Countries
Countries
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A country is a distinct territorial body or political entity, often described as the land of an individual's birth, residence, or citizenship. A country may be an independent sovereign state, such as France or Japan, or a constituent part of a larger state, as is the case with the four countries of the United Kingdom. Sovereign states are typically characterized by a defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states, criteria commonly associated with the Montevideo Convention on statehood. There are currently 195 widely recognized sovereign countries in the world, though the exact number is disputed due to territories with contested status. Countries vary enormously in size, population, government structure, and level of economic development, ranging from city-states with populations in the tens of thousands to continental nations home to over a billion people. Political geography, history, culture, and language often shape how a country's borders and identity have formed over centuries, frequently through conquest, colonization, unification, or peaceful negotiation.