Country names: The Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British official use
Updated 26 October 2023
© Crown copyright 2023
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PCGN works in conjunction with the The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to determine the list of country names and official state titles for use by all government departments.
Country names usually reflect current British usage. The official state title, (for example the form used in formal, legal or diplomatic contexts), where different, is shown below and reflects the name used by the state itself. It is translated into English where necessary.
The list is arranged alphabetically by country name.
A
Afghanistan
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Albania
Republic of Albania
Algeria
People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
Andorra
Principality of Andorra
Angola
Republic of Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Argentine Republic
Armenia
Republic of Armenia
Australia
Commonwealth of Australia
Austria
Republic of Austria
Azerbaijan
Republic of Azerbaijan
B
Bahamas, The
Commonwealth of The Bahamas
Bahrain
Kingdom of Bahrain
Bangladesh
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Republic of Belarus
Belgium
Kingdom of Belgium
Belize
Benin
Republic of Benin
Bhutan
Kingdom of Bhutan
Bolivia
Plurinational State of Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Republic of Botswana
Brazil
Federative Republic of Brazil
Brunei
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Republic of Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Republic of Burundi
C
Cambodia
Kingdom of Cambodia
Cameroon
Republic of Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Republic of Cabo Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Republic of Chad
Chile
Republic of Chile
China
People’s Republic of China
Colombia
Republic of Colombia
Comoros
Union of the Comoros
Congo
Republic of the Congo
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Costa Rica
Republic of Costa Rica
Croatia
Republic of Croatia
Cuba
Republic of Cuba
Cyprus
Republic of Cyprus
Czechia
Czech Republic
D
Denmark
Kingdom of Denmark
Djibouti
Republic of Djibouti
Dominica
Commonwealth of Dominica
Dominican Republic
E
East Timor
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Ecuador
Republic of Ecuador
Egypt
Arab Republic of Egypt
El Salvador
Republic of El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Republic of Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
State of Eritrea
Estonia
Republic of Estonia
Eswatini
Kingdom of Eswatini
Formerly Swaziland. Changed by the government of Eswatini in May 2018
Ethiopia
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
F
Fiji
Republic of Fiji
Finland
Republic of Finland
France
French Republic
G
Gabon
Gabonese Republic
Gambia, The
Republic of The Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Federal Republic of Germany
Ghana
Republic of Ghana
Greece
Hellenic Republic
Grenada
Guatemala
Republic of Guatemala
Guinea
Republic of Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Co-operative Republic of Guyana
H
Haiti
Republic of Haiti
Honduras
Republic of Honduras
Hungary
I
Iceland
India
Republic of India
Indonesia
Republic of Indonesia
Iran
Islamic Republic of Iran
Iraq
Republic of Iraq
Ireland
Israel
State of Israel
Italy
Italian Republic
Ivory Coast
Republic of Côte d’Ivoire
J
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
K
Kazakhstan
Republic of Kazakhstan
Kenya
Republic of Kenya
Kiribati
Republic of Kiribati
Kosovo
Republic of Kosovo
Kuwait
State of Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Republic
L
Laos
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Latvia
Republic of Latvia
Lebanon
Lebanese Republic
Lesotho
Kingdom of Lesotho
Liberia
Republic of Liberia
Libya
State of Libya
Liechtenstein
Principality of Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Republic of Lithuania
Luxembourg
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
M
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
Federated States of Micronesia
Moldova
Republic of Moldova
Monaco
Principality of Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Kingdom of Morocco
Mozambique
Republic of Mozambique
Myanmar (Burma)
Republic of the Union of Myanmar
N
Namibia
Republic of Namibia
Nauru
Republic of Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
Kingdom of the Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Republic of Nicaragua
Niger
Republic of Niger
Nigeria
Federal Republic of Nigeria
North Korea
Democratic Peopleís Republic of Korea
North Macedonia
Republic of North Macedonia
In January 2019 both Macedonian and Greek parliaments ratified the agreement made in
June 2018 on this new country name.
Norway
Kingdom of Norway
O
Oman
Sultanate of Oman
P
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
Q
Qatar
State of Qatar
R
Romania
Russia
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Republic of Rwanda
S
St Kitts and Nevis
Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis
St Lucia
Saint Lucia
St Vincent
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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
Federal Republic of Somalia
South Africa
Republic of South Africa
South Korea
Republic of Korea
South Sudan
Republic of South Sudan
Spain
Kingdom of Spain
Sri Lanka
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Sudan
Republic of the Sudan
Suriname
Republic of Suriname
Sweden
Kingdom of Sweden
Switzerland
Swiss Confederation
Syria
Syrian Arab Republic
T
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
Republic of Tunisia
Turkey
Republic of Türkiye
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
U
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
V to Z
Vanuatu
Republic of Vanuatu
Vatican City
Vatican City State (note: diplomatic relations are with Holy See)
Venezuela
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Vietnam
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
Yemen
Republic of Yemen
Zambia
Republic of Zambia
Zimbabwe
Republic of Zimbabwe