The United Nations recognizes 193 different countries in the world. Borders between countries change over time, and disputes over the ownership of territory are common, which makes an accurate world map invaluable. In this post, we’ll look at some political world maps, population data for different countries and regions, and some useful tools for learning about the world.
The above political world map is full of useful information. Countries are colored to increase visibility of national borders, and capital cities are illustrated along with the oceans. Also depicted are large islands, archipelagos, and the Antarctic continent.
High Definition Political World Map 2022
This high-resolution world map uses colors to show where the different borders are between countries and uses shading to depict the topography of the ocean bed. You can also see the curve of latitude and longitude lines; this can make it easier to envision the world as a sphere even though this map is a flat representation of the world.
As well as borders of sovereign nations and oceans, this map shows major rivers, world capitals, and major cities. Islands and archipelagos are also depicted. Maps like this are good for seeing the world on a macro level: all of the world’s oceans or the seven continents of the world, but it’s also great for zooming in and getting more specific information.
World Political Map FAQs
How many countries are there in the world?
There are 193 countries that are members of the United Nations. This is the number that’s often used to answer this question, and it’s because there are 193 sovereign nations that just about every world power has agreed to recognize. There are also two nations that have non-member observer status: The Vatican and Palestine.
There are also several nations whose sovereignty isn’t recognized by all, or for which there is a dispute of ownership. Some of these are Kosovo, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Taiwan.
How many countries are on each continent?
There are seven continents in the world, six of which are made up of multiple countries.
1. Africa: 54 countries
2. Asia: 48 countries
3. Europe: 44 countries
4. North America: 23 countries
5. Oceania: 14 countries
6. South America: 12 countries
The continent with the most countries is Africa; there are 54 African countries on. Asia, the largest continent by size, has the next most countries with 48. South America has the fewest countries of any continent, with 12. The smallest continent by size is Oceania, which includes Australia. The seventh continent is Antarctica, on which no countries are located.
What is a political map?
A political map is one that shows national and regional boundaries instead of physical features. Other information in these maps may be capitals, other major cities, roads, and landform boundaries.
A physical map is one that focuses on the physical characteristics of a region, such as rivers, lakes, and mountains. Topographical maps are those that depict information about a region’s elevation and geographical shape using contour lines. Some maps show multiple types of information.
What is the world’s biggest country?
The biggest country in the world is Russia. Covering 17,098,242 square kilometers (6,601,665 square miles) of land, Russia is the largest country in the world by a long shot. The second-largest country is Canada, which is 9,984,670 square kilometers (3,855,101 square miles).
What is the world’s smallest country?
The world’s smallest country by size is the Vatican City, which is less than 0.5 square kilometers (0.2 square miles). This is also the world’s least populous country, with only around 800 inhabitants.
Which country has the biggest population?
The country with the largest population is China, with more than 1.44 billion inhabitants. This represents over 18% of the world’s population. After China, the country with the greatest population is India, with about 1.4 billion people living in the country. These two countries are far more populous than any others on the planet.
Populations of World Countries and Regions:
The table below describes the 2020 population levels for all of the world’s countries, as well as a variety of different regions and groups. Some of the geographic regions listed include the Small Caribbean States, Central Europe and the Baltics, and South Asia.
Some of the groups in the table are based on economic information, such as demographic dividends and income levels. Furthermore, included are some figures related to IDA (International Development Association) and IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) eligibility classifications. Eligibility for IDA support is based on a country’s relative poverty level, as is eligibility for loans granted from the IBRD.
| Country | Population |
|---|---|
| Aruba | 106,766 |
| Africa Eastern and Southern | 677,243,299 |
| Afghanistan | 38,928,341 |
| Africa Western and Central | 458,803,476 |
| Angola | 32,866,268 |
| Albania | 2,837,743 |
| Andorra | 77,265 |
| Arab World | 436,080,728 |
| United Arab Emirates | 9,890,400 |
| Argentina | 45,376,763 |
| Armenia | 2,963,234 |
| American Samoa | 55,197 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 97,928 |
| Australia | 25,687,041 |
| Austria | 8,917,205 |
| Azerbaijan | 10,110,116 |
| Burundi | 11,890,781 |
| Belgium | 11,555,997 |
| Benin | 12,123,198 |
| Burkina Faso | 20,903,278 |
| Bangladesh | 164,689,383 |
| Bulgaria | 6,927,288 |
| Bahrain | 1,701,583 |
| Bahamas, The | 393,248 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3,280,815 |
| Belarus | 9,398,861 |
| Belize | 397,621 |
| Bermuda | 63,903 |
| Bolivia | 11,673,029 |
| Brazil | 212,559,409 |
| Barbados | 287,371 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 437,483 |
| Bhutan | 771,612 |
| Botswana | 2,351,625 |
| Central African Republic | 4,829,764 |
| Canada | 38,005,238 |
| Central Europe and the Baltics | 102,246,330 |
| Switzerland | 8,636,896 |
| Channel Islands | 173,859 |
| Chile | 19,116,209 |
| China | 1,402,112,000 |
| Cote d’Ivoire | 26,378,275 |
| Cameroon | 26,545,864 |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. | 89,561,404 |
| Congo, Rep. | 5,518,092 |
| Colombia | 50,882,884 |
| Comoros | 869,595 |
| Cabo Verde | 555,988 |
| Costa Rica | 5,094,114 |
| Caribbean small states | 7,442,291 |
| Cuba | 11,326,616 |
| Curacao | 155,014 |
| Cayman Islands | 65,720 |
| Cyprus | 1,207,361 |
| Czech Republic | 10,698,896 |
| Germany | 83,240,525 |
| Djibouti | 988,002 |
| Dominica | 71,991 |
| Denmark | 5,831,404 |
| Dominican Republic | 10,847,904 |
| Algeria | 43,851,043 |
| East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) | 2,105,003,391 |
| Early-demographic dividend | 3,332,105,361 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 2,352,037,717 |
| Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) | 420,249,459 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 923,489,941 |
| Ecuador | 17,643,060 |
| Egypt, Arab Rep. | 102,334,403 |
| Euro area | 342,949,773 |
| Eritrea | 3,214,000 |
| Spain | 47,351,567 |
| Estonia | 1,331,057 |
| Ethiopia | 114,963,583 |
| European Union | 447,794,691 |
| Fragile and conflict affected situations | 930,006,546 |
| Finland | 5,530,719 |
| Fiji | 896,444 |
| France | 67,391,582 |
| Faroe Islands | 48,865 |
| Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | 115,021 |
| Gabon | 2,225,728 |
| United Kingdom | 67,215,293 |
| Georgia | 3,714,000 |
| Ghana | 31,072,945 |
| Gibraltar | 33,691 |
| Guinea | 13,132,792 |
| Gambia, The | 2,416,664 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 1,967,998 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 1,402,985 |
| Greece | 10,715,549 |
| Grenada | 112,519 |
| Greenland | 56,367 |
| Guatemala | 16,858,333 |
| Guam | 168,783 |
| Guyana | 786,559 |
| High income | 1,214,930,230 |
| Hong Kong SAR, China | 7,481,800 |
| Honduras | 9,904,608 |
| Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) | 823,480,038 |
| Croatia | 4,047,200 |
| Haiti | 11,402,533 |
| Hungary | 9,749,763 |
| IBRD only | 4,853,608,684 |
| IDA & IBRD total | 6,562,212,357 |
| IDA total | 1,708,603,673 |
| IDA blend | 574,159,138 |
| Indonesia | 273,523,621 |
| IDA only | 1,134,444,535 |
| Isle of Man | 85,032 |
| India | 1,380,004,385 |
| Ireland | 4,994,724 |
| Iran, Islamic Rep. | 83,992,953 |
| Iraq | 40,222,503 |
| Iceland | 366,425 |
| Israel | 9,216,900 |
| Italy | 59,554,023 |
| Jamaica | 2,961,161 |
| Jordan | 10,203,140 |
| Japan | 125,836,021 |
| Kazakhstan | 18,754,440 |
| Kenya | 53,771,300 |
| Kyrgyz Republic | 6,591,600 |
| Cambodia | 16,718,971 |
| Kiribati | 119,446 |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | 53,192 |
| Korea, Rep. | 51,780,579 |
| Kuwait | 4,270,563 |
| Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) | 595,242,966 |
| Lao PDR | 7,275,556 |
