The marked territories on this global map from the United Nations are mostly of countries which are sovereign states with full international recognition (brackets denote the country of a marked territory that is not a sovereign state). Some territories are countries in their own right but are not recognized as such (e.g. Taiwan ), some few marked territories are disputed about which country they belong to (e.g. Kashmir ) or if they are countries in their own right (e.g. Western Sahara (territory) or the state known by the same name ). The term country world . They function as sovereign states , unrecognized states , constituent countries , or dependent territories . A country may consist of multiple nations, a structure known as a multinational state . Countries are often distinguished as developing countries or developed countries . There is no universal agreement on the number of "countries" in the world. This ambiguity is a result of several countries not being recognized as sovereign states by the UN system, but are recognized by at least one UN member, known as "diplomatic recognition ". These countries often have disputed territories and have only partial recognition . A number of entities without recognition are also commonly considered a country.
Areas other than a political entity may be referred to as a "country," such as the West Country in England, "big sky country" (used in various contexts of the American West ), "coal country" (used to describe coal-mining regions ), cottage country or simply "the country" (used to describe a rural area ). The term "country" is also used as a qualifier descriptively, such as country music or country living .
The definition and usage of the word "country" has fluctuated and changed over time. The Economist Full article...
Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards. India Republic of India , is a country in South Asia . It is the seventh-largest country by area , the most populous country in the world and, since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China , Nepal and Bhutan to the north; Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is near Sri Lanka and the Maldives . Its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia .
Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago. Their long occupation, predominantly in isolation as hunter-gatherers, has made the region highly diverse. Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the Indus river basin 9,000 years ago, evolving gradually into the Indus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE. By 1200 BCE , an archaic form of Sanskrit , an Indo-European language , had diffused into India from the northwest. Its hymns recorded the early dawnings of Hinduism in India. India's pre-existing Dravidian languages were supplanted in the northern regions. By 400 BCE , caste had emerged within Hinduism, and Buddhism and Jainism had arisen, proclaiming social orders unlinked to heredity. Early political consolidations gave rise to the loose-knit Maurya and Gupta Empires . During this era, there was a flourishing of creativity in art, architecture, and writing, the status of women declined, and untouchability became an organised belief. In South India , the Middle kingdoms exported Dravidian language scripts and religious cultures to the kingdoms of Southeast Asia . (Full article...
Johnson's new chart of national emblems , published c. 186837-star flag of the United States (flown 1867–1890), upper left; the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom , upper, right; the Russian Imperial Standard , lower left; and the French tricolore with inset Imperial Eagle , lower right. Various other flags flown by ships are shown. The Flag of Cuba is labelled "Cuban (so called) ". The Chinese dragon on the Flag of China was drawn mistakenly as a welsh dragon .A national flag flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation . It is flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens . A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colors and symbols, which may also be used separately from the flag as a symbol of the nation. The design of a national flag is sometimes altered after the occurrence of important historical events. (Full article...
The following are images from various country-related articles on Wikipedia.
Remaining countries not listed in the Recognized articles section at left are displayed here.
Iceland Nordic island country between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean , located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Europe and North America . It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the region's westernmost and most sparsely populated country . Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík , which is home to about 35% of the country's roughly 395,000 residents (excluding nearby towns/suburbs, which are separate municipalities). The official language of the country is Icelandic . Iceland is on a rift between tectonic plates , and its geologic activity includes geysers and frequent volcanic eruptions . The interior consists of a volcanic plateau with sand and lava fields , mountains and glaciers , and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands . Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate , despite being at a latitude just south of the Arctic Circle . Its latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate .
According to the Landnámabók settlement of Iceland began in 874 AD, when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the island's first permanent settler. In following centuries, Norwegians and to a lesser extent other Scandinavians , immigrated to Iceland, bringing with them thralls (i.e., slaves or serfs) of Gaelic origin. The island was governed as an independent commonwealth under the native parliament, the Althing , one of the world's oldest functioning legislative assemblies . After a period of civil strife , Iceland acceded to Norwegian rule in the 13th century. In 1397, Iceland followed Norway's integration into the Kalmar Union along with the kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden , coming under de facto Danish rule upon its dissolution in 1523. The Danish kingdom introduced Lutheranism by force in 1550, and the Treaty of Kiel formally ceded Iceland to Denmark in 1814. (Full article...
