World Statistics and Facts: Nations of the World.

Nations of the World

In political geography and international politics a country is a geographical territory. A country usually has its own government, administration and laws; and often a constitution, police, military, tax rules, and population, who are one another's countrymen.

The entire landmass of the world (excluding Antarctica), along with their coastal seas are considered to be divided between countries. A country may be an independent, self-governing state. (Currently, there are 192 states recognized by the United Nations — its 191 members and the Vatican. This number does not include dependent areas or other entities into which the world is also divided.)

There are dozens of other, non sovereign territories which constitute a geographical country, but are not sovereign states. Several states have overseas dependencies, with territory and citizens separate from their own. These have some features of countries and are sometimes listed as such.

Countries have appeared and disappeared throughout history, and the concept itself changes meanings with time, and between dialects of the English language. The modern concept of countries as nation states arose in the last several centuries, as the technological advances since the industrial revolution allowed governments to exercise centralized control and enforce law in extensive territories. At the same time, advances in military technology allowed powerful states to wage war at will, while widespread literacy and mass media gave rise to national awareness. Since the 17th century, through nationalism, revolutions, imperialism, world wars, creation of the League of Nations and then United Nations, and finally through decolonization and the end of the Cold War, modern countries replaced the previously existent complex system of empires and miniature states, whose boundaries were ever-shifting through conquest and marriages of aristocracy.