Country Names

See below for the spellings of country names, as recommended by PCGN. This list reflects current British usage. Countries are arranged alphabetically under their common names.  The official state title, (ie. the form used in formal, legal or diplomatic contexts),  where different, is shown underneath and reflects the name used by the State itself. It is translated into English where necessary.

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth publishes a list of country names and UK Overseas Territories in its Geographical Names and Information leaflet.  To download this list in .pdf format, please click here .

For country names as used by the United Nations, search the United Nations
Multilingual Terminology Database.

For a list of country codes published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), please click here.

List of country names as of 01 January 2012.

Laos
Lao People's Democratic Republic

Latvia
Republic of Latvia

Lebanon
Lebanese Republic

Lesotho
Kingdom of Lesotho

Liberia
Republic of Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein
Principality of Liechtenstein

Lithuania
Republic of Lithuania

Luxembourg
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia.  This is the name used by the state itself and is used by the UK for all bilateral purposes.  The name used by the UK when formally establishing diplomatic relations was "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", and this is used in multilateral contexts. The designation used by the United Nations to refer to Macedonia is "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", listed under "T" alphabetically.

Madagascar
Republic of Madagascar

Malawi
Republic of Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives
Republic of Maldives

Mali
Republic of Mali

Malta
Republic of Malta

Marshall Islands
Republic of the Marshall Islands

Mauritania
Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Mauritius
Republic of Mauritius

Mexico
United Mexican States

Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia

Moldova
Republic of Moldova

Monaco
Principality of Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco
Kingdom of Morocco

Mozambique
Republic of Mozambique

Namibia
Republic of Namibia

Nauru
Republic of Nauru

Nepal
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal

Netherlands
Kingdom of the Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua
Republic of Nicaragua

Niger
Republic of Niger

Nigeria
Federal Republic of Nigeria

Norway
Kingdom of Norway

Oman
Sultanate of Oman

Pakistan
Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Palau
Republic of Palau

Panama
Republic of Panama

Papua New Guinea
Independent State of Papua New Guinea

Paraguay
Republic of Paraguay

Peru
Republic of Peru

Philippines
Republic of the Philippines

Poland
Republic of Poland

Portugal
Portuguese Republic

Qatar
State of Qatar

Romania

Russia
Russian Federation

Rwanda
Republic of Rwanda

St Kitts and Nevis
Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis

St Lucia
Saint Lucia

St Vincent
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa (formerly Western Samoa)
Independent State of Samoa

San Marino
Republic of San Marino

Sao Tome and Principe
Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe

Saudi Arabia
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Senegal
Republic of Senegal

Serbia
Republic of Serbia

Seychelles
Republic of Seychelles

Sierra Leone
Republic of Sierra Leone

Singapore
Republic of Singapore

Slovakia
Slovak Republic

Slovenia
Republic of Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia
Somali Republic

South Africa
Republic of South Africa

South Sudan
Republic of South Sudan

Spain
Kingdom of Spain

Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon)
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

Sudan
Republic of the Sudan

Surinam
Republic of Suriname

Swaziland
Kingdom of Swaziland

Sweden
Kingdom of Sweden

Switzerland
Swiss Confederation

Syria
Syrian Arab Republic

Tajikistan
Republic of Tajikistan

Tanzania
United Republic of Tanzania

Thailand
Kingdom of Thailand

Togo
Togolese Republic

Tonga
Kingdom of Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia
Tunisian Republic

Turkey
Republic of Turkey

Turkmenistan

Tuvalu

Uganda
Republic of Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United States
United States of America

Uruguay
Oriental Republic of Uruguay

Uzbekistan
Republic of Uzbekistan

Vanuatu
Republic of Vanuatu

Vatican City

Venezuela
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Vietnam
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Yemen
Republic of Yemen

Zambia
Republic of Zambia

Zimbabwe
Republic of Zimbabwe