List of countries by continents

This article consists of a list of countries by continent, along with their capitals.

There are multiple continent classification systems in use. The first continent system is the seven continent system consisting of Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania/Australia, North America, South America and Antarctica.

The six-continent system is essentially the same as the seven-continent system, the only difference being two continents are merged. There are two versions of the six continent system, one merging Europe and Asia to create Eurasia, and the other merging North and South America to create The Americas.

The five-continent system is applying Eurasia and The Americas together. All other continents remain the same.

Finally, the four-continent system is the same as the prior. However, Africa joins Eurasia to become Afro-Eurasia, leaving only Oceania and Antarctica as separate continents.

The only variable in these systems is Antarctica. As Antarctica has no permanent population it isn't uncommon for it to be removed from these classification systems.

The most common system used varies from country to country.

There is no universally accepted answer as to how many countries in the world there are. One option is to consider the 193 member states of the United Nations. However, there are many more constituent, de facto and self-proclaimed independent states that are typically added to that list. Additionally, certain highly autonomous first-level administrative divisions fall under the definition of the word country.

The list below follows the seven continent system and predominantly includes only U.N. member states unless otherwise stated.

Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area, accounting for about a fifth of the world's land. With 1.3 billion people as of 2018, it accounts for about 16% of the world's human population. It is surrounded by large areas of water. There are 54 fully recognized and independent countries in Africa, and 14.7% (1.216 billion) of the world's population lives there. It is thought to be the continent where the first humans evolved.

Algeria - Algiers
Angola - Luanda
Benin - Porto Novo, Cotonou
Botswana - Gaborone
Burkina Faso - Ouagadougou
Burundi - Gitega
Cameroon (also spelled Cameroun) - Yaoundé
Cape Verde - Praia
Central African Republic - Bangui
Chad (Tchad) - N'Djamena
Comoros - Moroni
Republic of the Congo - Brazzaville
Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) - Kinshasa
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) - Yamoussoukro
Djibouti - Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea - Malabo
Egypt (Misr) - Cairo
Eritrea - Asmara
Ethiopia (Abyssinia) - Addis Ababa
Gabon - Libreville
The Gambia - Banjul
Ghana - Accra
Guinea - Conakry
Guinea-Bissau - Bissau
Kenya - Nairobi
Lesotho - Maseru
Liberia - Monrovia
Libya - Tripoli
Madagascar - Antananarivo
Malawi - Lilongwe
Mali - Bamako
Mauritania - Nouakchott
Mauritius - Port Louis
Morocco (Al Maghrib) - Rabat
Mozambique - Maputo
Namibia - Windhoek
Niger - Niamey
Nigeria - Abuja
Réunion (territory of France)
Rwanda - Kigali
São Tomé and Príncipe - São Tomé
Senegal - Dakar
Seychelles - Victoria
Sierra Leone - Freetown
Somalia - Mogadishu
South Africa - Pretoria
South Sudan - Juba
Sudan - Khartoum
Swaziland (Eswatini) - Mbabane
Tanzania - Dodoma
Togo - Lome
Tunisia - Tunis
Uganda - Kampala
Western Sahara - El Aaiún (disputed)
Zambia - Lusaka
Zimbabwe - Harare

Western Sahara (Listed in Sl No.54 above /*Africa*/) is not a UN Member as of 18/07/2021

Antarctica

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent. It contains the geographic South Pole and is in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle. It is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14,000,000 square kilometres (5,400,000 square miles), it is the fifth-largest continent. For comparison, Antarctica is near twice the size of Australia.

About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice. However, there is a large part where the ice does not cover land: the ice shelves. There are important geographical features covered by the ice. The huge Lake Vostok has been covered by ice for at least 15 million years. There is a massive rift valley and a huge mountain range, both of which are covered at present.

Asia

Asia is the largest and most populous continent and is a continent in the seven continent system. Asia consists of forty-eight countries as per the United Nations along with many other highly autonomous regions and disputed areas that are often generalised as countries of their own.

Afghanistan - Kabul
Armenia - Yerevan
Azerbaijan - Baku
Bahrain - Manama
Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) - Dhaka (ঢাকা)
Bhutan - Thimphu
Brunei - Bandar Seri Begawan
Cambodia (Kampuchea) - Phnom Penh
China - Beijing
East Timor (Timor Leste) - Dili
Georgia - Tbilisi
India - New Delhi
Indonesia - Jakarta
Iran - Tehran
Iraq - Baghdad
Israel - Jerusalem
Japan - Tokyo
Jordan (Al Urdun) - Amman
Kazakhstan - Nur-Sultan
Kuwait - Kuwait City
Kyrgyzstan - Bishkek
Laos - Vientiane
Lebanon (Lubnan) - Beirut
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur
The Maldives - Malé
Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar
Myanmar (Burma) - Naypyidaw
Nepal - Kathmandu
North Korea - Pyongyang
Oman - Muscat
Pakistan - Islamabad
Palestine - Ramallah
The Philippines - Manila
Qatar - Doha
Russia - Moscow (Russia is a part of Asia geographically, but, politically, it is a part of Europe)
Saudi Arabia - Riyadh
Singapore - Singapore
South Korea - Seoul
Sri Lanka - Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte (administrative), Colombo (commercial)
Syria - Damascus
Taiwan - Taipei (China continues to maintain its sovereignty claim over the territory. Not a UN member, but has formal diplomatic relations with 12 of the 193 United Nations member states)
Tajikistan - Dushanbe
Thailand (Muang Thai) - Bangkok
Turkey (Türkiye) - Ankara
Turkmenistan - Aşgabat
United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
Uzbekistan - Tashkent
Vietnam - Hanoi
Yemen - Sana'a