| Lebanon | 6,825,442 |
| Liberia | 5,057,677 |
| Libya | 6,871,287 |
| St. Lucia | 183,629 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 652,276,325 |
| Least developed countries: UN classification | 1,057,438,163 |
| Low income | 665,149,035 |
| Liechtenstein | 38,137 |
| Sri Lanka | 21,919,000 |
| Lower middle income | 3,330,652,547 |
| Low & middle income | 6,509,474,374 |
| Lesotho | 2,142,252 |
| Late-demographic dividend | 2,307,887,395 |
| Lithuania | 2,794,700 |
| Luxembourg | 632,275 |
| Latvia | 1,901,548 |
| Macao SAR, China | 649,342 |
| St. Martin (French part) | 38,659 |
| Morocco | 36,910,558 |
| Monaco | 39,244 |
| Moldova | 2,617,820 |
| Madagascar | 27,691,019 |
| Maldives | 540,542 |
| Middle East & North Africa | 464,554,123 |
| Mexico | 128,932,753 |
| Marshall Islands | 59,194 |
| Middle income | 5,844,325,339 |
| North Macedonia | 2,083,380 |
| Mali | 20,250,834 |
| Malta | 525,285 |
| Myanmar | 54,409,794 |
| Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income) | 396,147,843 |
| Montenegro | 621,718 |
| Mongolia | 3,278,292 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 57,557 |
| Mozambique | 31,255,435 |
| Mauritania | 4,649,660 |
| Mauritius | 1,265,740 |
| Malawi | 19,129,955 |
| Malaysia | 32,365,998 |
| North America | 367,553,264 |
| Namibia | 2,540,916 |
| New Caledonia | 271,960 |
| Niger | 24,206,636 |
| Nigeria | 206,139,587 |
| Nicaragua | 6,624,554 |
| Netherlands | 17,441,139 |
| Norway | 5,379,475 |
| Nepal | 29,136,808 |
| Nauru | 10,834 |
| New Zealand | 5,084,300 |
| OECD members | 1,370,858,752 |
| Oman | 5,106,622 |
| Pakistan | 220,892,331 |
| Panama | 4,314,768 |
| Peru | 32,971,846 |
| Philippines | 109,581,085 |
| Palau | 18,092 |
| Papua New Guinea | 8,947,027 |
| Poland | 37,950,802 |
| Pre-demographic dividend | 970,795,671 |
| Puerto Rico | 3,194,034 |
| Korea, Dem. People’s Rep. | 25,778,815 |
| Portugal | 10,305,564 |
| Paraguay | 7,132,530 |
| West Bank and Gaza | 4,803,269 |
| Pacific island small states | 2,528,958 |
| Post-demographic dividend | 1,115,116,448 |
| French Polynesia | 280,904 |
| Qatar | 2,881,060 |
| Romania | 19,286,123 |
| Russian Federation | 144,104,080 |
| Rwanda | 12,952,209 |
| South Asia | 1,856,882,402 |
| Saudi Arabia | 34,813,867 |
| Sudan | 43,849,269 |
| Senegal | 16,743,930 |
| Singapore | 5,685,807 |
| Solomon Islands | 686,878 |
| Sierra Leone | 7,976,985 |
| El Salvador | 6,486,201 |
| San Marino | 33,938 |
| Somalia | 15,893,219 |
| Serbia | 6,908,224 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | 1,135,948,313 |
| South Sudan | 11,193,729 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 1,136,046,775 |
| Small states | 41,913,035 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 219,161 |
| Suriname | 586,634 |
| Slovak Republic | 5,458,827 |
| Slovenia | 2,100,126 |
| Sweden | 10,353,442 |
| Eswatini | 1,160,164 |
| Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 40,812 |
| Seychelles | 98,462 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 17,500,657 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 38,718 |
| Chad | 16,425,859 |
| East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) | 2,079,198,305 |
| Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) | 462,247,461 |
| Togo | 8,278,737 |
| Thailand | 69,799,978 |
| Tajikistan | 9,537,642 |
| Turkmenistan | 6,031,187 |
| Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) | 636,492,840 |
| Timor-Leste | 1,318,442 |
| Middle East & North Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) | 391,344,574 |
| Tonga | 105,697 |
| South Asia (IDA & IBRD) | 1,856,882,402 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) | 1,136,046,775 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1,399,491 |
| Tunisia | 11,818,618 |
| Turkey | 84,339,067 |
| Tuvalu | 11,792 |
| Tanzania | 59,734,213 |
| Uganda | 45,741,000 |
| Ukraine | 44,134,693 |
| Upper middle income | 2,513,672,792 |
| Uruguay | 3,473,727 |
| United States | 329,484,123 |
| Uzbekistan | 34,232,050 |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 110,947 |
