How many official countries are there?

Answer 1

There is no real answer to this question because different "officials" and "organizations" have different criteria and give different answers. There is a wonderful video in the link below which explains this situation in detail.

Here is one person's list of 205 countries:

1. Afghanistan - Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

2. Albania - Republic of Albania

3. Algeria - People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

4. Andorra - Principality of Andorra

5. Angola - Republic of Angola

6. Antigua and Barbuda

7. Argentina - Argentine Republic

8. Armenia - Republic of Armenia

9. Australia - Commonwealth of Australia

10. Austria - Republic of Austria

11. Azerbaijan - Republic of Azerbaijan

12. Bahamas - Commonwealth of The Bahamas

13. Bahrain - Kingdom of Bahrain

14. Bangladesh - People's Republic of Bangladesh

15. Barbados

16. Belarus - Republic of Belarus

17. Belgium - Kingdom of Belgium

18. Belize

19. Benin - Republic of Benin

20. Bhutan - Kingdom of Bhutan

21. Bolivia - Plurinational State of Bolivia

22. Bosnia and Herzegovina

23. Botswana - Republic of Botswana

24. Brazil - Federative Republic of Brazil

25. Brunei - State of Brunei, Abode of Peace

26. Bulgaria - Republic of Bulgaria

27. Burkina Faso

28. Burma - Republic of the Union of Myanmar

29. Burundi - Republic of Burundi

30. Cambodia - Kingdom of Cambodia

31. Cameroon - Republic of Cameroon

32. Canada

33. Cape Verde - Republic of Cape Verde

34. Central African Republic

35. Chad - Republic of Chad

36. Chile - Republic of Chile

37. China - People's Republic of China

38. Colombia - Republic of Colombia

39. Comoros - Union of the Comoros

40. Congo, Democratic Republic of the (Congo-Kinshasa)

41. Congo, Republic of the (Congo-Brazzaville)

42. Costa Rica - Republic of Costa Rica

43. Côte d'Ivoire - Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

44. Croatia - Republic of Croatia

45. Cuba - Republic of Cuba

46. Cyprus - Republic of Cyprus

47. Czech Republic

48. Denmark - Kingdom of Denmark

49. Djibouti - Republic of Djibouti

50. Dominica - Commonwealth of Dominica

51. Dominican Republic

52. East Timor - Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

53. Ecuador - Republic of Ecuador

54. Egypt - Arab Republic of Egypt

55. El Salvador - Republic of El Salvador

56. Equatorial Guinea - Republic of Equatorial Guinea

57. Eritrea - State of Eritrea

58. Estonia - Republic of Estonia

59. Ethiopia - Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

60. Fiji - Republic of the Fiji Islands

61. Finland - Republic of Finland

62. France - French Republic

63. Gabon - Gabonese Republic

64. The Gambia - Republic of The Gambia

65. Georgia

66. Germany - Federal Republic of Germany

67. Ghana - Republic of Ghana

68. Greece - Hellenic Republic

69. Grenada

70. Guatemala - Republic of Guatemala

71. Guinea - Republic of Guinea

72. Guinea-Bissau - Republic of Guinea-Bissau

73. Guyana - Co-operative Republic of Guyana

74. Haiti - Republic of Haiti

75. Honduras - Republic of Honduras

76. Hungary - Republic of Hungary

77. Iceland - Republic of Iceland

78. India - Republic of India

79. Indonesia - Republic of Indonesia

80. Iran - Islamic Republic of Iran

81. Iraq - Republic of Iraq

82. Ireland

83. Israel - State of Israel

84. Italy - Italian Republic

85. Jamaica

86. Japan

87. Jordan - Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

88. Kazakhstan - Republic of Kazakhstan

89. Kenya - Republic of Kenya

90. Kiribati - Republic of Kiribati

91. Korea, North - Democratic People's Republic of Korea

92. Korea, South - Republic of Korea

93. Kuwait

94. Kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyz Republic

95. Laos - Lao People's Democratic Republic

96. Latvia - Republic of Latvia

97. Lebanon - Lebanese Republic

98. Lesotho - Kingdom of Lesotho

99. Liberia - Republic of Liberia

100. Libya - Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

101. Liechtenstein - Principality of Liechtenstein

102. Lithuania - Republic of Lithuania

103. Luxembourg - Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

