How many countries are there in the world?
The answer depends on whose list you use. Here's why the most common count is 195, and how Mapped handles Taiwan, Kosovo and territories.
Ask ten people how many countries there are and you'll get several answers. No single official definition of a country exists, so the number depends on whose list you use.
The short answer is 195
The most common count is 195. That's the 193 member states of the United Nations plus its two permanent observer states, the Holy See (Vatican City) and the State of Palestine. Mapped uses this list for your country count and for the share of the world you've visited.
Why other lists say something else
Other lists count places with limited recognition, overseas territories or sporting codes differently, so their totals go up or down.
- Taiwan and Kosovo govern themselves but aren't UN members. Some lists include them and others leave them out.
- Greenland, Puerto Rico and Hong Kong have their own flags and borders but belong to another country.
- Travel clubs split off islands and regions, so their lists run to several hundred places.
How Mapped handles the edge cases
Your country count in Mapped stays at a maximum of 195, so you can compare it with friends. You can still mark places like Taiwan, Kosovo, Greenland or Scotland. They show on your map and count towards your continents, but they don't change your country count.