The question about the number of countries in the world seems extremely trivial, but the answer may remain a puzzle for many people. It seems easy to simply count all the countries, but then other issues arise. Namely, one should think about what exactly a country is, what is a recognized and unrecognized country, and what is the difference between them? These and other questions to determine the total of all countries in the world will be answered in our article.
First, what is hidden under the definition of a country?
According to the dictionary definition, a country means an inhabited territory constituting a political and economic whole. The territory in this case must have a defined border that separates other states from it. However, this is not the only condition that must be met for a territory to be treated as a country. The most important principles indicated in the definition include the fact that such space should be land, and therefore natural works covering only sea territory cannot be included. It is equally important that such an area must have inhabitants who are organized in a social structure. In addition, they should carry out any economic activity in order for there to be a monetary economy. Another important aspect that is taken into account is the identifying symbols - such as the flag or emblem .
Countries recognized and unrecognized
The custom of recognizing states appeared in the eighteenth century in connection with the recognition of the independence of the United States by some other states. This principle expanded in later years to culminate in the recognition of the independence of former colonies. According to international law, recognition of a country in the international arena is not a prerequisite for its creation. In practice, however, this is not the case and therefore unrecognized countries are assigned as independent countries. Therefore, there is a difference in the sum of all countries between those actually recognized by the UN and those that have declared themselves as countries.
Countries recognized by the United Nations
The UN or the United Nations is an international organization that focuses mainly on cooperation between nations and ensuring security. This order had its beginning in 1945 after World War II, and the founders were 51 countries that committed themselves to maintaining international peace and developing friendly relations with each other. Currently, according to data from 2022, 193 countries of the world belong to the organization.
Countries recognized in sport
FIFA is the International Football Federation, which is a non-governmental organization. It currently has 211 members. Football federations operating even in a small part of the territory of a UN member state can apply to it. Recently, British-owned Gibraltar and Kosovo have joined the organization.
Another important sports example is the Olympic Games, in which over 200 national teams take part. In this case, it is because the International Olympic Committee also recognizes overseas possessions of UN member states as countries, as well as semi-independent countries such as Aruba and the Cook Islands.
Difficulty in determining the exact number of all countries
Given the multitude of interpretations and ways of counting countries, it turns out that determining their exact number is impossible. Moreover, it is important to remember that countries are constantly being created and disappearing. The most common reason that leads to such changes is war. Of course, you can give an approximate number of all countries in the world, which is about 200 , but keep in mind that such a value will never be accurate and confirmed results.