Top 10 WikiProject Countries Popular articles of the month
Image 1 Cape Verde , also referred to in English by its Portuguese name
Cabo Verde , and known officially as the
Republic of Cabo Verde , is an
archipelagic country in the central Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of West Africa. It consists of ten
volcanic islands with a combined land area of about 4,033 square kilometres (1,557
sq
mi). These islands lie between 600 and 850 kilometres (370 and 530 miles) west of
Cap-Vert (i.e.,
Dakar ), the westernmost point of continental Africa, after which they are named. Cape Verde forms part of the
Macaronesia ecoregion, along with the
Azores , the
Canary Islands ,
Madeira and the
Savage Islands .
The archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when
Portuguese explorers settled the islands, establishing one of the first
European settlements in the tropics. Its strategic position gave it a significant role in the
transatlantic slave trade during the 16th and 17th centuries; the islands saw rapid economic growth driven by the trade of manufactured goods, rum, cloth for African slaves, ivory, and gold. By the mid 19th century, increased foreign competition, persistent drought, and the decline of the slave trade led to economic decline and emigration; Cape Verde gradually recovered as an important commercial centre and stopping point for major shipping routes.
Cape Verde became independent in 1975. Since the early 1990s, it has been a stable
representative democracy and has remained one of the most developed and democratic countries in Africa. Lacking natural resources, its developing economy is mostly service-oriented, with a growing focus on tourism and foreign investment. With a population of around 530,000 (as of 2026
[ update] ), Cape Verde is
among the least populous countries in Africa . The Cape Verdean people trace their ancestry primarily to West African populations, with additional contributions from early Portuguese settlers and other groups who came to the islands. A sizeable
diaspora exists across the world, especially in the United States and Portugal, considerably outnumbering the inhabitants on the islands. Cape Verde is a member state of the
African Union . (
Full article... )
Image 2 Curaçao , officially the
Country of Curaçao , is a
constituent country within the
Kingdom of the Netherlands . It is an
island country located in the southern
Caribbean Sea , specifically the
Dutch Caribbean region, about 65
km (40
mi) north of
Venezuela and 80
km (50
mi) southeast of
Aruba . Curaçao includes the main island of Curaçao, and the much smaller, uninhabited island of
Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao").
The 2023 census recorded a population of nearly 156,000 people in Curaçao. The country has an area of 444
km
2 (171
sq
mi); its capital is
Willemstad . Together with Aruba and
Bonaire , Curaçao forms part of the
ABC islands . Collectively, Curaçao, Aruba, and other Dutch islands in the
Caribbean are often called the
Dutch Caribbean . It is the largest of the ABC islands in terms of both area and population.
The island is known for its indigenous
bitter orange -based
liqueur ,
Curaçao , flavoured with the dried peel of the
laraha , a
citrus fruit grown on the island. (
Full article... )
Image 3 The
United States of America (
USA ), also known as the
United States (
U.S. ) or
America , is a country primarily located in
North America . It is a
federal republic consisting of 50
states and a
federal capital district ,
Washington, D.C. The 48
contiguous states border
Canada to the north and
Mexico to the south, with the
semi-exclave of
Alaska in the northwest and the
archipelago of
Hawaii in the
Pacific Ocean . The United States also asserts sovereignty over five
major island territories and
various uninhabited islands in
Oceania and the
Caribbean . It is a
megadiverse country , with the world's
third-largest land area and
third-largest population , exceeding 341 million.
Paleo-Indians first migrated from North Asia to North America at least 15,000 years ago, and formed various civilizations.
European discovery of the Americas began in 1492, and
British colonization followed with the 1607 settlement of
Virginia , the first of the
Thirteen Colonies . The
American Enlightenment that spread throughout the colonies in the 18th century valued
republicanism and
liberalism . Clashes with the
British Crown over
taxation without parliamentary representation and the denial of other
English rights evolved into the
American Revolution , which led to the July 2, 1776,
Lee Resolution formally declaring independence from Great Britain. Two days later, on the
Fourth of July , the
Declaration of Independence was adopted and publicly released. Victory in the 1775–1783
Revolutionary War brought
international recognition of the country's sovereignty .
