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In geography and politics, a country (IPA: /ˈkən-trē/¹) is a political division of a geographical entity. Frequently, but not always, it is associated with the concept of a Sovereign territory and thus with the concepts of State, Nation and Government.

In common usage, the term country is widely used in the sense both of nations and of states, with definitions varying. It does not necessarily imply sovereign or independent status, although frequently used in that sense. In some cases it is used to refer both to states and to other political entities,²³⁴ while in some occasions it refers only to states⁵ It is not uncommon for general information or statistical publications to adopt the wider definition for purposes such as illustration and comparison.⁶⁷⁸⁹¹⁰

Many entities which constitute cohesive geographical entities, some of which are former states, but which are not presently sovereign states (such as England, Scotland and Wales), are commonly regarded and referred to as countries. The degree of autonomy of such countries varies widely. Some are possessions of states, as several states have overseas dependencies (such as the British Virgin Islands, Netherlands Antilles, and American Samoa), with territory and citizenry distinct from their own. Such dependent territories are sometimes listed together with independent states on lists of countries.

See also

• List of countries
• Constituent country

References

External links

• Library of Congress - Country Studies
• BBC Country Profiles
• The CIA World Factbook
• The US Department of State - Background Notes Facts and information on countries, dependencies and areas of special sovereignty around the world
• PopulationData.net
• United Nations statistics division
• Average Latitude & Longitude of Countries