Nations how many

The island of Taiwan , formally known as the Republic of China, meets the requirements for an independent country or state status.

However, all but a handful of nations refuse to recognize Taiwan as an independent nation. The communist People's Republic of China maintains that it has authority over Taiwan, and relations between the island and mainland have been strained. Taiwan was actually a member of the United Nations and even the Security Council until when mainland China replaced Taiwan in the organization.

Taiwan, which has the world's 29th-largest economy, continues to press for full recognition by others. But China, with its growing economic, military, and political clout, has largely been able to shape the dialogue on this issue. As a result, Taiwan cannot fly its flag at international events such as the Olympics and must be referred to as Chinese Taipei in some diplomatic situations.

Dozens of territories and colonies are sometimes erroneously called countries but don't count because they're governed by other countries. The components of the United Kingdom Northern Ireland, Scotland , Wales, and England are not fully independent countries, either, though they do enjoy a degree of autonomy. When dependent territories are included, the United Nations recognizes a total of countries and territories.

If you use the U. State Department's list of recognized nations and also include Taiwan, there are countries in the world. The same number is reached if you count the UN voting members, its two permanent observers, and Taiwan.

This is why is probably the best current answer to the question. Department of State. DR Congo. United Kingdom. South Africa. South Korea. Saudi Arabia. North Korea.

Sri Lanka. Burkina Faso. South Sudan. Dominican Republic. Some Scotlanders want to keep things as is, but others want to split. A referendum vote for Scottish independence did not pass, and the vote for Brexit revealed that 62 percent wanted to remain with the European Union. Political map of the world. Places like Palestine, Kosovo and Taiwan are partially recognized which increase the count.

The State of Palestine is often included but it is only recognized by UN members. Kosovo is also often included but is only recognized by 97 UN members. Ellen Kershner August 26 in World Geography. Pantanal, Brazil. What Is A Plateau? While this might seem to be a simple question, the answer is quite complicated.

The problem is that different organizations have different stances on exactly what it takes to qualify as a country. Depending on the source, the number of countries can vary quite considerably, and there is no universal agreement on the total. That said, the United Nations is generally regarded as the de facto authority on nationhood. Currently, the U.