The U.S. rapidly
expanded its territory westward by purchasing, settling and conquering various areas controlled by Europeans and Indigenous peoples. As more states were
admitted into the Union , a North–South
division over slavery led 11 Southern states to
declare secession and join as the
Confederate States of America in order to
preserve slavery there . These states fought against the
Union in the
American Civil War of 1861
– 1865 and were defeated. With the United States' victory and reunification, slavery was
abolished nationally . (
Full article... )
Image 4 Ivory Coast , also known as
Côte d'Ivoire and officially as the
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire , is a country on the southern coast of
West Africa . Its capital,
Yamoussoukro , is located in the centre of the country, while
Abidjan is its largest city and economic centre. It borders
Guinea to the
northwest ,
Liberia to the
west ,
Mali to the
north ,
Burkina Faso to the
northeast ,
Ghana to the
east , and the
Atlantic Ocean 's
Gulf of Guinea to the south. With 31.5 million inhabitants in 2024, Ivory Coast is the
third-most populous country in West Africa after Ghana and
Nigeria . Its official language is
French , and indigenous languages are also widely used, including
Bété ,
Baoulé ,
Dyula ,
Dan ,
Anyin , and
Cebaara Senufo . In total, there are around 78
languages spoken in Ivory Coast . The country has
a religiously diverse population , including numerous followers of
Islam ,
Christianity and
traditional faiths often entailing
animism .
Ivory Coast was traditionally home to several states, including
Gyaaman , the
Kong Empire , and
Baoulé . The area became a
protectorate of France in 1843 and was consolidated as a
French colony in 1893 amid the
Scramble for Africa . It achieved independence in 1960, led by
Félix Houphouët-Boigny , who ruled the country until 1993. Relatively stable by regional standards, Ivory Coast established close political-economic ties with its West African neighbours while maintaining close relations with
the West ,
especially France . Its stability was diminished by a
coup d'état in 1999 and two civil wars—first
between 2002 and 2007 and again
during 2010–2011 . It adopted
a new constitution in 2016.
Ivory Coast is a republic with strong executive power vested in
its president . Through the
production of coffee and
cocoa , it was an economic powerhouse in West Africa during the 1960s and 1970s, then experienced an economic crisis in the 1980s, contributing to a period of political and social turmoil that extended until 2011. Ivory Coast has again experienced high economic growth since the return of peace and political stability in 2011. From 2012 to 2023, the economy grew by an average of 7.1% per year in
real terms , the second-fastest rate of economic growth in Africa and fourth-fastest rate in the world. In 2023, Ivory Coast had the second-highest GDP per capita in West Africa, behind
Cape Verde . Despite this, as of the most recent survey in 2016, 46.1% of the population continues to be affected by
multidimensional poverty . As of 2023, Ivory Coast is the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans and has high levels of income for its region. The economy still relies heavily on agriculture, with
smallholder cash-crop production predominating. (
Full article... )
Image 5 The
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the
United Kingdom (
UK ) or
Britain , is a country in
northwestern Europe , off the coast of
the continental mainland . It comprises
England ,
Scotland ,
Wales and
Northern Ireland , with a population of over 69 million in 2024. The UK includes the island of
Great Britain , the north-eastern part of the island of
Ireland , and most of
the smaller islands within the
British Isles , covering 94,354 square miles (244,376
km
2 ). It shares
a land border with the
Republic of Ireland and is surrounded by the
Atlantic Ocean , the
North Sea , the
English Channel , the
Celtic Sea and the
Irish Sea , while maintaining sovereignty over the
Crown Dependencies and the
British Overseas Territories . The capital and largest city of England and the UK is
London ;
Edinburgh ,
Cardiff and
Belfast are the national capitals of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively.
The British Isles have been continuously inhabited since the
Neolithic . In AD
43 the
Roman conquest of Britain began. The
Roman departure between 383 and 410 was followed by
Anglo-Saxon settlement beginning around 450. In 1066 the
Normans conquered England . Over the 17th century the role of the
British monarchy was reduced, particularly as a result of the
English Civil War . In 1707 the Kingdom of England and the
Kingdom of Scotland united under the
Treaty of Union to create the
Kingdom of Great Britain . The
Acts of Union 1800 incorporated the
Kingdom of Ireland to create the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. Most of Ireland
seceded from the UK in 1922 as the
Irish Free State , and the
Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 created the present United Kingdom.
The UK
became the first industrialised country and was the world's
foremost power for the majority of the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly during the
Pax Britannica between 1815 and 1914. The
British Empire was the leading
economic power for most of the 19th century, a position supported by
its agricultural prosperity , its role as a dominant
trading nation , a massive industrial capacity,
significant technological achievements , and the rise of
19th-century London as the world's principal financial centre. At its height in the 1920s, the empire encompassed around a quarter of the world's landmass and population, and was the
largest in history . However,
its involvement in the First World War and
in the Second World War damaged
Britain's economic power , and a global wave of
decolonisation led to the independence of most British colonies. (
Full article... )
Image 6 Bosnia and Herzegovina , often referred to as
Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply
Bosnia , is a country in
Southeast Europe . Situated on the
Balkan Peninsula , it borders
Serbia to the east,
Montenegro to the southeast, and
Croatia to the north and southwest, with a 20-kilometre-long (12-mile) coast on the
Adriatic Sea in the south.
Bosnia has a moderate
continental climate with hot summers and cold, snowy winters. Its geography is largely mountainous, particularly in the central and eastern regions, which are dominated by the
Dinaric Alps .
Herzegovina , the smaller, southern region, has a
Mediterranean climate and is mostly mountainous.
Sarajevo is the capital and the largest city.
The area has been inhabited since at least the
Upper Palaeolithic , with permanent human settlement traced to the
Neolithic cultures of
Butmir ,
Kakanj , and
Vučedol . After the arrival of the first
Indo-Europeans , the area was populated by several
Illyrian and
Celtic civilisations. Most of modern Bosnia was incorporated into the
Roman province of Dalmatia by the mid-first century BCE. The
ancestors of the modern South Slavic peoples arrived between the sixth and ninth centuries. In the 12th century, the
Banate of Bosnia was established as the first independent Bosnian
polity . It gradually evolved and expanded into the
Kingdom of Bosnia , which became the most powerful state in the western Balkans by the 14th century. The
Ottoman Empire annexed the region in 1463 and introduced
Islam . From the late 19th century until
World War I , the country was under
Austro-Hungarian rule . In the
interwar period , Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia . After
World War II , it was granted full republic status in the newly formed
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . In 1992, following the
breakup of Yugoslavia , the republic
proclaimed independence . This was followed by the
Bosnian War , which lasted until late 1995 and ended with the signing of the
Dayton Agreement .
Bosnia and Herzegovina has around 3.4 million inhabitants, composed chiefly of
three main ethnic groups :
Bosniaks , who form one half of the population, followed by
Serbs at one-third and
Croats at one-sixth; minorities include
Jews ,
Roma ,
Albanians, Montenegrins, Ukrainians and Turks , who are among 17 recognized "national minorities". Bosnia and Herzegovina has a
bicameral legislature and a
presidency made up of one member from each of the three major ethnic groups (
directorial system ). The central government's power is minimal, as the country is largely decentralised; it consists of two highly autonomous
confederal entities —the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Republika Srpska —and a third unit, the
Brčko District , nominally under joint control, albeit governed by its own local government. (
Full article... )
Image 7 The
Democratic Republic of the Congo (
DRC ), also known as the
DR Congo ,
Congo-Kinshasa , or simply the
Congo , and formerly named
Zaire , is a country in
Central Africa . By land area, it is the
second-largest country in Africa and the
eleventh-largest in the world . With a population of about 124 million people, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the
fourth-most populous country in Africa and the most populous
Francophone country in the world.
French is the official and most widely spoken language. There are
over 200 indigenous languages , of which
Lingala is the most widely spoken. The capital, largest city, and economic center is
Kinshasa . The DRC is bordered by the
Republic of the Congo , the
Cabinda exclave of Angola , and the
South Atlantic Ocean to the west; the
Central African Republic and
South Sudan to the north;
Uganda ,
Rwanda ,
Burundi , and
Tanzania (across
Lake Tanganyika ) to the east; and
Zambia and
Angola to the south. Centered on the
Congo Basin , most of the DRC's
terrain is covered by
dense rainforests and is crossed by many rivers. The east and southeast are mountainous.
The territory of the Congo was first inhabited by
Central African foragers around 90,000 years ago and was settled in the
Bantu expansion about 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. In the west, the
Kingdom of Kongo ruled around the mouth of the
Congo River from the 14th to the 19th century. In the center and east, the empires of
Mwene Muji ,
Luba , and
Lunda ruled between the 15th and 19th centuries. These kingdoms were broken up by Europeans during the
colonization of the Congo Basin . King
Leopold II of Belgium acquired rights to the Congo territory in 1885 and called it the
Congo Free State . In 1908, Leopold
ceded the territory after international pressure in response to
widespread atrocities , and it became a
Belgian colony . Congo achieved
independence from
Belgium in 1960 and was immediately confronted by
secessionist movements , the assassination of Prime Minister
Patrice Lumumba , and the
seizure of power by
Mobutu Sese Seko in 1965. Mobutu renamed the country
Zaire in 1971 and imposed a
personalist dictatorship .
