Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

How Many Countries Are There in the World in 2023?

This article, originally from 2011, has been revised and updated to March 2023. You can view older versions of the article in our archives. The main update from last year is the so-called Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics no longer claiming to be independent countries.

How many countries: map of the world
A world political map published by the US government.

One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who just gives you a simple number isn't telling the whole truth. It actually depends a lot on how you define a "country". Here are six of the most common answers, each correct in its own way:

Sunday, November 27, 2022

World Cup 2022: Which Countries Are (and Aren't) Members of FIFA?

This is an updated edition of our FIFA member countries article, revised for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. You can also view past versions of the article from 2014 and 2018.

2022 world map showing the six continental confederations of men's national association football (soccer) teams, including all FIFA national teams and World Cup countries. Colorblind accessible.
The six continental confederations of national football teams associated with FIFA. Most, but not all, confederation members are individually members of FIFA as well. Map by Evan Centanni, based on work by EOZyo (source).


Around the world, fans of association football - also known in many countries as "soccer" - are tuned in for the ongoing, month-long men's FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Not all the world's countries can advance to the cup, but did they all get a shot at it? Which countries were eligible to enter the tournament, and which are excluded? Read on for PolGeoNow's exclusive guide to the roster of FIFA national football teams...

Monday, March 28, 2022

How Many Countries Were There in the World in 2022?

There are newer editions of this article available. To find the most recent, view all "How Many Countries in the World" updates! 

This article, originally from 2011, has been revised and updated to March 2022. You can view older versions of the article in our archives. The main update from last year is the promotion of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics from unrecognized to partially-recognized "de facto states".

How many countries: map of the world
A world political map published by the US government.

One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who just gives you a simple number isn't telling the whole truth. It actually depends a lot on how you define a "country". Here are six of the most common answers, each correct in its own way:

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Parade of Nations: Which Countries Are (and Aren't) in the Olympics? (Beijing 2022)

This is an updated version of an article first published in 2012. To see previous versions, view all Olympics articles on PolGeoNow.


World map showing the five continental associations of National Olympic Committees, including all nations eligible for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games.
Map of all countries in the Olympics and their regional associations. By Evan Centanni, modeled after this map.


After the delay to the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, the Olympics are back on schedule! The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China officially open tomorrow, February 4th. They'll be the second Olympics hosted by China, after the 2008 Summer Games, and will even use some of the same facilities. 

These are the third Olympics in a row to be held in East Asia, after PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020 (actually held in 2021) and only the fourth-ever Winter Olympics to be held outside of Europe and North America, following the 1972 and 1998 games hosted in Japan and the 2018 PyeongChang games in South Korea.

Of course, it wouldn't be an Olympic opening ceremony without the Parade of Nations. But how many countries are there in the games, and is everyone included? Read on for PolGeoNow's updated guide to the roster of Olympic Nations...

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Parade of Nations: Which Countries Are (and Aren't) in the Olympics? (Tokyo 2021)

This is an older version of our Parade of Nations article. Click here to see the newest edition! 

This is an updated version of an article first published in 2012. To see previous versions, view all Olympics articles on PolGeoNow.


World map showing the five continental associations of National Olympic Committees, including all nations eligible for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games.
Map of all countries in the Olympics and their regional associations. By Evan Centanni, modeled after this map.

The "Tokyo 2020" Summer Olympics - delayed one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic - officially open in Japan tomorrow, July 23! Of course, it wouldn't be an Olympic opening ceremony without the Parade of Nations. But how many countries are there in the games, and is everyone included? Read on for PolGeoNow's updated guide to the roster of Olympic Nations...

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

How Many Countries Were There in the World in 2021?

There are newer editions of this article available. To find the most recent, view all "How Many Countries in the World" updates!

This article, originally from 2011, has been revised and updated to February 2021. You can view some older versions of the article in our archives. Latest update: Removed the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL) as a "de facto state" candidate.

How many countries: map of the world
A world political map published by the US government.
One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is, "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who just gives you a number isn't telling the whole truth. It actually depends a lot on how you define a "country".

Here are six of the most common answers, each correct in its own way:

Saturday, January 11, 2020

How Many Countries Are There in the World in 2020?

There are newer editions of this article available. To find the most recent, view all "How Many Countries in the World" updates!

This article, originally from 2011, has been revised and updated to January 2020. You can view some older versions of the article in our archives.

How many countries: map of the world
A world political map published by the US government.
One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is, "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who just gives you a number isn't telling the whole truth. It actually depends a lot on how you define a "country".

Here are six of the most common answers, each correct in its own way:

Monday, February 18, 2019

How Many Countries Are There in the World in 2019?

There are newer editions of this article available. To find the most recent, view all "How Many Countries in the World" updates!

How many countries: map of the world
A world political map published by the US government.
One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is, "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who just gives you a number isn't telling the whole truth. It actually depends a lot on how you define a "country".

Here are six of the most common answers, each correct in its own way:

Thursday, June 14, 2018

World Cup 2018: Which Countries Are (and Aren't) Members of FIFA?

There are newer versions of this explainer available. To see them, view all FIFA World Cup articles on PolGeoNow.

This is an updated edition of our FIFA member countries article for Russia 2018. The original version, from 2014, is here.

2018 world map showing the six continental confederations of men's national association football (soccer) teams, including all FIFA national teams and World Cup countries. Colorblind accessible.
The six continental confederations of national football teams associated with FIFA. Most, but not all, confederation members are individually members of FIFA as well. Map by Evan Centanni, based on work by EOZyo (source).
Around the world, fans of association football - also known in many countries as "soccer" - are tuning in today for the beginning of the month-long FIFA World Cup in Russia. Not all the world's countries can advance to the cup, but did they all get a shot at it? Which countries were eligible to enter the tournament, and which are excluded? Read on for our exclusive guide to the roster of FIFA national football teams...

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Parade of Nations: Which Countries Are (and Aren't) in the Olympics? (PyeongChang 2018)

This is an older version of our Parade of Nations article. Click here to see the newest edition!

This is an updated version of an article first published in 2012. You can also read the London 2012, Sochi 2014, and Rio 2016 versions.

World map showing the five continental associations of National Olympic Committees, including all nations eligible for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games.
Map of all countries in the Olympics and their regional associations. By Evan Centanni, modeled after this map.

The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang County, South Korea officially open tomorrow, February 9th! They'll be the second Olympics to be hosted in South Korea, after the 1988 Summer Games. These are also only the third-ever Winter Olympics to be held outside of Europe and North America, following up the 1972 and 1998 games hosted by Japan.

Of course, it wouldn't be an Olympic opening ceremony without the Parade of Nations. But how many countries are there in the games, and is everyone included? Read on for PolGeoNow's updated guide to the roster of Olympic Nations...

Thursday, January 11, 2018

How Many Countries Are There in the World in 2018?

There are newer editions of this article available. To find the most recent, view all "How Many Countries in the World" updates!

How many countries: map of the world
A world political map published by the US government. South Sudan is the most recent addition to the UN-based list of the world's countries.
One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is, "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who just gives you a number isn't telling the whole truth. It actually depends a lot on how you define a "country".

Here are six of the most common answers, each correct in its own way:

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

How Many Countries Are There in the World in 2017?

There are newer editions of this article available. To find the most recent, view all "How Many Countries in the World" updates!

This article, originally from 2011, has been revised and updated to June 2017.

How many countries in the world?
A world political map published by the US government (public domain)
One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is, "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who replies with just a number is leaving out part of the story. It actually depends a lot on how you define a "country".

