Countries That Start With C

Sovereign countries (18)

Eighteen sovereign UN member states have English names beginning with C. The list spans every inhabited continent and includes two distinct nations on either side of the Congo River, two countries that have officially shortened their names in modern usage (Cabo Verde and Czechia), and one entry whose French short form (Côte d’Ivoire) is now preferred in diplomatic contexts over the older English translation. A handful of inhabited territories and dependencies also begin with C and are listed in their own section below.

Cabo Verde

Praia · Africa

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Cambodia

Phnom Penh · Asia

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Cameroon

Yaoundé · Africa

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Canada

Ottawa · North America

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Central African Republic

Bangui · Africa

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Chad

N’Djamena · Africa

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Chile

Santiago · South America

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China

Beijing · Asia

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Colombia

Bogotá · South America

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Comoros

Moroni · Africa

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Congo, Republic of the

Brazzaville · Africa

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Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Kinshasa · Africa

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Costa Rica

San José · Central America

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Côte d’Ivoire

Yamoussoukro · Africa

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Croatia

Zagreb · Europe

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Cuba

Havana · The Caribbean

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Cyprus

Nicosia · Europe

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Czechia

Prague · Europe

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Territories and other entities (5)

Inhabited territories, dependencies, and freely associated states whose English names also begin with C. These are not sovereign UN member states but each holds its own administrative or constitutional status.

Cayman Islands

British Overseas Territory

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Christmas Island

External territory of Australia

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Cocos (Keeling) Islands

External territory of Australia

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Cook Islands

Free association with New Zealand

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Curaçao

Constituent country, Kingdom of the Netherlands

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Browsing the alphabet is a popular way to teach geography. Try the neighbouring letters:

Countries That Start With B — Eighteen nations from Bahamas to Burundi.
Countries That Start With D — Three nations — Denmark, Djibouti, and Dominica (plus the Dominican Republic).
Countries That Start With A — Eleven nations from Afghanistan to Azerbaijan.

Quick answer for skimmers

Q: How many countries start with C?
A: Eighteen sovereign UN member states — tying B for the most populous letter on the list. Five inhabited territories and dependencies also begin with C.

Q: What is the difference between Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo?
A: They are two separate sovereign nations on opposite banks of the Congo River. The Republic of the Congo — often called Congo-Brazzaville after its capital — is the smaller country to the west, with about six million people. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, is the much larger country to the east, with more than one hundred million people and the second-largest land area in Africa. Both gained independence in 1960 from different colonial powers (France and Belgium, respectively).

Q: Is Czech Republic the same as Czechia?
A: Yes. Czechia is the official short-form name adopted by the country in 2016 and registered with the United Nations. The Czech Republic remains the formal long-form name, equivalent to how France is also the French Republic. Use Czechia in everyday writing, Czech Republic in formal or legal contexts.

Q: Why is Cabo Verde no longer called Cape Verde?
A: In 2013 the government asked international bodies to use the Portuguese-language name Cabo Verde in all languages. The country never legally translated its name; the English version was simply a convention. United Nations records and most modern atlases now list it as Cabo Verde.

Country profiles mentioned in this post: