A country is a distinct part of the
world, such as a
state,
nation, or other
political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a
sovereign state,
states with limited recognition,
constituent country, or a
dependent territory. Most sovereign states, but not all countries, are members of the
United Nations. There is no universal agreement on the number of "countries" in the world since several states have disputed sovereignty status, limited recognition and a number of non-sovereign entities are commonly called countries.
The definition and usage of the word "country" are flexible and has changed over time. The Economist wrote in 2010 that "any attempt to find a clear definition of a country soon runs into a thicket of exceptions and anomalies."
Areas much smaller 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), 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. (Full article...)
The territory of what is now Azerbaijan was first ruled by
Caucasian Albania and later various Persian empires. Until the 19th century, it remained part of
Qajar Iran, but the Russo-Persian wars of
1804–1813 and
1826–1828 forced the Qajar Empire to cede its Caucasian territories to the
Russian Empire; the treaties of
Gulistan in 1813 and
Turkmenchay in 1828 defined the border between Russia and Iran. The region north of the
Aras was part of Iran until it was conquered by Russia in the 19th century, where it was administered as part of the
Caucasus Viceroyalty. (Full article...)
Selected articles to understand countries - show another
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a
state or
organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes an embassy or high commission, which is the main office of a country's
diplomatic representatives to another country; it is usually, but not necessarily, based in the receiving state's
capital city.
Consulates, on the other hand, are smaller diplomatic missions that are normally located in major cities of the receiving state (but can be located in the capital, typically when the sending country has no embassy in the receiving state). As well as being a diplomatic mission to the country in which it is situated, an embassy may also be a nonresident permanent mission to one or more other countries.
The term embassy is sometimes used interchangeably with
chancery, the physical office or site of a diplomatic mission. Consequently, the terms "embassy residence" and "embassy office" are used to distinguish between the ambassador's residence and the chancery. (Full article...)
Image 12Conventions used for the
boundary between Asia and Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. The red line shows the most common modern convention, in use since
c. 1850.
Image 14A formation of human chain at India Gate by the women from different walks of life at the launch of a National Campaign on prevention of violence against women, in New Delhi on 2 October 2009 (from Developing country)
Image 15A map of World Bank high-income economies in 2019; high-income economies are indicated in blue, while former high-income economies are shown in teal.
Image 16Comparison map: Greenland, the Faroe Islands (enlarged) and Denmark differ significantly in size. The Danish Realm is spread across the North Atlantic Ocean and
North Sea. (from List of transcontinental countries)
The region was dominated by
Bantu-speaking tribes at least 3,000 years ago, who built trade links leading into the
Congo River basin. Congo was formerly part of the
French colony of
Equatorial Africa. The Republic of the Congo was established on 28 November 1958 and gained independence from France in 1960. It was a
Marxist–Leninist state from 1969 to 1992, under the name
People's Republic of the Congo (PRC). The country has had multi-party elections since 1992, but a democratically elected government was ousted in the 1997
Republic of the Congo Civil War. President
Denis Sassou Nguesso, who first came to power in 1979, ruled until 1992 and then again since after his reinstatement. (Full article...)
The ancestors of
Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south-east Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during the
last glacial period. They settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuing
artistic and
religious traditions in the world. Australia's
written history commenced with
European maritime exploration. The Dutch were the first known Europeans to reach Australia, in 1606. British colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of the
penal colony of
New South Wales. By the mid-19th century, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and five additional self-governing
British colonies were established, each gaining
responsible government by 1890. The colonies
federated in 1901, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. This continued a process of increasing autonomy from the
United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, and culminating in the
Australia Acts of 1986.
In the early medieval era,
Christianity,
Islam,
Judaism, and
Zoroastrianism became established on India's southern and western coasts. Muslim armies from
Central Asia intermittently overran India's northern plains, eventually founding the
Delhi Sultanate, and drawing northern India into the cosmopolitan
networks of medieval Islam. In the 15th century, the
Vijayanagara Empire created a long-lasting composite Hindu culture in south India. In the
Punjab,
Sikhism emerged, rejecting institutionalised religion. The
Mughal Empire, in 1526, ushered in two centuries of relative peace, leaving a legacy of luminous architecture. Gradually expanding
rule of the British East India Company followed, turning India into a colonial economy, but also consolidating 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 pioneering and influential nationalist movement emerged, which was noted for nonviolent resistance and became the major 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, amid large-scale loss of life and an unprecedented migration. (Full article...)
The
region of Palestine has played an important part in world history. The
Canaanites,
Israelites,
Assyrians,
Babylonians,
Persians,
Greeks,
Romans and
Byzantines all left their mark on the land. In addition to its historical significance, Palestine holds profound religious importance for
Judaism,
Christianity and
Islam. Throughout history the region has experienced periods of coexistence and conflict between different religious and ethnic groups. Notably, during the Middle Ages, when Jewish communities faced
persecution, they found refuge and protection under
Muslim rule and the wider
Islamic world. The
Ottoman Empire, which
controlled Palestine from the 16th century until its
collapse at the end of
World War I, provided a sanctuary for Jews fleeing persecution in Europe. The end of the Ottoman rule marked a new chapter in Palestine's history. Following World War I, the British Empire assumed control of the region under the
League of Nations mandate. The
British Mandate for Palestine, established in 1920, brought significant changes to the political and social landscape of the area, setting the stage for
the conflicts and struggles that would follow.
One of the
cradles of civilization, China has been inhabited since the
Paleolithic era, with the earliest
dynasties emerging in the
Yellow River basin before the late second millennium BCE. The eighth to third centuries BCE saw a breakdown in the authority of the
Zhou dynasty, accompanied by the emergence of administrative and military techniques,
literature,
philosophy, and
historiography. In 221 BCE, China was unified under
an emperor for the first time. Appointed non-hereditary officials began ruling counties instead of the aristocracy, ushering in more than two millennia of imperial dynasties including the
Qin,
Han,
Tang,
Yuan,
Ming, and
Qing. With the invention of
gunpowder and
paper, the establishment of the
Silk Road, and the building of the
Great Wall,
Chinese culture—including languages, traditions, architecture, philosophy and technology—flourished and has
heavily influenced East Asia and beyond. However, China began to cede
parts of the country in the late 19th century to various European powers by a series of
unequal treaties.