Here are six of the most common answers, each correct in its own way:

Monday, March 20, 2017

2016 Year in Review: Country & Border Changes

Inside this Review of 2016:

Map of election results from the UK's "Brexit" referendum on leaving the European Union
    • Country name, capital, and flag changes
    • Border changes and disputed territories 
    • Separatist states and proposed new countries
    • Recognition of disputed countries 
    • Countries joining (and leaving) international organizations
    • Sea borders and seabed claims
    • New states and provinces within countries
    • Changes to countries' coastal contours and official languages
        And in companion articles:
        Rebel Control Around the World in 2016 
        Time Zones that Changed in 2016 

        It's PolGeoNow's mission to track changes to the world's countries, borders, and territories, whether it's happening formally on the books or unofficially on the ground. When new countries appear, borders change, and territorial disputes arise or are settled, you'll hear about it here. With 2016 now concluded, here's our look back at the events of the year!

        (For extra coverage of geography events in 2017, follow @PolGeoNow on Twitter!)

        2016 Year in Review: Rebel Control Around the World

        The rebel control maps in this article were produced for PolGeoNow's professional conflict map subscription service. Full-size versions of all PolGeoNow conflict maps, along with territorial control timelines, are accessible to subscribers. You can learn more about our map subscriptions here. Non-subscribers can also view our collection of free sample control map reports.

        Map of fighting and territorial control in Syria's Civil War (Free Syrian Army rebels, Kurdish YPG, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Al-Nusra Front, Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), and others), updated for February 2016. Now includes terrain and major roads (highways). Highlights recent locations of conflict and territorial control changes, such as Menagh airbase, northern Aleppo, Salma, Rabia, Nubl, Baghaliya, Tishrin Dam, and more.
        Syria in February 2016

        Map of fighting and territorial control in Syria's Civil War (Free Syrian Army rebels, Kurdish YPG, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Al-Nusra Front), Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), and others), updated to December 18, 2016. Now includes terrain and major roads (highways). Includes recent locations of conflict and territorial control changes, such as Aleppo, Palmyra, Khan al-Shih, Mayda'ani, and more. Colorblind accessible.
        Syria in December 2016

        The Year in Territorial Control Changes

        For the past three years, PolGeoNow has published a "Year in Review" article to summarize all the political geography news that's happened in the past 12 months. The 2014 and 2015 articles included news about changing territorial control in conflict zones, but because this is a major topic of its own, we've chosen to split these events into a separate article for 2016. So read on for a concise summary of last year's rebel control changes...

        See Also: 2016 Year in Review: Country & Border Changes 
         

        Syria, Iraq, and the "Islamic State"

        The Syrian Civil War continued to be the biggest armed conflict in the world through 2016, as well as a prominent example of a country whose territory isn't all controlled by the recognized government. During the past year, pro-government forces scored some major victories against the rebels, recapturing the country's second largest city and gradually increasing control in areas around the capital.

        Interactive Maps: Which Places Switched Time Zones in 2016?

        This article is a spin-off from our popular yearly review of political geography events. For more on changes to countries and borders in 2016, check out our main 2016 year in review article

        A time zone map of the world, showing all the world's standard time zones as of the beginning of 2017, with UTC offsets.
        Free map of world time zones from Wikimedia Commons, up-to-date for the beginning of 2017. See the close-ups below for interactive, before-and-after illustrations of time zone changes during 2016.

        Article and additional graphics work by Evan Centanni
         

        Who Controls Time Zones?

        The system of dividing the world into time zones is accepted all around the world, in principle. It's an organized way of letting clocks in each part of the world hit noon around the middle of daylight hours, even if it's midnight on the other side of the world. But surprisingly, there's actually no international organization that determines time zones. Except for in the open ocean, where time zones are standardized by a loose agreement between fleets and ship operators, the dividing lines are set independently by each country's government, or even by local governments below the national level.

        Friday, August 5, 2016

        Parade of Nations: Which Countries Are (and Aren't) in the Olympics? (Rio 2016)

        This is an older version of our Parade of Nations article. Click here to see the newest edition!

        This is an updated version of an article first published in 2012. You can also read the London 2012 and Sochi 2014 versions.

        World map showing the five continental associations of National Olympic Committees, including all nations eligible for the Rio 2016 Olympic games. Labels newly recognized nations Kosovo and South Sudan.
        Map of all countries in the Olympics and their regional associations. Two newest Olympic Nations labeled.
        (By Evan Centanni, starting from public domain blank map and modeled after this Wikipedia map)

        The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil officially open tonight, Friday, August 5th! They'll be the first Olympics ever to be held in South America, and also the first in any Portuguese-speaking country. If that wasn't enough, they're also the first Summer Olympics to be held entirely in the winter!

        Of course, it wouldn't be an Olympic opening ceremony without the Parade of Nations. But how many countries are there in the games, and is everyone included? Read on for an exclusive updated guide to the roster of Olympic Nations...

        Monday, August 1, 2016

        How Many Countries Are There in the World in 2016?

        There are newer editions of this article available. To find the most recent, view all "How Many Countries in the World" updates!

        This article, originally from 2011, has been revised and updated to August 2016. (Latest update: Gibraltar and Kosovo are now FIFA members.)

        How many countries in the world?
        A world political map published by the US government (public domain)
        One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is, "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who replies with a simple number is leaving out part of the story. It actually depends a lot on how you define a "country".

        Here are six of the most common answers, each correct in its own way:

        Tuesday, January 19, 2016

        2015: The Year in Political Geography Changes

        Premium members click here to view this article in the ad-free members area. Not a member yet? Learn about PolGeoNow subscriptions!

        Libya control relief map: Shows detailed territorial control in Libya's civil war as of August 2015, including all major parties (Tobruk government, General Haftar's Operation Dignity forces, and Zintan militias; Tripoli GNC government, Libya Dawn, and Libya Shield Force; Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries and other hardline Islamist groups; and the so-called Islamic State). Also file under: Map of Islamic State (ISIS) control in Libya.
        Rival government and "Islamic State" (ISIS) control in Libya, August 2015 (click for free full-size map and article)

        Inside this Review of 2015:

        • New countries, breakaway states, and micronations
        • Country name, capital, and flag changes
        • Border changes and disputed territories
        • Countries joining international organizations
        • Recognition of disputed countries
        • Rebel control in conflict zones
        • Sea borders and seabed claims
        • New states and provinces
        • Currency changes
        • World time zone changes
          It's PolGeoNow's mission to track changes to the world's countries, borders, and territories, whether it's happening formally on the books or unofficially on the ground. When new countries appear, borders change, and territorial disputes arise or are settled, you'll hear about it here. With 2015 now concluded, here's our look back at the events of the year!

          (For extra coverage of political geography events in 2016, follow us on Twitter!)

          Sunday, January 10, 2016

          How Many Countries Are There in the World in January 2016?

          There are newer editions of this article available. To find the most recent, view all "How Many Countries in the World" updates!

          This article was first published in 2011, and the version below was last updated in January 2016 for South Sudan's admission as an Olympic Nation

          How many countries in the world?
          A world political map published by the U.S. government (public domain)
          One of the most basic questions for map-lovers is, "How many countries are there in the world?" But anyone who replies with a simple number is leaving out part of the story. The fact is, the answer depends heavily on how you define "country".

          Here are six of the most common answers, each correct in its own way:

          Friday, January 23, 2015

          2014: The Year in Political Geography Changes

          Premium members click here to view this article in the ad-free members area. Not a member yet? Subscribe now!

          Map of voting results in Scotland's 2014 independence referendum, modified to show the effects of population differences between Scotland's regions
          Scotland said "NO" to independence in a close vote last September.
          Inside this Review of 2014:
          • New countries & breakaway states
          • Membership in international organizations
          • Recognition of disputed countries
          • Territorial disputes
          • Rebel control
          • Sea borders and seabed claims
          • New states and provinces
          • Changes to world time zones
          • And more!
          PolGeoNow's mission is tracking changes to the world's countries, borders, and territories, whether it's happening formally on the books or unofficially on the ground. When new countries appear, borders change, and territorial disputes arise or are settled, you'll hear about it here. With 2014 now concluded, here's our look back at the major events of the year!

          (Note: For extra coverage of political geography events in 2015, follow us on Twitter!)