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Countries That Start With E

Eight sovereign nations begin with E, spread across four regions of the globe — from Estonia on the Baltic to Ecuador on the Pacific, with six of the eight located in Africa.

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Sovereign countries (8)

Eight sovereign UN member states have English names beginning with E. The letter is unusual for the way it spans the globe: Estonia sits in northern Europe, Ecuador straddles the equator in South America, El Salvador anchors Central America, and the remaining five — Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, and Ethiopia — cluster in Africa. Six of the eight are African, making E one of the most Africa-heavy letters of the alphabet.

Ecuador flag

Ecuador

Quito · South America

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Egypt flag

Egypt

Cairo · Africa

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El Salvador flag

El Salvador

San Salvador · Central America

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Equatorial Guinea flag

Equatorial Guinea

Malabo · Africa

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Eritrea flag

Eritrea

Asmara · Africa

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Estonia flag

Estonia

Tallinn · Europe

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Eswatini flag

Eswatini

Mbabane · Africa

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Ethiopia flag

Ethiopia

Addis Ababa · Africa

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Territories and other entities

No current territories or dependencies start with the letter E. England is sometimes mistaken for a sovereign country, but it is one of four constituent nations of the United Kingdom and is not a UN member state — the UK appears under the letter U.

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

Quick answer for skimmers

Q: How many countries start with E?
A: Eight sovereign UN member states — Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, and Ethiopia. Six of the eight are in Africa.

Q: Is Eswatini the same as Swaziland?
A: Yes. The country renamed itself in 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of its independence, restoring the name used in the local siSwati language. Eswatini means "land of the Swazis."

Q: What about England?
A: England is part of the United Kingdom, not a sovereign UN member state. It is one of four constituent nations of the UK alongside Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and the UK as a whole is listed under the letter U.

Country profiles mentioned in this post:

Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia
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