104. Macedonia - Republic of Macedonia

105. Madagascar - Republic of Madagascar

106. Malawi - Republic of Malawi

107. Malaysia

108. Maldives - Republic of Maldives

109. Mali - Republic of Mali

110. Malta - Republic of Malta

111. Marshall Islands - Republic of the Marshall Islands

112. Mauritania - Islamic Republic of Mauritania

113. Mauritius - Republic of Mauritius

114. Mexico - United Mexican States

115. Micronesia, Federated States of

116. Moldova - Republic of Moldova

117. Monaco - Principality of Monaco

118. Mongolia

119. Montenegro

120. Morocco - Kingdom of Morocco

121. Mozambique - Republic of Mozambique

122. Namibia - Republic of Namibia

123. Nauru - Republic of Nauru

124. Nepal - Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal

125. Netherlands - Kingdom of the Netherlands

126. New Zealand

127. Nicaragua - Republic of Nicaragua

128. Niger - Republic of Niger

129. Nigeria - Federal Republic of Nigeria

130. North Korea - Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

131. Norway - Kingdom of Norway

132. Oman - Sultanate of Oman

133. Pakistan - Islamic Republic of Pakistan

134. Palau - Republic of Palau

135. Panama - Republic of Panama

136. Papua New Guinea - Independent State of Papua New Guinea

137. Paraguay - Republic of Paraguay

138. Peru - Republic of Peru

139. Philippines - Republic of the Philippines

140. Poland - Republic of Poland

141. Portugal - Portuguese Republic

142. Qatar - State of Qatar

143. Romania

144. Russia - Russian Federation

145. Rwanda - Republic of Rwanda

146. Saint Kitts and Nevis - Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis

147. Saint Lucia

148. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

149. Samoa - Independent State of Samoa

150. San Marino - Republic of San Marino

151. São Tomé and Príncipe - Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe

152. Saudi Arabia - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

153. Senegal - Republic of Senegal

154. Serbia - Republic of Serbia

155. Seychelles - Republic of Seychelles

156. Sierra Leone - Republic of Sierra Leone

157. Singapore - Republic of Singapore

158. Slovakia - Slovak Republic

159. Slovenia - Republic of Slovenia

160. Solomon Islands

161. Somalia - Somali Republic

162. South Africa - Republic of South Africa

163. South Korea - Korea, Republic of

164. Spain - Kingdom of Spain

165. Sri Lanka - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

166. Sudan - Republic of the Sudan

167. Suriname - Republic of Suriname

168. Swaziland - Kingdom of Swaziland

169. Sweden - Kingdom of Sweden

170. Switzerland - Swiss Confederation

171. Syria - Syrian Arab Republic

172. Tajikistan - Republic of Tajikistan

173. Tanzania - United Republic of Tanzania

174. Thailand - Kingdom of Thailand

175. Togo - Togolese Republic

176. Tonga - Kingdom of Tonga

177. Trinidad and Tobago - Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

178. Tunisia - Republic of Tunisia

179. Turkey - Republic of Turkey

180. Turkmenistan

181. Tuvalu

182. Uganda - Republic of Uganda

183. Ukraine

184. United Arab Emirates

185. United Kingdom - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

186. United States - United States of America

187. Uruguay - Eastern Republic of Uruguay

188. Uzbekistan - Republic of Uzbekistan

189. Vanuatu - Republic of Vanuatu

190. Venezuela - Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

191. Vietnam - Socialist Republic of Vietnam

192. Yemen - Republic of Yemen

193. Zambia - Republic of Zambia

194. Zimbabwe - Republic of Zimbabwe

195. Vatican City - State of the Vatican City

196. Kosovo - Republic of Kosovo

197. Abkhazia - Republic of Abkhazia

198. Nagorno-Karabakh - Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

199. Northern Cyprus - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

200. Palestinian Authority

201. Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

202. Somaliland - Republic of Somaliland

203. South Ossetia - Republic of South Ossetia

204. Taiwan - Republic of China

205. Transnistria - Transnistrian Moldovan Republic (Pridnestrovie, Trans-Dniester)