Instability caused by an influx of refugees from the
Rwandan Civil War led to the
First Congo War , from 1996 to 1997, which ended with Mobutu's overthrow. The country's name was changed, and it experienced the
Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003, which resulted in an estimated several million deaths and the assassination of President
Laurent-Désiré Kabila . The war ended under President
Joseph Kabila , who restored relative stability.
Human rights remained poor, and there were frequent abuses, such as
forced disappearances , torture, arbitrary imprisonment and restrictions on civil liberties. Kabila stepped down in 2019 after
Félix Tshisekedi won the contentious
2018 election , marking the country's first
peaceful transition of power since independence. Over
120 armed groups remain active, concentrated in the east. One of the region's largest cities,
Goma , was occupied by the
M23 rebels in 2012 and again
since 2025 . The
M23 uprising escalated in 2025 with military support from
Rwanda , which has caused a
conflict between the two countries . (
Full article... )
Image 8 India , officially the
Republic of India , is a country in
South Asia . It is the
seventh-largest country by area , the
most populous country in the world and, since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by the
Indian Ocean on the south, the
Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the
Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with
Pakistan to the west;
China ,
Nepal and
Bhutan to the north;
Bangladesh and
Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is near
Sri Lanka and the
Maldives . Its
Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a
maritime border with Myanmar,
Thailand and
Indonesia .
Modern humans arrived on the
Indian subcontinent from
Africa no later than 55,000 years ago. Their long occupation, predominantly in isolation as hunter-gatherers, has made the region highly diverse.
Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the
Indus river basin 9,000 years ago, evolving gradually into the
Indus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE. By 1200
BCE , an
archaic form of
Sanskrit , an
Indo-European language , had
diffused into India from the northwest.
Its hymns recorded the
early dawnings of
Hinduism in India. India's pre-existing
Dravidian languages were supplanted in the northern regions. By 400
BCE ,
caste had emerged within Hinduism, and
Buddhism and
Jainism had arisen, proclaiming
social orders unlinked to heredity. Early political consolidations gave rise to the loose-knit
Maurya and
Gupta Empires . During this era, there was a flourishing of creativity in art, architecture, and writing, the status of women declined, and
untouchability became an organised belief. In
South India , the
Middle kingdoms exported Dravidian language scripts and religious cultures to the kingdoms of
Southeast Asia .
In the
1st millennium Islam ,
Christianity ,
Judaism , and
Zoroastrianism became established on India's southern and western coasts. Early in the
2nd millennium Muslim armies from
Central Asia intermittently overran India's northern plains. The resulting
Delhi Sultanate drew northern India into the cosmopolitan
networks of medieval Islam . In south India, the
Vijayanagara Empire created a long-lasting composite Hindu culture. In the
Punjab ,
Sikhism emerged, rejecting institutionalised religion. The
Mughal Empire ushered in two centuries of economic expansion and relative peace, and left
a rich architectural legacy . Gradually expanding
rule of the British East India Company turned India into a colonial economy but consolidated its
sovereignty .
British Crown rule began in 1858. The rights promised to Indians were granted slowly, but
technological changes were introduced, and modern ideas of education and the public life took root.
A nationalist movement emerged in India, the first in the non-European
British Empire and an influence on other nationalist movements. Noted for nonviolent resistance after 1920, it became the primary factor in ending British rule. In 1947, the British Indian Empire was
partitioned into two independent
dominions , a Hindu-majority
dominion of India and a Muslim-majority
dominion of Pakistan . A large-scale loss of life and an unprecedented migration accompanied the partition. (
Full article... )
Image 9 The
Czech Republic , also known as
Czechia and historically known as
Bohemia , is a
landlocked country in
Central Europe . The country is bordered by
Austria to the south,
Germany to the west,
Poland to the northeast, and
Slovakia to the southeast. The Czech Republic has a hilly landscape that covers an area of 78,871 square kilometers (30,452
sq
mi) with a mostly temperate
continental and
oceanic climate . The capital and largest city is
Prague ; other major cities and urban areas include
Brno ,
Ostrava ,
Plzeň and
Liberec .
The
Duchy of Bohemia was founded in the late 9th century under
Great Moravia . It was formally recognized as an
Imperial Estate of the
Holy Roman Empire in 1002 and became
a kingdom in 1198. Following the
Battle of Mohács in 1526, all of the
Lands of the Bohemian Crown were gradually integrated into the
Habsburg monarchy . Nearly a hundred years later, the
Protestant Bohemian Revolt led to the
Thirty Years' War . After the
Battle of White Mountain , the Habsburgs consolidated their rule. With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Crown lands became part of the
Austrian Empire .