Europe

Europe is the second smallest continent, but the third most populous. It is a continent in the seven continent system. In other systems, it is part of Asia, Eurasia or Eurafrasia. Below is the list of fully sovereign or de facto countries that are indisputably either entirely or partially situated within Europe. The 49 countries are:

Albania (Shqipëria) - Tirana
Andorra - Andorra la Vella
Austria (Österreich) - Vienna
Belarus (Беларусь) - Minsk
Belgium (Dutch: België, French: Belgique, German: Belgien) - Brussels
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina) - Sarajevo
Bulgaria (България) - Sofia
Croatia (Hrvatska) - Zagreb
Cyprus (Κύπρος) - Nicosia
Czech Republic (Česko) - Prague
Denmark (Danmark) - Copenhagen
Estonia (Eesti) - Tallinn
Finland (Suomi) - Helsinki
France - Paris
Georgia - Tbilisi
Germany (Deutschland) - Berlin
Greece (Ελλάδα) - Athens
Hungary (Magyarország) - Budapest
Iceland** (Island) - Reykjavik
Republic of Ireland (Éire) - Dublin
Italy (Italia) - Rome
Kosovo** - Pristina (Serbia continues to maintain its sovereignty claim over Kosovo. Not a UN member, but has formal diplomatic relations with 101 of the 193 United Nations member states)
Latvia (Latvija) - Riga
Liechtenstein - Vaduz
Lithuania (Lietuva) - Vilnius
Luxembourg - Luxembourg City
North Macedonia (Македонија) - Skopje
Malta - Valletta
Moldova - Chisinau
Monaco - Monte Carlo Quarter
Montenegro (Crna Gora, Црна Гора) - Podgorica
Netherlands (Nederland) - Amsterdam (Capital), The Hague (Government)
Norway (Norge) - Oslo
Poland (Polska) - Warsaw
Portugal - Lisbon
Romania - Bucharest
Russia** Moscow (Europe up to the Ural Mountains; Asia: the rest to Vladivostok)
San Marino - San Marino
Serbia (Србија) - Belgrade
Slovakia (Slovensko) - Bratislava
Slovenia (Slovenija) - Ljubljana
Spain (España) - Madrid
Sweden (Sverige) - Stockholm
Switzerland (German: Schweiz, French: Suisse, Italian: Svizzera, Romansh: Svizra) - Bern
Turkey (Türkiye) - Ankara
Ukraine (Україна) - Kyiv
United Kingdom - London
Vatican City** (Italian: Città del Vaticano, Latin: Civitas Vaticana) - Vatican City

There is no official boundary between Europe and Asia, as a result, the continental status of some countries is often disputed. However, Russia is considered to be European by the United Nations. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Cypres (Serial No.9 above) and Turkey (Serial no 45 above and listed in Serial no 43 in */Asia/*) are considered to be a part of Asia by the United Nations.

Kosovo is a highly recognised disputed territory with de facto independence.

Iceland sits on the European - North American tectonic plates. The Western half sits in North America, while the Eastern half sits on the European tectonic plate.

Vatican City State is a U.N. observer state and not a U.N. member.

North America

North America is the third largest continent and the fourth most populous. It is a continent in the 7 continents system, consisting of 23 countries and 22 dependent territories which are:

Canada - Ottawa
Mexico - Mexico City
United States of America - Washington, District of Columbia
Navassa Island - Washington, D.C. (territory of U.S.)
Puerto Rico - San Juan (territory of U.S.)
US Virgin Islands - Charlotte Amalie (territory of U.S.)
Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo
Cuba - Havana
Greenland (territory of Denmark)
Haiti - Port-au-Prince
Belize - Belmopan
Costa Rica - San José
El Salvador - San Salvador
Guatemala - Guatemala City
Honduras - Tegucigalpa
Guadeloupe (territory of France)
Martinique (territory of France)
Nicaragua - Managua
Panama - Panama City
Jamaica - Kingston
Bahamas - Nassau
Barbados - Bridgetown
Dominica - Roseau

South America

South America is the fourth largest continent and fifth most populous. It is a continent in the seven continent system. In other systems, it is part of The Americas. There are 13 countries and 3 dependent territories belonging to it as follows:

Brazil (Brasil) - Brasília
Argentina - Buenos Aires
Bolivia - Sucré
Chile - Santiago
Colombia - Bogotá
Ecuador - Quito
Falkland Islands - Stanley (territory of U.K.)
French Guiana - Cayenne (territory of France)
Guyana - Georgetown
Paraguay - Asunción
Peru - Lima
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands - (territory of U.K.)
Suriname - Paramaribo
Trinidad and Tobago - Port of Spain
Uruguay - Montevideo
Venezuela - Caracas

Oceania

Several terms are in use to describe the region of Australia and the nations of the Pacific Ocean. The term Oceania is usually preferred, and this is the term in use by the United Nations. The term Pacific Islands generally excludes the islands of New Zealand and the continent of Australia. The indigenous Māori of New Zealand is Polynesian people.

Historically, the region was called Australasia. This term is based more on natural history (geology, and geography) rather than on politics. This term means Australia, New Zealand and the whole of New Guinea, plus those islands which are geologically connected.

The countries (14 total) are listed below according to their UN classification:

Australia - Canberra
Fiji - Suva
New Zealand - Wellington
Federated States of Micronesia - Palikir
Kiribati - South Tarawa
Marshall Islands - Majuro
Nauru - no capital; biggest city is Yaren
Palau - Ngerulmud
Papua New Guinea - Port Moresby
Samoa - Apia
Solomon Islands - Honiara
Tonga - Nuku'alofa
Tuvalu - Funafuti
Vanuatu - Port Vila

Australasia is not a politically designated region. It is a natural region of islands designated by its geology, geography, botany, and zoology. It is also an ecozone.