| Venezuela, RB | 28,435,943 |
| British Virgin Islands | 30,237 |
| Virgin Islands (U.S.) | 106,290 |
| Vietnam | 97,338,583 |
| Vanuatu | 307,150 |
| Samoa | 198,410 |
| Kosovo | 1,775,378 |
| Yemen, Rep. | 29,825,968 |
| South Africa | 59,308,690 |
| Zambia | 18,383,956 |
| Zimbabwe | 14,862,927 |
| World | 7,752,840,547 |
Political World Map Recommended Products to Learn more about the world
There are a variety of products that can help you learn more about our world. One of the most interesting types of maps available is the 3D digital world map.
Recommended 3D Digital World Maps:
Earth 3D Map
has one of the most easily accessible 3D digital political world maps available. It provides a clear view of national and smaller political boundaries with color-coded countries. You also can zoom in and out of this map, revealing more information as you focus on a smaller area of the globe. Zooming in will reveal rivers, more cities, towns, and even street names.
Zoom Earth
If you’re interested in a quality 3D map that also shows live weather data, Zoom Earth is worth checking out. You can toggle national borders on and off, and you can choose which kinds of weather data you’d like to see. It’s possible to zoom in closely on the world, but real-time images aren’t always available at this fidelity.
Google Earth
Google Earth is one of the most powerful free 3D digital world maps available. It’s been around for almost 20 years and has seen massive improvements in that time. Using satellite imagery, aerial photography, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, it’s possible to zoom in on just about any location in the world to get a fairly high-fidelity view.
It’s also possible to change your viewing angle to get a truly 3D perspective. Google Earth also imports data from Google Maps, allowing the user to see all types of landmarks, from borders, roads, saved locations, geographic features, and even public transportation information. You can customize which pieces of information you’d like to see on Google Earth.
Google Earth FAQs
Does Google Earth have a political layer?
While there is no layer with this specific title, it’s easy to adjust the map so that only political borders and cities are visible. This makes it work well as a political world map, but countries are not colored differently, which can make seeing border lines less clear.
How often is Google Earth updated?
Google Earth is updated about once a month on average. But this doesn’t mean that all images on Google Earth are one month old. Instead, most images on the interactive map are between one and three years old.
Physical World Maps: Recommended Physical Products to Learn More About the World
Digital maps are great for getting a clear look at the world and for zooming in on particular regions, but there are also advantages offered by physical maps. They’re often aesthetically beautiful, can be scaled much larger than a computer screen, and they offer a tactile experience.
World Map Posters
These are excellent physical products for anyone interested in maps or geography. For a political world map that’s easy to reference and can double as decoration, see our list of the best world map posters.
World Map Atlases
For more detailed information, a world map atlas is hard to beat. They contain a wealth of information, are easy to navigate, and they’re nice to look at. We’ve compiled a list of the best world atlases to use as references in your home, office, or library.
Push Pin World Maps
For frequent travelers, great satisfaction can come from finding a way to easily visualize all the places you’ve been. Push pin world maps accomplish this expertly — the best ones have clear international borders, are aesthetically pleasing, and are the right size to accommodate push pins. See our compilation of the best push pin world maps to find the perfect one.
World Globes for Kids
World globes for kids are another fantastic physical product for learning about the world and its countries. The best globes for kids are those that are accurate and fun to use.