During the 19th century, the
Czech lands underwent significant industrialization. Following the collapse of
Austria-Hungary after
World War I , most of the region became part of the
First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. Czechoslovakia was the only country in Central and Eastern Europe to remain a
parliamentary democracy during the entirety of the
interwar period . After the
Munich Agreement in 1938,
Nazi Germany systematically
took control over the Czech lands.
Czechoslovakia was restored in 1945 and three years later became an
Eastern Bloc communist state following a
coup d'état in 1948. Attempts to liberalize the government and economy were suppressed by a
Soviet -led invasion of the country during the
Prague Spring in 1968. In November 1989, the
Velvet Revolution ended communist rule in the country and restored
democracy . On 31 December 1992,
Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved , with its constituent states becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. (
Full article... )
Image 10 Germany , officially the
Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in
Western and
Central Europe . It lies between the
Baltic Sea and the
North Sea to the north with the
Alps to the south. Its 16
constituent states have
a total population of over 82 million, making it the most populous
member state of the European Union (EU). Germany borders
Denmark to the north;
Poland and the
Czech Republic to the east;
Austria and
Switzerland to the south; and
France ,
Luxembourg ,
Belgium , and the
Netherlands to the west. The
nation's capital and
most populous city is
Berlin and its main financial centre is
Frankfurt ; the largest urban area is the
Ruhr .
Settlement in the territory of modern Germany began in the
Lower Paleolithic , with various tribes inhabiting it from the
Neolithic onward, chiefly the
Celts , and
Germanic tribes inhabiting the north.
Romans named the area
Germania . In 962, the
Kingdom of Germany formed the bulk of the
Holy Roman Empire . During the 16th century,
northern German regions became the centre of the
Protestant Reformation . Following the
Napoleonic Wars and
the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the
German Confederation was formed in 1815.
Unification of Germany into the modern
nation-state ,
led by
Prussia ,
established the
German Empire in 1871. After
World War I and
a revolution , the Empire was replaced by the
Weimar Republic . The
Nazi rise to power in 1933 led to the establishment of
a totalitarian dictatorship ,
World War II , and
the Holocaust . In 1949,
after the war and
Allied occupation , Germany was organised into
two separate polities with limited sovereignty: the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), or
West Germany , and the German Democratic Republic (GDR), or
East Germany . The FRG was a founding member of the
European Economic Community , while the GDR was a communist
Eastern Bloc state and a founding member of the
Warsaw Pact . After
the fall of the
communist-led government in East Germany,
German reunification saw the
former East German states join the FRG on
3 October 1990 . (
Full article... )
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![Image 1Cape Verde, also referred to in English by its Portuguese name Cabo Verde, and known officially as the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an archipelagic country in the central Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of West Africa. It consists of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 sq mi). These islands lie between 600 and 850 kilometres (370 and 530 miles) west of Cap-Vert (i.e., Dakar), the westernmost point of continental Africa, after which they are named. Cape Verde forms part of the Macaronesia ecoregion, along with the Azores, the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Savage Islands.The archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers settled the islands, establishing one of the first European settlements in the tropics. Its strategic position gave it a significant role in the transatlantic slave trade during the 16th and 17th centuries; the islands saw rapid economic growth driven by the trade of manufactured goods, rum, cloth for African slaves, ivory, and gold. By the mid 19th century, increased foreign competition, persistent drought, and the decline of the slave trade led to economic decline and emigration; Cape Verde gradually recovered as an important commercial centre and stopping point for major shipping routes. Cape Verde became independent in 1975. Since the early 1990s, it has been a stable representative democracy and has remained one of the most developed and democratic countries in Africa. Lacking natural resources, its developing economy is mostly service-oriented, with a growing focus on tourism and foreign investment. With a population of around 530,000 (as of 2026[update]), Cape Verde is among the least populous countries in Africa. The Cape Verdean people trace their ancestry primarily to West African populations, with additional contributions from early Portuguese settlers and other groups who came to the islands. A sizeable diaspora exists across the world, especially in the United States and Portugal, considerably outnumbering the inhabitants on the islands. Cape Verde is a member state of the African Union. (Full article...)](http://wiki.nitrosworld.org/wiki/File:Blank.png)
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