnam VN Hanoi

Y
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
YEM Yemen * Republic of Yemen YE Sanaa

Z
  Country Name
 Long Form Country Name
 Code
 Capital City
ZMB Zambia * Republic of Zambia ZM Lusaka
ZWE Zimbabwe * Republic of Zimbabwe ZW Harare
(*) Member states of the United Nations

Definition of an independent state.

A specialized type of political organization characterized by a full-time, specialized, professional work force of tax-collectors, soldiers, policemen, bureaucrats and the like that exercises supreme political authority over a defined territory with a permanent population, independent from any enduring external political control and possessing a local predominance of coercive power (always supplemented with moral and remunerative incentives as well) great enough to maintain general obedience to its laws or commands within its territorial borders.

The first known states were created in ancient times in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China, Mexico and Peru, but it is only in relatively modern times that states have almost completely displaced alternative "stateless" forms of political organization of societies all over the planet. (Roving bands of hunter-gatherers and even fairly sizable and complex tribal societies based on herding or agriculture have existed without any full-time specialized state organization, and these "stateless" forms of political organization have in fact prevailed for all of the prehistory and much of the history of the human species.)

Sources:
A Glossary of Political Economy Terms
by Dr. Paul M. Johnson: Dept. of Political Science, Auburn University

Nations and States - What's the difference?
Article by James A. Paul
 
Related Categories:
to Sovereign states, areas and dependent countries of the world
List of political entities.
to Overseas Territories and Dependent Areas
List of the overseas territories, dependent areas, and disputed territories.
to Countries by Gross National Income
(GNI per capita PPP in $ and year)
to International Country Codes
List of two letter code (ISO alpha-2) and the three letter code (ISO alpha-3) as well as the FIPS 10-4 code for countries, dependencies, and other areas.
to Capitals and Cities of the World
Gateway to official sites of famous cities and capitals.

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